Introduction
If you run a Shopify store, you probably know that Shopify has special fields, called "metafields", which can be set for different objects, like products or variants. These metafields are used to store custom values that can be used to show additional information on the product page, or simply for internal purposes.
But if you have a lot of products, updating all the metafields by hand can be very time-consuming, since Shopify doesn't provide an easy way to bulk edit them. So to do this, we recommend using our app QuickEdit - Bulk Product Edit to easily bulk edit your product or variant metafields.
Getting started
First, install the app from the Shopify app store.
Once the app is installed, click "Create bulk edit" to start the process of creating the bulk edit task.
Next, select Product or Product Variant, depending on which metafield you want to edit.
Now choose which products/variants to edit by adding conditions. There are a few different options for conditions, but they should all be pretty self-explanatory, so they won't be covered in this tutorial.
After adding the conditions, go down to the actions section, click "Add action", then click and choose "Product/Variant metafield" for the field to edit.
Next, start typing the metafield's namespace and key (as "namespace.key"). An autocomplete should appear where you can select an existing one. When selected from this list, the metafield type will be set automatically.
If you didn't select a namespace and key from the autocomplete, you will need to manually select the correct metafield type for that metafield.
Currently, we only support a few of the basic metafield types (and only single values, not lists). Please let us know if you need a different type added, and we may try to work on it.
After selecting the metafield value type, choose the appropriate edit option (set value, find/replace, etc.), and enter the value into the text field.
Creating non-existent metafields
At the top of the action should be the following warning message:
"Non-existent or empty metafields will NOT be created. Only existing metafield values will be changed."
There is also an option at the bottom to enable creating metafields if they don't exist. If left unchecked, then if the metafield doesn't exist (or the value is empty), it will NOT be created. The reason this option is disabled by default is that the app cannot revert the creation of metafields. If enabled, you will see a different warning informing you of this limitation. Double-check that the namespace and key are correct to avoid creating metafields you don't want. You don't need to enable this when editing existing metafields.
Running the bulk edit
Once the conditions and actions are set up correctly, click the "Continue" button to proceed to the next step.
In the popup, type a name for the task so you can identify it later. You can also choose whether to schedule the task or run it immediately. Keep in mind task scheduling is a paid feature, so you will need to upgrade your plan first to enable this.
Click "Confirm", and then click "Run bulk edit" on the next confirmation popup.
The task should now be started, so go to the task history page to see its progress. If you have less than a few hundred products it should be done very soon, but it can take some time if you have several thousand products. Once a task starts the editing process, it can't be stopped. If you need to cancel it, wait for it to finish and then revert it.
Once the task finishes, you can revert if necessary, run again, or edit and create a new task.
Troubleshooting
If the task finishes without making any changes, then either no changes were needed, the conditions didn't match anything, or perhaps you forgot to enable "Create non-existent metafields". Double-check all your conditions and selected options, and try again.
Debugging tip: Pick a product you want to be edited, and examine each of the applicable fields while trying to think step-by-step about whether it's meeting all the conditions, whether any text/HTML-to-find will match with the chosen options (if applicable), whether the metafields need to be created, and what each action is doing exactly.
If you exceed the current plan limits, the task will fail and you will be asked to upgrade your plan.
If the task fails with a server error, wait a bit and try again. Contact us if the issue persists. It might be a temporary issue with Shopify, or with our servers.
Conclusion
That's it! We know you have an amazing business, and we hope our app helped you make it better. Please consider leaving a review in the Shopify app store to show your appreciation! (seriously, it means a lot 😀)
