One common challenge most merchants experience is dealing with app-related issues. Apps can provide valuable advanced features, but they can also introduce issues that may disrupt the normal operation of your theme. In this article, we'll explore some steps you can follow to help isolate an issue and determine if what you are experiencing is an app-related issue or an issue that has been introduced through a customization.
Before you begin
Before proceeding with advanced troubleshooting, please make sure you’ve tried the following basic steps:
- Refresh the page: Sometimes, a simple page refresh can clear out cached content and load the latest version of the page.
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Clear browser cache: Instruct the user to clear their browser cache and reload the page. This can be done through the browser's settings or by using keyboard shortcuts (e.g.,
Ctrl + Shift + Rfor hard refresh in Chrome andCommand + Shift + Rfor Mac). - Try another browser: Ask the user to try accessing the website using a different browser. This can help determine if the issue is specific to one browser or if it's a broader problem.
- Check for updates: Ensure that all software, including browsers and any relevant plugins or extensions, are up to date. Outdated software can sometimes cause caching issues.
- Disable browser extensions: If the issue persists, ask the user to temporarily disable any browser extensions or add-ons that might be interfering with caching.
- Test on another device: Have the user access the website from a different device (e.g., another computer or a smartphone). This can help determine if the issue is device-specific.
- Use private browsing mode: Instruct the user to try accessing the website in a private or incognito browsing mode. This can bypass the browser cache and provide a fresh view of the website.
Next steps
If the issue persists after completing the steps above, you can continue with the advanced troubleshooting steps outlined below:
1. Try to isolate the issue
The first step in isolating the issue is to attempt to reproduce it in an unmodified theme. An easy approach you can use is to upload a fresh copy of the theme to your store and copying your theme settings over from the live theme - you can follow the theme update process. If you can reproduce the issue in a clean, unmodified theme, then you'll want to reach out to our team so we can get you fixed up. If everything is working as intended, this helps identify that something has been introduced into your theme code that is causing an issue.
2. Identifying which app may be causing this issue
We recommend removing any recently installed apps or rolling back any recent custom code changes to determine which one is causing the issue. Alternatively, you can use the newly uploaded theme, and double-check as you add your apps back in to identify which one is causing the issue.
Tip: Before making any significant changes during troubleshooting, create a backup of your theme. This will allow you to restore your theme to its original state if troubleshooting inadvertently causes more issues.
Once you identify which app or customization is introducing the issue, we highly recommend reaching out to the app developer's support team or to the developer, expert or agency that worked on any customizations. They are the subject matter experts on their code and they can assist you with custom code added into your shop.
Theme compatibility
You'll want to verify with the app developer that their app is compatible with your Archetype theme. It is incumbent on app developers to ensure that their apps are compatible with both the Shopify Platform and with themes.
3. Experts
If the issue is being introduced by custom code that you can't identify, we recommend reaching out to one of our customization partners to help you troubleshoot. They specialize in this type of work plus having worked closely with us they are already familiar with your Archetype theme.