Advanced Product Features
Variant options, product specs, badges, and metafields — power tools for your product catalog.
Beyond the basics, Workfile offers advanced product features for merchants who need structured data, visual labels, and reusable variant configurations across their catalog.
Variant Options
Variant Options are reusable option templates (Size, Color, Material) that you define once and apply to multiple products. They control how variants are generated and displayed on your storefront.
Creating an option template
Go to Products → Options (or Advanced → Variant Options in the sidebar).
Click New Option
Enter the option name and choose a display type.
Choose a display type
| Display Type | Best for | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Dropdown | Many values, text-based | Size: XS, S, M, L, XL, XXL |
| Buttons | Few values, text-based | Size: S, M, L |
| Color Swatch | Colors with hex values | Color: Red (#ef4444), Blue (#3b82f6) |
| Image Swatch | Visual options with images | Pattern: Floral, Striped, Solid |
Add values
Add each option value. For color swatches, include the hex color. For image swatches, upload a swatch image.
| Field | Required | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Value | Yes | red |
| Label | Optional | Cherry Red |
| Color hex | For color swatches | #ef4444 |
| Image URL | For image swatches | Uploaded swatch image |
Save
The template is now available when creating variants on any product.
Importing from global templates
Click Import to browse industry-standard option templates:
| Template | Values |
|---|---|
| Clothing Size | XS, S, M, L, XL, XXL |
| Shoe Size (India) | 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12 |
| Color | Red, Blue, Green, Black, White, etc. |
| Material | Cotton, Polyester, Silk, Linen, etc. |
Import a template to add it to your store, then customize the values as needed.
Define options at the store level once, then reuse them across products. This keeps your catalog consistent — every product uses the same size labels, color names, and display format.
Using options on products
When editing a product, enable variants and select which option templates apply. The system generates variant combinations automatically (e.g., Size × Color = 9 variants for 3 sizes × 3 colors).
Product Specs
Specs are structured information fields displayed on product pages — like Brand, Material, Weight, or Warranty. Unlike variants, specs don't create purchasable combinations. They're purely informational.
Creating spec definitions
Go to Products → Specs (or Advanced → Product Specs in the sidebar).
| Field | Description | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Name | Display label | Material |
| Key | Internal identifier (auto-generated) | material |
| Type | Field type | Select |
| Show on storefront | Display on product page | Yes |
| Show in filters | Allow customers to filter by this spec | Yes |
| Unit | Measurement unit (for number specs) | kg, cm, ml |
Available spec types
| Type | Description | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Text | Free text with autocomplete from used values | Brand: "Nike" |
| Number | Numeric with optional unit | Weight: 250g |
| Yes/No | Boolean toggle | Handmade: Yes |
| Select | Single choice from predefined options | Material: Cotton |
| Multi-Select | Multiple choices | Features: Waterproof, Breathable |
| Date | Date picker | Manufacture date |
| URL | Web link | Care instructions link |
| Color | Color picker | Primary color: #1a1a1a |
Setting spec values on products
Once you've defined specs, they appear on the product edit page. Fill in values per product — the text type even autocompletes from values you've used before.
Importing from global templates
Click Import to browse spec templates relevant to your store category. A clothing store might import: Brand, Material, Wash Care, Country of Origin. An electronics store might import: Brand, Warranty, Voltage, Dimensions.
Specs with Show in filters enabled appear as filter options on your storefront's category and collection pages. Customers can filter products by spec values (e.g., "Material: Cotton" or "Brand: Nike").
Badges
Badges are visual labels displayed on product cards — like "New", "Sale", "Bestseller", or "Low Stock". They catch attention and communicate product status at a glance.
Creating badges
Go to Badges in the sidebar (or Advanced → Badges).
| Field | Description | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Name | Internal name | Sale Badge |
| Label | Text shown on the badge | SALE |
| Slug | Unique identifier | sale |
| Color | Background color | #ef4444 (red) |
| Text color | Label text color | #ffffff (white) |
| Position | Where it appears on the card | Top-left |
| Type | How it's assigned | Manual, Computed, or Rule |
| Priority | Display order (lower = first) | 1 |
Badge types
| Type | How it works | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Manual | You assign it to specific products | "Staff Pick" on curated items |
| Computed | Auto-assigned based on product data | "Sale" when compare-at price exists |
| Rule | Auto-assigned based on conditions | "New" for products created in last 30 days |
Computed rules
Computed badges auto-apply based on product fields:
| Rule field | Operators | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Compare-at price | Greater than 0 | Show "Sale" when discounted |
| Inventory | Less than 5 | Show "Low Stock" when running out |
| Created at | Within 30 days | Show "New" for recent products |
| Is featured | Equals true | Show "Featured" for highlighted items |
Default badges
Click Seed Defaults to add common badges:
- Sale — red, auto-applied when compare-at price is set
- New — green, auto-applied for products created in last 30 days
- Low Stock — amber, auto-applied when inventory < 5
- Bestseller — purple, manually assigned
Assigning badges to products
For manual badges, go to the product edit page and select which badges to display. Computed and rule-based badges are assigned automatically — no manual action needed.
Badges also work on services, collections, and categories — not just products. Use them to highlight "Popular" services or "Seasonal" collections.
Metafields
Metafields are custom data fields you can attach to products, variants, collections, customers, orders, or your store itself. Use them for data that doesn't fit standard fields.
When to use metafields vs specs
| Use case | Use this |
|---|---|
| Data shown on product page (Material, Weight) | Specs |
| Data used for filtering (Brand, Color) | Specs |
| Internal data not shown to customers | Metafields |
| Data for custom widgets or integrations | Metafields |
| Data on non-product entities (customers, orders) | Metafields |
Creating metafield definitions
Metafield definitions are managed from the same Products → Specs page. They share the same field types (text, number, boolean, select, etc.) but are organized by namespace and can be attached to different entity types.
| Setting | Description |
|---|---|
| Namespace | Grouping key (e.g., "custom", "seo", "internal") |
| Key | Field identifier within the namespace |
| Name | Display label |
| Type | Field type (same as specs) |
| Owner type | What entity it attaches to (product, variant, collection, etc.) |
| Pinned | Show prominently in the edit form |
Metafields are the most flexible data system in Workfile. If you need to store custom data that doesn't fit anywhere else — a video URL, a PDF link, internal notes, or integration IDs — metafields are the answer.