Templates and layout variants — kingsbell Documentation

kingsbell documentation

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Kingsbell provides a complete standard storefront plus alternate layout families derived from its editorial design system. All product and collection variants retain the shared Shopify commerce engine unless a section setting explicitly changes presentation.

Standard templates

The standard storefront includes templates for:

homepage;
product;
collection;
collection index;
cart;
search;
page;
contact page;
blog;
article;
404;
password page;
gift card and account fallbacks.

Use standard templates as the functional baseline for a store. They are the best place to validate products, variants, filters, cart, search, navigation, forms, and app blocks before introducing more specialized layouts.

Merchant-addable sections

The standard section library includes:

image banner;
featured collection;
featured product;
collection list;
image with text;
multicolumn;
featured blog;
newsletter;
rich text;
app block wrapper.

Sections are configured and ordered through Shopify's theme editor. Keep critical commerce behavior in product, collection, cart, and search sections rather than rebuilding it inside decorative homepage sections.

Homepage variants

Kingsbell includes:

text

index.editorial.json
index.archive.json
index.private.json
index.commission.json

Assignable page equivalents are available for the same design directions.

Editorial

Use the editorial direction for campaign-led storytelling, product launches, seasonal narratives, and image-driven merchandising.

Typical sections include editorial hero, lookbook grid, numbered story, featured products, and journal content.

Commission

Use the commission direction for bespoke products, made-to-order work, consultations, services, and enquiry-led purchasing.

The product form and Shopify checkout entry remain available where the product is directly purchasable. Content should make lead times, scope, options, and next actions explicit.

Private

Use the private direction for invitation-led or member-facing presentation. The theme can conditionally render content based on sign-in, customer tags, or B2B context.

Private templates are not a security boundary. Product publication, API access, cart, files, and checkout require Shopify-native or companion-application enforcement.

Product variants

Kingsbell includes:

text

product.editorial.json
product.archive.json
product.commission.json
product.private.json

These templates retain configurable support for:

product media;
options and variants;
product forms;
Ajax cart behavior;
inventory and SKU;
pickup availability;
accordions;
app blocks;
related products.

The visual arrangement changes, but the product data and form contract remain shared.

Collection variants

Kingsbell includes:

text

collection.editorial.json
collection.archive.json
collection.private.json

These templates retain:

product cards;
pricing and availability;
native filtering;
sorting;
pagination;
Ajax and browser-history behavior.

Use Shopify's template assignment controls to apply a variant to a particular collection. Do not duplicate a collection merely to obtain a different layout.

Variant sections

The alternate-template system includes:

editorial hero;
lookbook grid;
archive index;
numbered story;
invitation banner;
variant product engine;
variant collection engine;
scoped variant stylesheet loader.

The scoped stylesheet loader prevents alternate-template styling from becoming the global default. Keep new variant styles scoped to a template or section root.

Assigning templates

In Shopify Admin:

open the product, collection, page, blog, or article;
locate the theme template selector;
choose the required Kingsbell template;
save the resource;
open the theme editor using that resource as the preview context;
configure and order its sections;
test the resulting page in a storefront preview.

Template availability can depend on the currently published theme or on templates present in the theme being customized.

Creating a custom composition

Prefer creating a new JSON template when one product, collection, page, or article needs a distinct composition.

A safe workflow is:

duplicate the closest existing JSON template;
give the new template a descriptive suffix;
reuse existing sections;
change section defaults and ordering;
validate the template JSON;
open and save it in the theme editor;
test all commerce and accessibility states.

Avoid copying a section solely to change its default settings. Template JSON can usually provide a different composition without creating another runtime component.

Section defaults and optional content

JSON template defaults should create a coherent page without requiring every optional field.

When a section depends on merchant-provided media, products, collections, articles, or metaobjects:

provide an intentional placeholder in the theme editor where appropriate;
avoid rendering empty wrappers on the live storefront;
disable placeholder-dependent optional sections by default when they would otherwise look broken;
keep headings and navigation meaningful when content is absent.

Shared behavior across variants

A variant must not silently remove core behavior. Retest:

variant selection;
add to cart and dynamic checkout;
app blocks;
pickup availability;
filters, sorting, and pagination;
predictive search and cart synchronization;
customer-account links;
reduced motion and keyboard access.

Visual variation is not permission to fork the commerce engine.

Choosing the right direction

Use the smallest amount of specialization that serves the store:

choose standard for general-purpose commerce;
choose editorial when narrative and campaigns lead discovery;
choose archive when taxonomy, editions, or chronology lead discovery;
choose commission when purchasing requires explanation, selection, or consultation;
choose private only when the store also has an explicit authorization and catalog-enforcement plan.