Episode 048 - Karl and Taylor on Product Feeds, AI War Stories and Theme Store Updates
Liquid Weekly Podcast: Shopify Developers Talking Shopify DevelopmentShow Notes
In this episode of the Liquid Weekly Podcast Karl and Taylor delve into the evolving landscape of AI tools, particularly focusing on Cursor and Claude Code, and their implications for development workflows. They discuss the recent updates to the Shopify theme store, the transition to a new online editor based on VS Code, and the importance of community engagement through in-person events. The conversation also highlights new features in Shopify's change log, including updates to the order editing API and font library, and concludes with personal recommendations for tools and events.
*Takeaways* Compliments can significantly boost someone's day. There are numerous business opportunities in the Shopify ecosystem. AI can assist in development and troubleshooting. Understanding data is key to leveraging business opportunities. Cursor and Claude Code offer different functionalities for AI-assisted development. Planning modes in AI tools can enhance workflow efficiency. AI tools can save time but may also complicate processes if not used judiciously. Shopify's theme store has significantly expanded its offerings with new presets. The transition to a VS Code-based online editor in Shopify is a notable improvement. Community events are gaining traction, fostering collaboration among developers. Shopify's change log reveals important updates that can impact development practices. Using AI for workout planning can streamline fitness routines. Personal recommendations can enhance productivity and engagement in various tasks. Understanding the implications of new tools and updates is crucial for developers.
*Sound bites* "I think you could be right." "It's a little bit more complex" "It's hard for me to get on board"
*Timestamps* 02:49 Parenting and Homeschooling Dynamics 05:34 Summer Activities and Food Preferences 08:22 Health Challenges and Family Updates 11:11 Personal Experiences with Online Shopping 13:52 Transitioning to Shopify Discussions 21:44 Exploring Product Feeds and Data Management 28:18 The Role of AI in Development 40:28 Navigating AI Challenges and Solutions 41:36 Shopify Theme Store Updates and Implications 46:37 Theme Review Process and Complexity Reduction 47:52 Transition to VS Code for Theme Editing 48:37 Merchants and Theme Complexity 50:31 Browser Extensions and Cybersecurity Awareness 52:49 Community Events and In-Person Gatherings 54:52 ShopQuest and International Events 56:57 Changelog Updates and API Enhancements 01:01:43 Picks of the Week and Personal Insights
*Dev Changelog* Order Editing API Supports Discounts on Fulfilled Line Items - https://shopify.dev/changelog/order-editing-api-supports-discounts-on-fulfilled-line-items Font Library Updates - https://shopify.dev/changelog/font-library-updates-automatic-replacement-for-deprecated-fonts Extensions API - https://shopify.dev/changelog/app-bridge-extension-api Bulk Update Variant Strategy - https://shopify.dev/changelog/new-preservestandalonevariant-strategy-for-productvariantsbulkcreate-mutation
*Picks of the Week* Karl - Parade of the Hills Festival in Nelsonville Ohio - https://www.paradeofthehills.org/ Taylor - Using Grok AI for Workouts - https://x.ai/
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More from Liquid Weekly Podcast: Shopify Developers Talking Shopify Development
Taylor is in India for Shop Quest, so Karl flies solo with Charles Swayne, owner and app developer at JadePuma Apps and the person behind Datify. Charles is 21, learned Python in sixth grade, and now runs a multi-agent development workflow that researches, plans, audits the plan, executes, and tests itself before he ever looks at the code.
Georgi Petrov, CEO and co-founder of Uxify, joins Karl and Taylor to talk about the half of web performance nobody optimizes for: the shopper's device. After building SMS Bump (acquired by Yotpo), ConsentMo, and NitroPack (acquired by WP Engine), Georgi is now tackling device-specific friction, the laggy buttons, layout shifts, and interaction delays that vary wildly from one phone to the next. We get into how Uxify profiles a visitor's capability without touching your code, the specialized agents that fix problems on the fly, the ClickHouse-powered data layer behind it all, and how to think about performance heading into BFCM. Plus the Dev Changelog and Picks of the Week. Sponsor The Support Heroes: https://www.thesupportheroes.com/ Subscribe to Liquid Weekly Don't miss out on expert insights and tips. Subscribe to Liquid Weekly for more content like this: https://liquidweekly.com/ Find Georgi Online Uxify: https://uxify.com/integrations/shopify/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/georgipetrov/ Timestamps (00:00) Open (00:29) Intros (02:11) Meet Georgi Petrov of Uxify (02:54) Origin story: hardware hacking to his first software (06:03) Finding Shopify: SMS Bump, ConsentMo, and NitroPack (12:23) Making fast decisions and failing cheaply (15:32) Why Uxify: performance is half website, half device (20:11) How it works: profiling devices and adapting on the fly (26:17) Sitting alongside your theme without touching your code (28:26) Real user monitoring and specialized agents (37:47) The tech stack: ClickHouse and heavy browser testing (41:57) Shopify cart variations and a clever checkout fallback (46:24) Prepping for BFCM and who Uxify is for (51:14) Dev Changelog (58:22) Picks of the Week Dev Changelog [action required] Variants now support multiple barcodes: https://shopify.dev/changelog/product-variant-barcode-is-being-replaced-by-barcodes Create and delete dev stores in Shopify CLI: https://shopify.dev/changelog/create-and-delete-dev-stores-in-shopify-cli [action required] Discounts Allocator Function API developer preview has ended: https://shopify.dev/changelog/discounts-allocator-function-api-developer-preview-has-ended Delivery options in Shopify Functions input now expose their metafields: https://shopify.dev/changelog/delivery-options-in-shopify-functions-input-now-expose-their-metafields Prepare your app for the Shopify admin's new look: https://shopify.dev/changelog/prepare-your-app-for-the-shopify-admins-new-look [action required] Updates to Events payloads and subscription configuration: https://shopify.dev/changelog/updates-to-events-payloads-and-subscription-configuration New Pricing audit trail for contextual product variant prices: https://shopify.dev/changelog/pricing-audit-trail-for-contextual-product-variant-prices [breaking api change] [action required] Removed session.currentSession.staffMemberId from POS UI Extensions (2026-10): https://shopify.dev/changelog/removed-session-currentsession-staffmemberid-from-pos-ui-extensions-2026-10 Request a bundle size exception for existing UI extensions: https://shopify.dev/changelog/request-a-bundle-size-exception-for-existing-ui-extensions Picks of the Week Karl: Keto Oreo-style sandwich cookies (about 50 calories each), part of his ongoing tour through packaged keto snacks: https://www.choczero.com/products/keto-sandwich-cookies Georgi: Calisthenics between AI prompts. Knocking out push-ups and squats while waiting on an agent, which he says burns the time well and sharpens his focus when he comes back. Taylor: Ted Lasso, season 4 on Apple TV+. Still, in his words, one of the most wholesome shows around: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt10986410/
Prakhar Shrivastava of FoxSell joins Karl and Taylor to talk about Shop Quest, the Shopify community event he and his team run in Bengaluru, and to prep Taylor for his first trip to India.
In this episode of the Liquid Weekly Podcast, hosts Karl Meisterheim and Taylor Page are joined by Alexander Hupfer, founder of Fusion Metrics and a solo Shopify app developer.
Episode 073 – I Hid Swag and I'd Do It Again! - Recapping our DotDev Adventure