Metaobjects Overview: Content Modeling

Metaobjects let you create entirely new content types in Shopify. While metafields attach data to existing resources, metaobjects are standalone content entries with their own defined structure.

What Are Metaobjects?

Metaobjects are custom content types you define. Think of them as:

Metafields are fields on products, collections, pages
Metaobjects are independent entries with multiple fields

Use Cases

Metaobject Type	Fields
Team Member	Name, photo, title, bio, social links
FAQ	Question, answer, category
Testimonial	Quote, author, rating, photo
Store Location	Name, address, hours, map coordinates
Size Guide	Product type, measurements table
Brand	Logo, description, website
Press Mention	Publication, quote, date, link

Creating a Metaobject Definition

In Shopify Admin:

Go to Settings → Custom data → Metaobjects
Click Add definition
Define your fields

Example: Team Member

Name: Team Member
Type: team_member

Fields:
- name (single_line_text, required)
- photo (file_reference, image)
- title (single_line_text)
- bio (multi_line_text)
- email (single_line_text)
- linkedin_url (url)

Example: FAQ Item

Name: FAQ
Type: faq

Fields:
- question (single_line_text, required)
- answer (rich_text, required)
- category (single_line_text)
- order (number_integer)

Example: Testimonial

Name: Testimonial
Type: testimonial

Fields:
- quote (multi_line_text, required)
- author_name (single_line_text, required)
- author_title (single_line_text)
- author_photo (file_reference, image)
- rating (number_integer, 1-5)
- product (product_reference)

Accessing Metaobjects in Liquid

Via Metaobject Reference Metafield

Connect metaobjects to products or other resources:

{# Product has metafield: custom.testimonials (list of testimonial references) #}
{%- assign testimonials = product.metafields.custom.testimonials.value -%}

{%- if testimonials.size > 0 -%}
  <div class="product-testimonials">
    <h2>Customer Reviews</h2>
    {%- for testimonial in testimonials -%}
      <blockquote class="testimonial">
        <p>{{ testimonial.quote }}</p>
        <footer>
          {%- if testimonial.author_photo -%}
            {{ testimonial.author_photo | image_url: width: 60 | image_tag }}
          {%- endif -%}
          <cite>{{ testimonial.author_name }}</cite>
          {%- if testimonial.author_title -%}
            <span>{{ testimonial.author_title }}</span>
          {%- endif -%}
        </footer>
      </blockquote>
    {%- endfor -%}
  </div>
{%- endif -%}

Via Section Settings

Use dynamic sources to connect metaobjects:

{
  "name": "Team Section",
  "settings": [
    {
      "type": "text",
      "id": "heading",
      "label": "Heading",
      "default": "Meet Our Team"
    }
  ],
  "blocks": [
    {
      "type": "team_member",
      "name": "Team Member",
      "settings": [
        {
          "type": "text",
          "id": "name",
          "label": "Name"
        },
        {
          "type": "image_picker",
          "id": "photo",
          "label": "Photo"
        },
        {
          "type": "text",
          "id": "title",
          "label": "Title"
        },
        {
          "type": "textarea",
          "id": "bio",
          "label": "Bio"
        }
      ]
    }
  ]
}

Merchants can connect each field to a metaobject’s fields via dynamic sources.

Metaobject Templates

Metaobjects can have their own pages! Create a template:

templates/metaobject/team_member.liquid

Or with JSON:

{# templates/metaobject/team_member.json #}
{
  "sections": {
    "main": {
      "type": "metaobject-team-member",
      "settings": {}
    }
  },
  "order": ["main"]
}

Team Member Template Section

{# sections/metaobject-team-member.liquid #}

{%- assign member = metaobject -%}

<article class="team-member-page">
  <div class="container">
    <div class="team-member-page__grid">
      <div class="team-member-page__photo">
        {%- if member.photo -%}
          {{ member.photo | image_url: width: 600 | image_tag }}
        {%- endif -%}
      </div>

      <div class="team-member-page__content">
        <h1>{{ member.name }}</h1>

        {%- if member.title -%}
          <p class="team-member-page__title">{{ member.title }}</p>
        {%- endif -%}

        {%- if member.bio -%}
          <div class="team-member-page__bio">
            {{ member.bio | newline_to_br }}
          </div>
        {%- endif -%}

        <div class="team-member-page__contact">
          {%- if member.email -%}
            <a href="mailto:{{ member.email }}">Email</a>
          {%- endif -%}

          {%- if member.linkedin_url -%}
            <a href="{{ member.linkedin_url }}" target="_blank" rel="noopener">
              LinkedIn
            </a>
          {%- endif -%}
        </div>
      </div>
    </div>
  </div>
</article>

{% schema %}
{
  "name": "Team Member Page",
  "settings": []
}
{% endschema %}

Listing Metaobjects

All Entries of a Type

You cannot directly iterate all metaobjects of a type in Liquid. Instead:

Create a metafield on shop that references multiple metaobjects
Use a section with blocks connected via dynamic sources
Use the Storefront API (for headless/custom)

Shop Metafield Approach

{# Shop has metafield: custom.all_team_members (list of team_member references) #}
{%- assign team = shop.metafields.custom.all_team_members.value -%}

<section class="team-grid">
  <h2>Our Team</h2>
  <div class="team-grid__members">
    {%- for member in team -%}
      <div class="team-card">
        {%- if member.photo -%}
          {{ member.photo | image_url: width: 300 | image_tag }}
        {%- endif -%}
        <h3>{{ member.name }}</h3>
        <p>{{ member.title }}</p>

        {%- if member.system.url -%}
          <a href="{{ member.system.url }}">Learn more</a>
        {%- endif -%}
      </div>
    {%- endfor -%}
  </div>
</section>

Block-Based Approach

{# sections/team-section.liquid #}

<section class="team-section">
  <div class="container">
    <h2>{{ section.settings.heading }}</h2>

    <div class="team-grid">
      {%- for block in section.blocks -%}
        <div class="team-card" {{ block.shopify_attributes }}>
          {%- if block.settings.photo -%}
            {{ block.settings.photo | image_url: width: 300 | image_tag }}
          {%- endif -%}
          <h3>{{ block.settings.name }}</h3>
          <p>{{ block.settings.title }}</p>
          <p>{{ block.settings.bio }}</p>
        </div>
      {%- endfor -%}
    </div>
  </div>
</section>

Merchants add blocks and connect each field to a team member metaobject.

FAQ Section with Metaobjects

{# sections/faq-metaobjects.liquid #}

{%- assign faqs = shop.metafields.custom.all_faqs.value -%}

{%- if faqs.size > 0 -%}
  <section class="faq-section">
    <div class="container">
      <h2>{{ section.settings.heading }}</h2>

      <div class="faq-list">
        {%- for faq in faqs -%}
          <details class="faq-item">
            <summary>{{ faq.question }}</summary>
            <div class="faq-item__answer">
              {{ faq.answer }}
            </div>
          </details>
        {%- endfor -%}
      </div>
    </div>
  </section>
{%- endif -%}

{% schema %}
{
  "name": "FAQ Section",
  "settings": [
    {
      "type": "text",
      "id": "heading",
      "label": "Heading",
      "default": "Frequently Asked Questions"
    }
  ]
}
{% endschema %}

Store Locations Example

{# Metaobject: store_location #}
{# Fields: name, address, phone, hours, lat, lng, image #}

{%- assign locations = shop.metafields.custom.store_locations.value -%}

<section class="store-locator">
  <h2>Find a Store</h2>

  <div class="store-locator__grid">
    {%- for location in locations -%}
      <div class="store-card">
        {%- if location.image -%}
          {{ location.image | image_url: width: 400 | image_tag }}
        {%- endif -%}

        <h3>{{ location.name }}</h3>

        <address>
          {{ location.address | newline_to_br }}
        </address>

        {%- if location.phone -%}
          <p>
            <a href="tel:{{ location.phone | remove: ' ' | remove: '-' }}">
              {{ location.phone }}
            </a>
          </p>
        {%- endif -%}

        {%- if location.hours -%}
          <div class="store-card__hours">
            <strong>Hours:</strong>
            {{ location.hours | newline_to_br }}
          </div>
        {%- endif -%}

        {%- if location.lat and location.lng -%}
          <a
            href="https://maps.google.com/?q={{ location.lat }},{{ location.lng }}"
            target="_blank"
            rel="noopener"
            class="button button--secondary"
          >
            Get Directions
          </a>
        {%- endif -%}
      </div>
    {%- endfor -%}
  </div>
</section>

System Properties

Metaobjects have system properties:

{{ metaobject.system.handle }}  {# URL handle #}
{{ metaobject.system.id }}      {# GID #}
{{ metaobject.system.url }}     {# Page URL (if template exists) #}

Metaobject vs Metafield Decision

Use Metafields When	Use Metaobjects When
Data belongs to a product	Content is independent
One-to-one relationship	Reusable across site
Simple values	Complex multi-field entries
e.g., Product warranty	e.g., Team members

Best Practices

Define Clear Types

team_member      # Not: person, member, staff
store_location   # Not: location, store, place
testimonial      # Not: review, quote, feedback

Use Descriptive Field Names

author_name      # Not: name, author
publish_date     # Not: date, published
featured_image   # Not: image, img

Order Fields Logically

Put required/important fields first in the definition.

Practice Exercise

Create metaobjects for:

Team members with photo, name, title, bio
FAQ items with question, answer, category
Testimonials with quote, author, rating

Then create sections that:

Display team grid from metaobjects
Show FAQ accordion
Render testimonials carousel

Key Takeaways

Metaobjects are custom content types
Define fields in Settings → Custom data
Access via reference metafields on shop/products
Templates in metaobject/type.liquid for standalone pages
metaobject.system for handle, id, url
Block + dynamic sources for flexible sections
Shop metafield lists to iterate all entries

What’s Next?

The next lesson covers App Blocks and Theme Compatibility for third-party integrations.