# Sibling product swatches

The **Sibling products** feature lets you set up variants as individual products with their own images and product details. Sibling products appear as variant swatches that link to separate product pages.

Customers will see product details only for the selected variant; when shown in collections, sibling products will appear as individual products.

After **setting up sibling products**, you can choose display either **product images or custom colors** for the swatches.

{% hint style="warning" %}
**Unlike** [**Variant swatches**](https://help.fluorescent.co/spark/product-pages/variant-options/variant-swatches)**, Sibling swatches will not appear on collection pages or product listings.** All sibling products will appear as individual products. Sibling swatches display on product pages only as links to other sibling products.
{% endhint %}

## Watch video tutorial

{% hint style="warning" %}
The tutorial video below uses the Spark theme as an example—be sure to **replace any instances of 'Spark' with 'spark' in the settings.**
{% endhint %}

{% embed url="<https://youtu.be/zrwX93EUSu8>" %}

## Set up sibling products

***

To set up sibling products you will need to add individual products to a new collection, then add and update two metafields for each sibling product.

* **Create products** with unique images and details
* **Add products to a collection** to group together as 'siblings'
* **Create two metafields** to show siblings as swatches and add option names to products

## **1. Add individual products to siblings collection**

***

To create a group of sibling products, you need to add **individual products** and add them to a new **collection**. The collection is used to group your sibling products together as variant options.

<details>

<summary><mark style="color:blue;"><strong>STEPS</strong></mark></summary>

In your **Shopify admin**:

1. Click **Products** in the side panel. Click **Add product** to create the individual products for your siblings collection.

   > We recommend using the same product title that includes the different option names (eg. color). For example: "Shoes - Green", "Shoes - Blue", etc.

   > **Tip**: Create the first product then duplicate it to keep them consistent and save time from having to re-write and set up the details for each product.

   ![](https://1721436993-files.gitbook.io/~/files/v0/b/gitbook-x-prod.appspot.com/o/spaces%2F3iiuvh8UrcOxEOQkY2iO%2Fuploads%2FVi5yXbqGUKI75MtD2F2P%2Fsibling-products.png?alt=media\&token=a619c2d3-ebbf-49cd-8751-7fa0eed4d3d6)
2. Go to **Products > Collections** to **Create collection**. Add your products to the collection to group them together as "siblings".

   > You can name your collection anything you like.

   ![](https://1721436993-files.gitbook.io/~/files/v0/b/gitbook-x-prod.appspot.com/o/spaces%2F3iiuvh8UrcOxEOQkY2iO%2Fuploads%2FVtHVj79lqJjiIyZZeOEw%2Fsiblings-collection.png?alt=media\&token=e5ab1d82-d4e1-4b75-9243-c305db2e5d5e)

   > **Note**: By default, your sibling collection will appear on the Collections List page. To hide the sibling collection from the collection list page, you can choose **selected collections** to display in the theme editor.
3. Click **Save**.

</details>

## **2. Set up metafields for sibling products**

***

Once your sibling products are added to a collection, you need to add two metafields to your products.

Sibling products use metafields to **(a)** **display sibling products as swatches** and **(b)** **give each product a variant option name**.

{% hint style="success" %}
Metafields are custom fields added to your products in the Shopify admin. The steps below will cover all you need to know, but if you'd like to learn more, see [Shopify's guide to metafields](https://help.shopify.com/en/manual/metafields).
{% endhint %}

### **2a. Define metafield for siblings collection**

***

Go to **Settings > Custom data** to create the first metafield for your **Products**. This metafield will be used to display sibling products as swatches.

The metafield requires the following fields:

<table data-header-hidden><thead><tr><th width="239"></th><th></th></tr></thead><tbody><tr><td><strong>Name</strong></td><td>Siblings collection</td></tr><tr><td><strong>Namespace and key</strong></td><td><code>spark.siblings_collection</code><br><em>Must be exact to work. Note that 'siblings' is plural with an 's'. Do not add or modify words.</em></td></tr><tr><td><strong>Type</strong></td><td>Collection (Reference)</td></tr></tbody></table>

{% hint style="danger" %}
If you are creating multiple sibling collections, you only need to create **one** metafield.
{% endhint %}

<details>

<summary><mark style="color:blue;"><strong>STEPS</strong></mark></summary>

In your **Shopify admin**:

1. Go to **Settings > Custom data**. Click **Products**.

   ![](https://1721436993-files.gitbook.io/~/files/v0/b/gitbook-x-prod.appspot.com/o/spaces%2F3iiuvh8UrcOxEOQkY2iO%2Fuploads%2FZ3eKPU0ENOtrZHmBGrCc%2Fadmin-settings-metafields.jpeg?alt=media\&token=b10e0c19-c7ed-4c47-86ec-7b305bd9e4da)
2. Click **Add definition** button in the top-right.
3. Enter "Siblings collection" in the **Name** field. Note that "Siblings" is plural.

   The **Namespace and key** field will automatically update to `custom.siblings_collection`
4. In the **Namespace and key** field, replace the word "custom" with "stiletto".

   > The **Namespace** should now be `stiletto.siblings_collection`. This namespace must match exactly or the siblings swatches will not work.

   > Do not add additional words or multiple metafields for different sibling collections.
5. Click **+ Select content type** and select **Collection** under **Reference**.
6. Click **Save**.

</details>

### **2b. Define metafield for sibling option name**

***

Go to **Settings > Custom data** to create the second metafield for your **Products**. This metafield will be used to give individual products a variant option name (e.g. "Red" or "Wood").

The metafield requires the following fields:

<table data-header-hidden><thead><tr><th width="239"></th><th></th></tr></thead><tbody><tr><td><strong>Name</strong></td><td>Sibling option name</td></tr><tr><td><strong>Namespace and key</strong></td><td><code>spark.sibling_option_name</code><br><em>Must be exact to work. Note that 'sibling' is singular with no 's'. Do not add or modify words.</em></td></tr><tr><td><strong>Type</strong></td><td>Single line text</td></tr></tbody></table>

<details>

<summary><mark style="color:blue;"><strong>STEPS</strong></mark></summary>

In your **Shopify admin**:

1. Go to **Settings > Custom data**. Click **Products**.

   ![](https://1721436993-files.gitbook.io/~/files/v0/b/gitbook-x-prod.appspot.com/o/spaces%2F3iiuvh8UrcOxEOQkY2iO%2Fuploads%2FZ3eKPU0ENOtrZHmBGrCc%2Fadmin-settings-metafields.jpeg?alt=media\&token=b10e0c19-c7ed-4c47-86ec-7b305bd9e4da)
2. Click **Add definition** button in the top-right.
3. Enter "Sibling option name" in the **Name** field. Note that "Sibling" in the name is singular and not plural.

   > The **Namespace and key** field will automatically update to `custom.sibling_option_name`
4. In the **Namespace and key** field, replace the word "custom" with "stiletto".

   > The **Namespace** should now read as `spark.sibling_option_name`. Note that "sibling" is singular, not plural. <mark style="color:red;">This namespace must match exactly or the siblings swatches will not work.</mark>
5. Click **+ Select content type** and select **Single line text**.

   > This field will be used to label each sibling product with an option name (e.g. "Red" or "Wood").
6. Click **Save**.

</details>

## **3. Update metafields for each sibling product**

***

After creating the 2 metafields, go to **Products** in your Shopify admin to add content to the metafields.

* Select the related **sibling collection**
* Enter an **option name** for the sibling product

That's it! the sibling product swatches will now automatically display on the product pages.

<details>

<summary><mark style="color:blue;"><strong>STEPS</strong></mark></summary>

In your **Shopify admin**:

1. Click **Products** in the side panel and open the products in your sibling collection.
2. Click the **Siblings collection** metafield and select the collection with your sibling products.

   ![](https://1721436993-files.gitbook.io/~/files/v0/b/gitbook-x-prod.appspot.com/o/spaces%2F3iiuvh8UrcOxEOQkY2iO%2Fuploads%2FdaduNJLE5RamviSNGLtZ%2Fsibling-select-collection.jpeg?alt=media\&token=747d2252-bd3a-4f35-8e09-de78992eb428)
3. Click the **Sibling option name** metafield and enter text for the swatch label.

   > The option name will appear as a label above the swatch. It is also used to display custom swatch colors when product images are not enabled

   ![](https://1721436993-files.gitbook.io/~/files/v0/b/gitbook-x-prod.appspot.com/o/spaces%2F3iiuvh8UrcOxEOQkY2iO%2Fuploads%2FJuKGk8DMq03gvsNAKU3h%2Fsibling-add-name.jpeg?alt=media\&token=a220e7fc-eb88-4021-a121-3030960f34a4)
4. Update these metafields for each product. Click **Save**.

</details>

## Change option label

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In the theme editor, you can change the **Option label** and **Swatch style** in the product template. Click **Variant selector** under **Product overview** to find the **Sibling product swatches** settings.

## **Show product swatch image or custom color**

***

By default, **Product sibling swatches** display the first product image. Instead of product images, you can choose to display **swatch colors**.

In the **Theme settings**, you can override the default colors and assign **custom colors** to swatches by adding a **hex code color** (eg. **`#00b300`**).

To find the hex code for the color you want, you can use a [HTML color picker like this one](https://htmlcolorcodes.com/). When you choose your color, select and copy the six-character hex code, including the hashtag symbol.

<details>

<summary><mark style="color:blue;"><strong>STEPS</strong></mark></summary>

In your theme editor (**Customize**):

1. Go to your **Product template** and click **Variant selector** under **Product overview**
2. Under **Product sibling swatches**, uncheck the **Show product image** option.
3. Click to open the **Theme settings** and open the **Product** tab.
4. In the **Custom swatch colors** field add the exact **Option name** used for your sibling product (ex. "Green") followed by a colon and your hex code color (ex. **`#00b300`**).

   > The **Option name** should match the name you entered in the "Sibling option name" metafield for your product.

   ![](https://1721436993-files.gitbook.io/~/files/v0/b/gitbook-x-prod.appspot.com/o/spaces%2F3iiuvh8UrcOxEOQkY2iO%2Fuploads%2Fgit-blob-065af7e34a50899e1952e2ef9be849be523cc6d2%2Fsibling-custom-color.jpeg?alt=media)
5. Click **Save**.

</details>

<figure><img src="https://1721436993-files.gitbook.io/~/files/v0/b/gitbook-x-prod.appspot.com/o/spaces%2F3iiuvh8UrcOxEOQkY2iO%2Fuploads%2Fgit-blob-20e4caae2b36ee7b9d87009cb98863f872cbf484%2Fswatches-html-hexcodes.jpeg?alt=media" alt="" width="375"><figcaption></figcaption></figure>

## Hide sibling collections

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By default, all published collections appear on the **Collections list page** and in **Search results**. Follow the steps below to hide sibling collections on your store.

### Hide from collections list page

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To hide a sibling collection from the Collections list page, you can choose to show only **selected collections,** instead of all collections.

<details>

<summary><mark style="color:blue;"><strong>STEPS</strong></mark></summary>

In your theme editor (**Customize**):

1. Use the template selector to open the **Collections list** template.
2. Click to open the **Collections list** section in the side panel.
3. Under **Select collections to show,** choose **Custom list**.
4. Click **Select collections** and choose only those collections that you want to show.
5. Click **Save**.

</details>

### Hide from search results

***

While Shopify doesn't provide an option to hide collections, you can use **metafields** as a workaround to remove specific collections from search results.

<details>

<summary><mark style="color:blue;"><strong>STEPS</strong></mark></summary>

From your Shopify admin:

1. Go to **Settings** > **Custom Data** > **Collections** > **Add definition**.
2. Enter `Hide collection` in the **Name** field.
3. Enter `seo.hidden` in the **Namespace and key** field.
4. Click **(+) Select type** and select **Integer**.
5. Make sure that **One value** is selected.
6. Click **Save**.

Return to your Shopify admin:

1. Go to **Products** > **Collections** and select the collection you want to hide.
2. Scroll down to the **Metafields** area.
3. Enter the number `1` in the **Hide collection** metafield.
4. Click **Save**.

</details>

<div><figure><img src="https://1721436993-files.gitbook.io/~/files/v0/b/gitbook-x-prod.appspot.com/o/spaces%2F3iiuvh8UrcOxEOQkY2iO%2Fuploads%2FSNGs1jvjAcMb6Mdl4HgM%2Fsibling-collection-metafield.png?alt=media&#x26;token=2a36820c-27db-430d-afd1-6dfa0ca496b6" alt=""><figcaption><p>Add a collection metafield with a <code>seo.hidden</code> key.</p></figcaption></figure> <figure><img src="https://1721436993-files.gitbook.io/~/files/v0/b/gitbook-x-prod.appspot.com/o/spaces%2F3iiuvh8UrcOxEOQkY2iO%2Fuploads%2F8AbBt5N95zfn6aHOwVUJ%2Fsibling-collection-hide.png?alt=media&#x26;token=34bbc2b1-6454-4767-b2fc-5ef33edd17f6" alt=""><figcaption><p>Enter <code>1</code> in the hide collection metafield.</p></figcaption></figure></div>

***

> **Related links**
>
> [Product pages](https://github.com/fluorescent/kb-spark/blob/main/product-pages/variant-options/broken-reference/README.md)\
> [Variant swatches](https://help.fluorescent.co/spark/product-pages/variant-options/variant-swatches)