Will my settings survive a theme update?
Settings live in settings_data.json, separate from the code. Updating replaces the code. Duplicate your theme before updating, then compare.
▸ DOCUMENTATION · SHOPIFY THEME
LINDEN
MANUAL.
Everything needed to set up Linden, and the answers people ask for most. No code required. The theme is built for calm, legible storefronts: every default here was chosen because it is easier to read, not because it looks busier.
- THEME
- LINDEN
- PLATFORM
- SHOPIFY / OS 2.0
- AUTHOR
- CHARLES DEVIF
- A11Y
- WCAG 2.1 AA
- SUPPORT
- 2 BUSINESS DAYS
§ 01
SET
UP.
Online Store → Themes → Add theme → Upload zip file, then Customize.
▸ FIRST RUN
Leave your current theme published while you set this one up. Nothing is live until you publish it yourself.
Before editing any code, duplicate the theme first. Settings are stored separately from the code, so nothing you do in the Customize screen can break the theme — code edits can.
§ 02
PICK
THREE.
You choose three brand colors. The theme generates a full light-to-dark range from each, in OKLCH on a shared lightness scale.
▸ THREE INPUTS
Change your primary accent and every tint, hover state and highlight regenerates in balance. Below that sit five color schemes — background and foreground pairs. Every section carries a scheme setting, so one section can be tinted without touching the rest.
The colors shipped all pass WCAG AA contrast. If you change them, check that text is still comfortable. Low contrast costs you customers before it costs you a compliance problem.
§ 03
READ
EASY.
Two font settings, both from Shopify's library.
▸ LEGIBILITY
- BODY SIZE
- 16px or more. Smaller is harder work on a long page.
- LINE LENGTH
- 65 characters. Past about 75, the eye starts losing its place finding the next line.
- HEADING CASE
- Leave as typed. All-caps is measurably harder to read.
- HYPERLEGIBLE
- Loads Atkinson Hyperlegible Next, drawn by the Braille Institute for readers with low vision. Adds 34 KB. Direct-sale edition only — the Theme Store does not accept self-hosted fonts.
§ 04
OPEN
TO ALL.
The theme already meets WCAG 2.1 AA on everything it controls. These settings go further.
▸ BEYOND BASELINE
- CALM MODE
- Adds a switch letting visitors lower color intensity across the store. Their choice is remembered between visits.
- CALM BY DEFAULT
- Starts every visitor in calm mode. They can switch it off.
- NO TRANSITIONS
- Removes motion for everyone. The theme already honours each visitor's own system setting, so this is rarely needed.
- TAP TARGET
- Buttons and fields never go below this. 44px is the accessibility floor and the theme will not let you go under it.
- STATEMENT
- Link to your accessibility statement. Required for stores covered by the European Accessibility Act.
§ 05
SELL
HONESTLY.
▸ SHIPPING & CART
- FREE SHIPPING
- In your store currency. Match it to your actual shipping rates — a progress bar promising something your rates do not deliver is worse than no bar at all.
- DISPATCH TIME
- Shown on product pages, e.g. “Ships within 48 hours”.
- CART STYLE
- Drawer or page.
- AUTO OPEN
- Opens the drawer after adding. Turn it off if you would rather nothing moved on its own.
§ 06
PRODUCT
FIELDS.
The specifications table and the benefits list read from metafields. Create them once under Settings → Custom data → Products. Rows only appear when filled, so a half-completed product never shows empty cells.
▸ CUSTOM DATA
- custom.bruit
- Noise — single line text
- custom.format
- Size — single line text
- custom.duree
- Duration — single line text
- custom.matiere
- Material — single line text
- custom.usage
- Best for — single line text
- custom.age
- Age — single line text
- custom.benefices
- Benefits — single line text, list
- custom.short_description
- Short description — multi-line text
- custom.is_new
- New — true or false
§ 07
NARROW
DOWN.
Filters use Shopify's own faceted search.
▸ FACETED SEARCH
Install the free Shopify Search & Discovery app, then Filters → Add filter. You can filter on product tags, options, or any metafield you have defined.
The theme renders them as pill-shaped chips and updates results without reloading the page. With JavaScript unavailable, they fall back to a normal form submit.
§ 08
MOVE
ANYTHING.
Every page is built from sections you can reorder, hide or remove. Home ships assembled: hero, ways in, featured product, product grid, back soon, about, blog posts, questions, reassurance, newsletter.
▸ PAGE BUILDING
- FEATURE CARDS
- Two presets — large panels for the “ways in” row, a compact row for reassurance. Same section, different weight.
- CUSTOMER QUOTES
- Ships empty on purpose. Add it only when you have real quotes: invented testimonials mislead buyers, and they are grounds for rejection from the Theme Store.
- BACK SOON
- Hides itself entirely when nothing is sold out.
§ 09
ASKED
OFTEN.
▸ 9 ENTRIES
Can I edit the code?
Yes, it is your theme. Duplicate first. Note that a theme whose code has been modified cannot be supported — and for anything substantial, hiring a Shopify Partner is usually cheaper than the time it costs you.
Why is my primary button darker than my brand color?
Because cream text on the mid-tone accent measures 3.03:1, below the 4.5:1 floor for readable text. The button uses the 700 step of your accent range, which measures 5.74:1. It is still unmistakably your color, and people can read it.
Can I use a font that is not in Shopify's list?
In the direct-sale edition, yes — a developer can add it to assets/. The Theme Store edition cannot: Shopify does not accept self-hosted fonts there.
Why is there no countdown timer or stock counter?
Shopify prohibits false urgency, and the audience this theme is built for responds badly to pressure. The low-stock badge reads real inventory and only appears when the number is genuinely low.
The cart drawer opens by itself. Can I stop that?
Theme settings → Commerce → Open the drawer after adding to cart. Turn it off.
Does the theme work without JavaScript?
The important parts do. Add to cart, filters, search, menus, accordions and every form fall back to normal page loads. JavaScript makes them smoother; it is never what makes them work.
How do I make the site faster?
The theme is already tuned — critical CSS inline, one eagerly loaded image per page, section styles bundled in template order. What slows a store after that is almost always apps. Audit them before blaming a theme.
Is this theme accessible?
It meets WCAG 2.1 AA on everything the theme controls: contrast, keyboard operation, focus, headings, labels, motion. What it cannot control is your content — alt text, heading order, clarity of writing. Accessibility is a shared job.
▸ END OF MANUAL
Something missing, or something that does not behave as written? Say so. Include your store URL, the theme version from the bottom of the theme settings panel, and what you expected to happen. Answered within two business days.