Template-Specific vs Global Sections

Sections can appear in two contexts: within specific templates or globally across your entire site. Understanding this distinction helps you build flexible, maintainable themes where content appears exactly where it should.

Two Types of Section Placement

Template Sections

These sections are defined within a JSON template and only appear on pages using that template:

{
  "sections": {
    "main": {
      "type": "main-product"
    },
    "recommendations": {
      "type": "product-recommendations"
    }
  },
  "order": ["main", "recommendations"]
}

The “main-product” and “product-recommendations” sections only appear on product pages. They’re specific to this template.

Global Sections (Section Groups)

Global sections appear on every page. They’re defined in section groups and rendered from theme.liquid:

{# layout/theme.liquid #}
<body>
  {% sections 'header-group' %}

  <main>
    {{ content_for_layout }}
  </main>

  {% sections 'footer-group' %}
</body>

The header and footer sections appear on every page because they’re rendered at the layout level.

Section Groups

Section groups are JSON files that define which sections appear in a global area:

{
  "type": "header-group",
  "name": "Header",
  "sections": {
    "announcement": {
      "type": "announcement-bar"
    },
    "header": {
      "type": "header"
    }
  },
  "order": ["announcement", "header"]
}

{
  "type": "footer-group",
  "name": "Footer",
  "sections": {
    "footer": {
      "type": "footer"
    }
  },
  "order": ["footer"]
}

Merchants can then:

Reorder sections within the group
Add new sections to the group
Customize section settings
Remove sections (if allowed)

Static vs Dynamic Sections

Static Sections

Static sections are hard-coded in a template or layout. They always appear and cannot be removed by merchants:

{# Hard-coded in a .liquid file #}
{% section 'header' %}

This header will always render. Merchants can customize its settings but cannot remove it or change its position.

Dynamic Sections

Dynamic sections are defined in JSON templates. Merchants can add, remove, and reorder them:

{
  "sections": {
    "hero": { "type": "hero-banner" },
    "featured": { "type": "featured-collection" }
  },
  "order": ["hero", "featured"]
}

Merchants can:

Remove the hero section
Add a new section between hero and featured
Reorder sections freely

Controlling Section Availability

The `presets` Property

For a section to be available in the “Add section” menu, it needs a presets array in its schema:

{% schema %}
{
  "name": "Featured Collection",
  "settings": [...],
  "presets": [
    {
      "name": "Featured Collection"
    }
  ]
}
{% endschema %}

Without presets, the section can only be used if directly referenced in a template. It won’t appear in the theme editor’s section picker.

Multiple Presets:

You can offer different configurations of the same section:

{% schema %}
{
  "name": "Image Banner",
  "settings": [...],
  "presets": [
    {
      "name": "Image Banner",
      "settings": {
        "height": "medium"
      }
    },
    {
      "name": "Full-Height Banner",
      "settings": {
        "height": "full"
      }
    }
  ]
}
{% endschema %}

Both presets appear in the “Add section” menu with different default settings.

The `enabled_on` Property

Restrict where a section can be added:

{% schema %}
{
  "name": "Product Recommendations",
  "enabled_on": {
    "templates": ["product"]
  },
  "presets": [
    {
      "name": "Product Recommendations"
    }
  ]
}
{% endschema %}

This section only appears in the section picker when editing product templates. It makes no sense on the homepage, so we prevent that.

Enable on Multiple Templates:

{% schema %}
{
  "name": "Recently Viewed",
  "enabled_on": {
    "templates": ["product", "collection", "search"]
  }
}
{% endschema %}

Enable in Section Groups:

{% schema %}
{
  "name": "Announcement Bar",
  "enabled_on": {
    "groups": ["header"]
  }
}
{% endschema %}

This section can only be added to the header group, not to any template.

Combine Templates and Groups:

{% schema %}
{
  "name": "Newsletter",
  "enabled_on": {
    "templates": ["index", "collection"],
    "groups": ["footer"]
  }
}
{% endschema %}

The `disabled_on` Property

The opposite of enabled_on. Disable a section in specific contexts:

{% schema %}
{
  "name": "Featured Collection",
  "disabled_on": {
    "templates": ["password"],
    "groups": ["header", "footer"]
  }
}
{% endschema %}

This section can be added anywhere except password pages and header/footer groups.

Combining for Precise Control

Use enabled_on when you want to allow only specific places:

{
  "enabled_on": {
    "templates": ["product"]
  }
}
// Can ONLY be added to product templates

Use disabled_on when you want to allow most places except a few:

{
  "disabled_on": {
    "groups": ["header"]
  }
}
// Can be added anywhere EXCEPT the header group

Section Availability Summary

Section Has	Available in “Add Section”	Where It Can Be Added
No presets	No	Only via template JSON
presets only	Yes	Anywhere
presets + enabled_on	Yes	Only specified places
presets + disabled_on	Yes	Everywhere except specified

Practical Examples

Main Product Section (Template Only)

This section should only exist once per template and shouldn’t be in the “Add section” menu:

{% schema %}
{
  "name": "Product Information",
  "tag": "section",
  "class": "main-product"
}
{% endschema %}

No presets means it can only be placed by the template file itself.

A flexible banner that can go anywhere:

{% schema %}
{
  "name": "Promotional Banner",
  "settings": [
    {
      "type": "text",
      "id": "heading",
      "label": "Heading"
    }
  ],
  "presets": [
    {
      "name": "Promotional Banner"
    }
  ]
}
{% endschema %}

Available everywhere because it has presets with no restrictions.

Header Component (Header Group Only)

A header-specific section:

{% schema %}
{
  "name": "Header",
  "enabled_on": {
    "groups": ["header"]
  },
  "presets": [
    {
      "name": "Header"
    }
  ]
}
{% endschema %}

Only available in the header section group.

Product Reviews (Product Pages Only)

{% schema %}
{
  "name": "Product Reviews",
  "enabled_on": {
    "templates": ["product"]
  },
  "presets": [
    {
      "name": "Product Reviews"
    }
  ]
}
{% endschema %}

Only makes sense on product pages, so we restrict it.

When to Use Each Approach

Use Template Sections For:

Page-specific content (product info, collection grid)
Content that varies by page type
Sections that need template context (product, collection objects)

Use Global Section Groups For:

Site-wide elements (header, footer)
Navigation and branding
Elements that should be consistent across all pages

Use `enabled_on` When:

A section only makes sense on certain page types
A section requires specific objects (like product)
You want to prevent misuse

Use `disabled_on` When:

A section works almost everywhere
You need to exclude just a few places
It’s easier to list exceptions than inclusions

Practice Exercise

Create section schemas for these scenarios:

A “Size Guide” section only for product pages
A “Newsletter” section for footer group and homepage
A “Trust Badges” section available everywhere except header

Solutions:

{# 1. Size Guide - Product only #}
{% schema %}
{
  "name": "Size Guide",
  "enabled_on": {
    "templates": ["product"]
  },
  "presets": [
    { "name": "Size Guide" }
  ]
}
{% endschema %}

{# 2. Newsletter - Footer group and homepage #}
{% schema %}
{
  "name": "Newsletter",
  "enabled_on": {
    "templates": ["index"],
    "groups": ["footer"]
  },
  "presets": [
    { "name": "Newsletter" }
  ]
}
{% endschema %}

{# 3. Trust Badges - Everywhere except header #}
{% schema %}
{
  "name": "Trust Badges",
  "disabled_on": {
    "groups": ["header"]
  },
  "presets": [
    { "name": "Trust Badges" }
  ]
}
{% endschema %}

Key Takeaways

Template sections appear on specific page types
Global sections (via section groups) appear on every page
Static sections are hard-coded and always render
Dynamic sections can be added/removed/reordered by merchants
presets make a section available in the “Add section” menu
enabled_on restricts where a section can be added
disabled_on excludes a section from specific places

What’s Next?

Now that you understand section placement, the next lesson covers Routing and Template Selection to see how Shopify decides which template to render for any given URL.

Template-Specific vs Global Sections

Two Types of Section Placement

Template Sections

Global Sections (Section Groups)

Section Groups

Static vs Dynamic Sections

Static Sections

Dynamic Sections

Controlling Section Availability

The `presets` Property

The `enabled_on` Property

The `disabled_on` Property

Combining for Precise Control

Section Availability Summary

Practical Examples

Main Product Section (Template Only)

Promotional Banner (Anywhere)

Header Component (Header Group Only)

Product Reviews (Product Pages Only)

When to Use Each Approach

Use Template Sections For:

Use Global Section Groups For:

Use `enabled_on` When:

Use `disabled_on` When:

Practice Exercise

Key Takeaways

What’s Next?

Finished this lesson?

Discussion

Two Types of Section Placement

Template Sections

Global Sections (Section Groups)

Section Groups

Static vs Dynamic Sections

Static Sections

Dynamic Sections

Controlling Section Availability

The presets Property

The enabled_on Property

The disabled_on Property

Combining for Precise Control

Section Availability Summary

Practical Examples

Main Product Section (Template Only)

Promotional Banner (Anywhere)

Header Component (Header Group Only)

Product Reviews (Product Pages Only)

When to Use Each Approach

Use Template Sections For:

Use Global Section Groups For:

Use enabled_on When:

Use disabled_on When:

Practice Exercise

Key Takeaways

What’s Next?

Finished this lesson?

Discussion

The `presets` Property

The `enabled_on` Property

The `disabled_on` Property

Use `enabled_on` When:

Use `disabled_on` When: