# Shopify Storefront Settings Profiles

Storefront Settings Profiles let merchants prepare different Autocomplete,
Product Card, and Layout settings without changing the live Production setup.
A profile can be tested on selected theme surfaces, compared with Production,
and promoted when it is ready.

Profiles are shared across the Shopify store, including its markets. They are
optional: stores can continue editing and using Production without creating a
profile.

<br/>

## Production and Named Profiles

{.compact}
| Profile | Behavior |
| --- | --- |
| Production | Supplies the store's standard settings. It remains directly editable and cannot be renamed or deleted. |
| Named profile | Starts as a copy of current Production and can then be changed without changing Production. |

There is no store-wide active profile. Each supported theme surface either uses
Production or selects a named profile in Shopify's Theme Editor. Promoting a
profile copies its settings into Production; it does not redirect every theme
surface to that profile.

The profile workflow is available on these pages in the Retail Cloud Connect
Shopify App:

- **Autocomplete**
- **Product Card Builder**
- **Layout Settings**

Each page shows an **Editing Production** or **Editing _profile name_** pill in
the top-right area.

<br/>

## Create and Edit a Profile

1. Open **Autocomplete**, **Product Card Builder**, or **Layout Settings**.
2. Open the **Editing Production** pill and select **New profile**.
3. Enter a unique profile name. The new profile copies current Production.
4. Change settings on the current page.
5. Use the page-level **Save** action to save all changes on that page, or use
   **Discard** to restore the saved profile.

The pill keeps the selected profile while the merchant moves between the three
supported settings pages. If a merchant switches profiles with unsaved changes,
the app offers **Save and switch**, **Discard and switch**, or **Cancel**.

The same menu can:

- Select Production or another profile
- Rename the selected named profile
- Permanently delete the selected named profile
- Compare a named profile with Production
- Retry publishing when Shopify synchronization fails
- Promote a named profile to Production

Deleting a profile does not delete Production. The app returns to Production,
and theme surfaces that still reference the deleted profile safely use
Production instead.

<br/>

## Compare and Promote

Save the current page before comparing or promoting a profile. **Compare with
Production** shows the profile's changes grouped into Autocomplete, Product
Card, and Layout settings. Each comparison lists only the specific fields that
changed, with their Production and profile values side by side. Unchanged
settings are omitted and long values wrap within the comparison.

**Promote to Production** is available only when the profile is saved and its
latest revision has been published to Shopify. The confirmation shows the same
before-and-after comparison. Promotion copies the profile settings into
Production and keeps the named profile available for later editing or reuse.

If the profile or Production changes after the comparison opens, the app asks
the merchant to review a refreshed comparison before promoting.

!!!warning Publishing and retrying
A profile save can succeed in Retail Cloud Connect even if Shopify publication
temporarily fails. The Editing pill identifies the profile as unsynchronized,
**Retry publishing** appears in its menu, and promotion remains unavailable
until retry succeeds.

If an older revision of that profile was already published, theme surfaces
using it continue to receive the last successfully published revision. They do
not automatically switch to Production. To use Production immediately, clear
the profile picker on each affected theme surface and save the theme, then retry
publishing from the app.
!!!

<br/>

## Select a Profile in the Theme Editor

The native **Settings profile** picker is available on exactly these Retail
Cloud Connect theme surfaces:

- **Search Results**
- **Product Grid**
- **Dynamic Autocomplete**
- **Recommendations AI**

To use a profile:

1. In Shopify, open **Online Store > Themes** and customize the required theme.
2. Select the supported App Block or the **Dynamic Autocomplete** App Embed.
3. Choose a named value under **Settings profile**.
4. Save the theme.

Leave **Settings profile** blank to use Production. A blank, missing, or deleted
selection also uses Production. Profile selection is not available for Keyword
Autocomplete, Conversational Search, Document Search, or other App Blocks.

<br/>

## Approve the Shopify Permission Update

Managing named profiles requires Shopify's `write_metaobjects` permission. This
permission lets Retail Cloud Connect create, update, and delete the app-owned
records shown in the native **Settings profile** picker.

Existing installations may need a store owner or authorized staff member to
approve the app's updated permissions. Until approval, the profile menu explains
that updated permissions are required and named-profile controls remain
unavailable. Production settings and existing Production storefront behavior
remain usable.

For staff and app access guidance, see
[Managing Shopify Access](/shopify/advanced-settings/managing-access/).