Forge Shopify Theme Documentation

Forge is a flexible Shopify Online Store 2.0 theme built for product-focused specialty retailers, makers, workshops, and artisan brands.

Version 1.2.0 Support: hivestacktech.com Updated: May 18, 2026

Changelog

Added embedded theme documentation page templates: page.documentation and page.theme-documentation.
Added product image zoom on hover, click, and tap.
Added optional product special-request field with tag-based display control.
Added free-shipping progress settings with threshold and exclusion tag.
Added dismissible announcement bar.
Added collection showcase section for product-focused homepages.
Improved cart drawer security by escaping dynamic fallback output and using section-rendered cart markup.
Improved mobile submenu behavior and reduced-motion support.
Updated theme support and documentation URL to https://hivestacktech.com.

Added predictive search, quick view, hover alternate product images, low-stock messages, cart drawer, FAQ accordions, work gallery, newsletter popup, cookie banner, payment icons, localization selectors, and social rail.

Upload forge-shopify-upload.zip in Shopify under Online Store > Themes > Add theme > Upload zip file.
Preview the theme before publishing.
Open Customize and configure Theme settings: fonts, colors, social links, product cards, cart and shipping, and version information.
Configure the header menu, footer menu blocks, country/region selector, language selector, and payment icons.
Add products, collections, pages, policies, blog posts, and navigation before publishing.

Setting Area	Purpose	Best Practice
Theme version	Shows the installed theme version and support URL.	Check this before requesting support or applying updates.
Brand	Controls social sharing image.	Use a high-quality image that represents the store and works at wide crop ratios.
Theme fonts	Controls heading and body fonts.	Use readable fonts. Keep decorative fonts for headings only.
Colors	Controls background, text, card, header, footer, button, and social rail colors.	Maintain strong contrast for buttons, header links, and body text.
Social media	Adds links for Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, X, TikTok, Pinterest, and Threads.	Only add active channels. Empty links are hidden automatically.
Product cards	Controls low-stock threshold.	Use a threshold that creates urgency without misleading shoppers.
Cart and shipping	Controls free-shipping progress and exclusion tag.	Tag excluded products consistently, for example `no-free-shipping`.

Hero: Supports strong product-led messaging, image/video media, proof points, and calls to action.
Trust strip: Use for shipping, warranty, support, material quality, or handmade/service promises.
Collection showcase: Feature the main shopping paths customers should choose first.
Featured products: Highlight products from a selected collection. Product cards support quick view, quick add, low-stock messages, and alternate hover images.
Work gallery: Use a wide animated gallery to show completed work, customer examples, or product use cases.
Latest blog post: Pulls the newest article from a selected blog with image, title, and teaser text.
Newsletter signup: Captures email leads directly on the page.
Apps: Provides a place for Shopify app blocks.

Use Shopify variants for standard choices such as size, color, material, pack size, or finish.
Use the optional special-request field for custom notes that should be attached to the cart line item.
Enable special requests on a dedicated product template, or limit it to products with a specific tag.
Upload multiple product images so customers can use image zoom and thumbnails to inspect detail.
Add product tags, SKU, descriptions, metafields, and specs to improve clarity.
Use complementary products and product recommendations to increase product discovery.

The cart drawer opens from the header and refreshes with Shopify-rendered cart HTML.
Line item properties, selling plans, bundle components, discounts, subtotal, and free-shipping progress are shown.
The free-shipping progress bar can exclude products by tag.
The cart page remains the final editable cart before checkout.
Accelerated checkout buttons are left to Shopify and should not be restyled in a way that changes brand behavior.

The header search opens a slide-down panel and uses Shopify predictive search.
Search results include products, collections, articles, and pages.
Collection and search pages support filtering and sorting.
Use clear product titles, vendors, product types, tags, and article content to improve search quality.

Announcement bar: Use for specials, free-shipping offers, product drops, or deadlines. Customers can dismiss it.
Newsletter popup: Use carefully. Keep copy short and delay the popup so it does not interrupt first impressions.
Cookie banner: Provides consent controls and integrates with Shopify customer privacy when available.
Social rail and footer social icons: Use active channels only, and keep social links current.

page.contact: Contact page with Shopify contact form and editable subject dropdown blocks.
page.faq: Animated FAQ page with categories, accordion answers, and optional images.
page.documentation: Built-in theme documentation page.
page.woodworking: Extra page template that can be repurposed for story or service content.
Customer account templates, policy template, gift card template, password template, collection list, search, article, blog, cart, and 404 templates are included.

Lead the homepage with product categories and featured products, not long brand copy.
Use real product images whenever possible. Avoid dark, vague, or heavily cropped images for products shoppers need to inspect.
Keep product titles and collection names short enough to scan on mobile.
Use tags consistently for free-shipping exclusions, special-request products, and inventory workflows.
Use the blog for buying guides, product education, care instructions, and process stories.
Test the theme on mobile before publishing: header menu, search, cart drawer, product zoom, quick view, checkout button, and footer selectors.
Preview with real data: sold-out products, products with many variants, missing images, long titles, discounts, gift cards, subscriptions, and multiple markets/languages.

Upload a new theme zip as an unpublished theme.
Preview the new version with real store data.
Compare theme settings and section content against the current live theme.
Move over any customizations that Shopify does not automatically migrate.
Test product add-to-cart, cart drawer, cart page, search, contact form, localization selectors, and checkout handoff.
Publish only after the preview is clean on desktop and mobile.

For more information, updates, and support, visit https://hivestacktech.com.