Building a Shopify Gatsby Site with Storyblock

  • Creating a function to refresh the cart after checkout.
  • Integrating Storyblock with Shopify for a richer e-commerce experience.
  • Building a Shopify Gatsby website with a headless CMS approach.
  • Leveraging GraphQL to fetch and manage Shopify data in Gatsby.
  • Developing e-commerce components with a focus on user experience.

Creating a dynamic and efficient e-commerce platform involves a seamless blend of front-end and back-end technologies. Here, we explore the process of building a Shopify Gatsby website, enhanced with Storyblock, a headless content management system (CMS). This integration allows for a flexible and content-rich shopping experience, leveraging the power of GraphQL and modern web technologies.

One of the primary steps in this process is addressing the functionality of the shopping cart. After a successful checkout, it's crucial to refresh the cart to reflect the accurate status of purchased items. This involves creating a function to generate a new checkout ID and updating the local storage accordingly. The process ensures that upon completion of a checkout, the cart is emptied, maintaining a clean and user-friendly experience.

Integrating Storyblock with Shopify enhances the platform by allowing storytelling elements and dynamic content to coexist with product data. This integration requires setting up Storyblock components and using its visual editor to manage content effectively. Although there might be challenges such as plugin requirements or account access, solutions are available to overcome these hurdles, ensuring smooth integration.

The foundation of this e-commerce solution is a headless Shopify Gatsby website. This architecture allows for a decoupled front-end and back-end, providing flexibility and scalability. Components like a hero image, product grid, and rich text are managed within Storyblock, offering a visual editing experience that updates in real-time. The ability to preview changes instantly is invaluable for content creators aiming to keep the site engaging and up-to-date.

GraphQL plays a significant role in managing and fetching data from Shopify. By establishing connections between Gatsby and Shopify, data such as products and collections are queried and displayed efficiently. This setup supports the creation of collection pages, product cards, and single product views, each tailored to enhance the shopping experience.

Developing e-commerce components involves not just displaying products but also ensuring a seamless checkout process. This includes creating and managing context for the shopping cart, adding products, and handling the checkout state. Ensuring that the cart persists even after page reloads is crucial for maintaining the user journey.

Adding Storyblock components to the site introduces a new dimension of content management. Through the use of static queries and rich text rendering, components are dynamically populated with content from the CMS. This approach allows for a blend of static data from Shopify and dynamic content from Storyblock, creating a comprehensive shopping platform.

In conclusion, the integration of Shopify, Gatsby, and Storyblock offers a robust solution for building a modern e-commerce site. By leveraging the strengths of each platform, developers can create a site that is not only functional but also engaging and easy to manage. As e-commerce continues to evolve, such integrations will play a crucial role in delivering rich and interactive shopping experiences.

Watch full talk with demos and examples:

From Author:

In this workshop, you will integrate a decoupled Gatsby Shopify website into Storyblok real-time visual editor.

  1. 1. Connect Gatsby with Shopify and build the catalog
  2. 2. Build the shopping Card functionality using shopify-buy
  3. 3. Connect Gatsby with Storyblok
  4. 4. Build editable components for the Storyblok visual editor, including Shopify products and Collections


Prerequisites

Computer ready for Gatsby.


Workshop level

React and Gatsby intermediate.

This workshop has been presented at React Advanced 2022, check out the latest edition of this React Conference.

FAQ

The main objective of the workshop is to build a complete Shopify Gatsby website integrated with Storyblocks, demonstrating how to create a headless CMS setup and enrich e-commerce with storytelling content.

Participants should clone the provided repository, switch to the main branch, and use YARN to register all the packages. They are also advised to follow the progression by branches as the workshop advances.

The technologies integrated in the Shopify Gatsby website include Shopify for e-commerce functionality, Gatsby as the static site generator, and Storyblocks for adding headless CMS capabilities.

The initial components created include a layout component in Gatsby, a simple header using Gatsby's link component, and a cart icon linked to the cart page.

Storyblock components are used to pull dynamic content like hero and text components from Storyblocks, while product-related information is pulled from Shopify. This demonstrates the blend of e-commerce and CMS functionalities.

Participants will learn to create product cards and collection pages using Gatsby's APIs, integrating these with Shopify's product data to display and manage products effectively.

Data fetching from Shopify is handled through the Gatsby Shopify source plugin, allowing participants to pull product and collection data directly into their Gatsby site.

Yes, participants are encouraged to interact directly with the instructor. The instructor prefers real-time interaction over chat and participants are urged to open their mics and speak up during the session.

The workshop covers creating a context for the shopping cart, adding products to the cart, managing checkout processes, and integrating with Shopify's API for a complete e-commerce experience.

Alexandra Spalato
Alexandra Spalato
93 min
20 Oct, 2022

Comments

Sign in or register to post your comment.
Video Summary and Transcription
We will build a complete Shopify Gatsby website that integrates e-commerce with storytelling and content from a headless CMS. We connect Gatsby and Shopify, create collections and single products, and build a menu and shopping cart. We also integrate Storyblock CMS with a real-time visual editor and troubleshoot any issues. The workshop covers building e-commerce components, including single products, category grids, and best sellers. Overall, the workshop provides a comprehensive guide to building a Shopify Gatsby website with various functionalities.

1. Introduction to Shopify Gatsby Website

We are going to build a complete Shopify Gatsby website headless. The homepage will integrate e-commerce with storytelling and content from the headless CMS, Storyblocks. We will build catalogs, collections, shopping cart, checkout process, and integrate with Storyblock components. Clone the repository, install the packages, and progress by branches.

2. Setting up Gatsby Eats and Connecting Shopify

We have just created the essential components for the Gatsby Eats website, including the global layout, header, card page, and homepage. We have also set up the Gatsby config and installed the necessary plugins. I have provided documentation on setting up a Shopify shop and shared the variables for this workshop. In the next step, we will connect Gatsby and Shopify by installing the Gatsby Shopify source plugin and adding the required code to Gatsby configure. Let me know if you encounter any issues.

QnA

Watch more workshops on topic

React Performance Debugging Masterclass
React Summit 2023React Summit 2023
170 min
React Performance Debugging Masterclass
Top Content
Featured WorkshopFree
Ivan Akulov
Ivan Akulov
Ivan’s first attempts at performance debugging were chaotic. He would see a slow interaction, try a random optimization, see that it didn't help, and keep trying other optimizations until he found the right one (or gave up).
Back then, Ivan didn’t know how to use performance devtools well. He would do a recording in Chrome DevTools or React Profiler, poke around it, try clicking random things, and then close it in frustration a few minutes later. Now, Ivan knows exactly where and what to look for. And in this workshop, Ivan will teach you that too.
Here’s how this is going to work. We’ll take a slow app → debug it (using tools like Chrome DevTools, React Profiler, and why-did-you-render) → pinpoint the bottleneck → and then repeat, several times more. We won’t talk about the solutions (in 90% of the cases, it’s just the ol’ regular useMemo() or memo()). But we’ll talk about everything that comes before – and learn how to analyze any React performance problem, step by step.
(Note: This workshop is best suited for engineers who are already familiar with how useMemo() and memo() work – but want to get better at using the performance tools around React. Also, we’ll be covering interaction performance, not load speed, so you won’t hear a word about Lighthouse 🤐)
Concurrent Rendering Adventures in React 18
React Advanced 2021React Advanced 2021
132 min
Concurrent Rendering Adventures in React 18
Top Content
Featured WorkshopFree
Maurice de Beijer
Maurice de Beijer
With the release of React 18 we finally get the long awaited concurrent rendering. But how is that going to affect your application? What are the benefits of concurrent rendering in React? What do you need to do to switch to concurrent rendering when you upgrade to React 18? And what if you don’t want or can’t use concurrent rendering yet?

There are some behavior changes you need to be aware of! In this workshop we will cover all of those subjects and more.

Join me with your laptop in this interactive workshop. You will see how easy it is to switch to concurrent rendering in your React application. You will learn all about concurrent rendering, SuspenseList, the startTransition API and more.
React Hooks Tips Only the Pros Know
React Summit Remote Edition 2021React Summit Remote Edition 2021
177 min
React Hooks Tips Only the Pros Know
Top Content
Featured Workshop
Maurice de Beijer
Maurice de Beijer
The addition of the hooks API to React was quite a major change. Before hooks most components had to be class based. Now, with hooks, these are often much simpler functional components. Hooks can be really simple to use. Almost deceptively simple. Because there are still plenty of ways you can mess up with hooks. And it often turns out there are many ways where you can improve your components a better understanding of how each React hook can be used.You will learn all about the pros and cons of the various hooks. You will learn when to use useState() versus useReducer(). We will look at using useContext() efficiently. You will see when to use useLayoutEffect() and when useEffect() is better.
React, TypeScript, and TDD
React Advanced 2021React Advanced 2021
174 min
React, TypeScript, and TDD
Top Content
Featured WorkshopFree
Paul Everitt
Paul Everitt
ReactJS is wildly popular and thus wildly supported. TypeScript is increasingly popular, and thus increasingly supported.

The two together? Not as much. Given that they both change quickly, it's hard to find accurate learning materials.

React+TypeScript, with JetBrains IDEs? That three-part combination is the topic of this series. We'll show a little about a lot. Meaning, the key steps to getting productive, in the IDE, for React projects using TypeScript. Along the way we'll show test-driven development and emphasize tips-and-tricks in the IDE.
Web3 Workshop - Building Your First Dapp
React Advanced 2021React Advanced 2021
145 min
Web3 Workshop - Building Your First Dapp
Top Content
Featured WorkshopFree
Nader Dabit
Nader Dabit
In this workshop, you'll learn how to build your first full stack dapp on the Ethereum blockchain, reading and writing data to the network, and connecting a front end application to the contract you've deployed. By the end of the workshop, you'll understand how to set up a full stack development environment, run a local node, and interact with any smart contract using React, HardHat, and Ethers.js.
Designing Effective Tests With React Testing Library
React Summit 2023React Summit 2023
151 min
Designing Effective Tests With React Testing Library
Top Content
Featured Workshop
Josh Justice
Josh Justice
React Testing Library is a great framework for React component tests because there are a lot of questions it answers for you, so you don’t need to worry about those questions. But that doesn’t mean testing is easy. There are still a lot of questions you have to figure out for yourself: How many component tests should you write vs end-to-end tests or lower-level unit tests? How can you test a certain line of code that is tricky to test? And what in the world are you supposed to do about that persistent act() warning?
In this three-hour workshop we’ll introduce React Testing Library along with a mental model for how to think about designing your component tests. This mental model will help you see how to test each bit of logic, whether or not to mock dependencies, and will help improve the design of your components. You’ll walk away with the tools, techniques, and principles you need to implement low-cost, high-value component tests.
Table of contents- The different kinds of React application tests, and where component tests fit in- A mental model for thinking about the inputs and outputs of the components you test- Options for selecting DOM elements to verify and interact with them- The value of mocks and why they shouldn’t be avoided- The challenges with asynchrony in RTL tests and how to handle them
Prerequisites- Familiarity with building applications with React- Basic experience writing automated tests with Jest or another unit testing framework- You do not need any experience with React Testing Library- Machine setup: Node LTS, Yarn

Check out more articles and videos

We constantly think of articles and videos that might spark Git people interest / skill us up or help building a stellar career

A Guide to React Rendering Behavior
React Advanced 2022React Advanced 2022
25 min
A Guide to React Rendering Behavior
Top Content
This transcription provides a brief guide to React rendering behavior. It explains the process of rendering, comparing new and old elements, and the importance of pure rendering without side effects. It also covers topics such as batching and double rendering, optimizing rendering and using context and Redux in React. Overall, it offers valuable insights for developers looking to understand and optimize React rendering.
Building Better Websites with Remix
React Summit Remote Edition 2021React Summit Remote Edition 2021
33 min
Building Better Websites with Remix
Top Content
Remix is a web framework built on React Router that focuses on web fundamentals, accessibility, performance, and flexibility. It delivers real HTML and SEO benefits, and allows for automatic updating of meta tags and styles. It provides features like login functionality, session management, and error handling. Remix is a server-rendered framework that can enhance sites with JavaScript but doesn't require it for basic functionality. It aims to create quality HTML-driven documents and is flexible for use with different web technologies and stacks.
React Compiler - Understanding Idiomatic React (React Forget)
React Advanced 2023React Advanced 2023
33 min
React Compiler - Understanding Idiomatic React (React Forget)
Top Content
Watch video: React Compiler - Understanding Idiomatic React (React Forget)
Joe Savona
Mofei Zhang
2 authors
The Talk discusses React Forget, a compiler built at Meta that aims to optimize client-side React development. It explores the use of memoization to improve performance and the vision of Forget to automatically determine dependencies at build time. Forget is named with an F-word pun and has the potential to optimize server builds and enable dead code elimination. The team plans to make Forget open-source and is focused on ensuring its quality before release.
Using useEffect Effectively
React Advanced 2022React Advanced 2022
30 min
Using useEffect Effectively
Top Content
Today's Talk explores the use of the useEffect hook in React development, covering topics such as fetching data, handling race conditions and cleanup, and optimizing performance. It also discusses the correct use of useEffect in React 18, the distinction between Activity Effects and Action Effects, and the potential misuse of useEffect. The Talk highlights the benefits of using useQuery or SWR for data fetching, the problems with using useEffect for initializing global singletons, and the use of state machines for handling effects. The speaker also recommends exploring the beta React docs and using tools like the stately.ai editor for visualizing state machines.
Routing in React 18 and Beyond
React Summit 2022React Summit 2022
20 min
Routing in React 18 and Beyond
Top Content
Routing in React 18 brings a native app-like user experience and allows applications to transition between different environments. React Router and Next.js have different approaches to routing, with React Router using component-based routing and Next.js using file system-based routing. React server components provide the primitives to address the disadvantages of multipage applications while maintaining the same user experience. Improving navigation and routing in React involves including loading UI, pre-rendering parts of the screen, and using server components for more performant experiences. Next.js and Remix are moving towards a converging solution by combining component-based routing with file system routing.
(Easier) Interactive Data Visualization in React
React Advanced 2021React Advanced 2021
27 min
(Easier) Interactive Data Visualization in React
Top Content
This Talk is about interactive data visualization in React using the Plot library. Plot is a high-level library that simplifies the process of visualizing data by providing key concepts and defaults for layout decisions. It can be integrated with React using hooks like useRef and useEffect. Plot allows for customization and supports features like sorting and adding additional marks. The Talk also discusses accessibility concerns, SSR support, and compares Plot to other libraries like D3 and Vega-Lite.