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Build customized address autocomplete

To customize the address autocomplete provider for the delivery and billing address forms in checkout, use the purchase.address-autocomplete.suggest and purchase.address-autocomplete.format-suggestion extension targets. For example, a merchant might want to use a custom autocomplete solution for countries that are not supported by Shopify.

In this tutorial, you'll use checkout UI extensions to provide address suggestions from an external service.

Shopify Plus

Checkout UI extensions are available only to Shopify Plus merchants.

In this tutorial, you'll learn how to do the following:

  • Customize the list of address suggestions using an external address service that a customer sees when typing their shipping address during checkout.
  • Auto-populate the fields of the shipping address form when a customer selects an address suggestion using an external address service.
  • Deploy your extension code to Shopify.

Requirements

Project

Anchor to Create a checkout UI extensionCreate a checkout UI extension

To create a checkout UI extension, use Shopify CLI, which generates starter code for building your extension.

To create a checkout UI extension, you can use Shopify CLI, which generates starter code for building your extension and automates common development tasks.

  1. Navigate to your app directory:

    Terminal

    cd <directory>
  2. Run the following command to create a new checkout UI extension:

    Terminal

    shopify app generate extension --template checkout_ui --name my-checkout-ui-extension
  3. Select a language for your extension. You can choose from TypeScript, JavaScript, TypeScript React, or JavaScript React.

    Tip

    TypeScript or JavaScript is suitable for smaller projects that require a more straightforward API. TypeScript React or JavaScript React is suitable when you want an easy model for mapping state updates to UI updates. With JavaScript or TypeScript, you need to map state updates yourself. This process is similar to writing an application targeting the DOM, versus using react-dom.

    You should now have a new extension directory in your app's directory. The extension directory includes the extension script at src/index.{file-extension}. The following is an example directory structure:

    Checkout UI extension file structure

    └── my-app
    └── extensions
    └── my-checkout-ui-extension
    ├── src
    │ └── Checkout.jsx OR Checkout.js // The index page of the checkout UI extension
    ├── locales
    │ ├── en.default.json // The default locale for the checkout UI extension
    │ └── fr.json // The locale file for non-regional French translations
    ├── shopify.extension.toml // The config file for the checkout UI extension
    └── package.json
  1. Start your development server to build and preview your app:

    Terminal

    shopify app dev

    To learn about the processes that are executed when you run dev, refer to the Shopify CLI command reference.

  2. Press p to open the developer console. In the developer console page, click on the preview link for your extension.

Anchor to Set up the target for the extensionSet up the target for the extension

Set up a target for your checkout UI extension. Targets control where your extension renders in the checkout flow.

In your extension configuration, add the optional capabilities that you want to use. Capabilities allow you to access additional functionality in your extension.

Anchor to Export the target from your script fileExport the target from your script file

  1. Rename the Checkout.js file to suggest.js.

  2. Import the extension function from the @shopify/ui-extensions/checkout library.

  3. Set the extension target to purchase.address-autocomplete.suggest.

  4. Export this extension so it can be referenced in your configuration.


Anchor to Reference the extension targets in your configuration fileReference the extension targets in your configuration file

You can define more than one target so that app users can add the extension to multiple locations in the checkout.

In your checkout UI extension's configuration file, for each of your targets, create an [[extensions.targeting]] section with the following information:

  • module: The path to the file that contains the extension code.

  • target: An identifier that specifies where you're injecting code into Shopify. This needs to match the target that you exported from your file/s.


shopify.extension.toml is the configuration file for your extension. It contains basic information and settings.

Note

Whenever you edit your extension configuration file, you need to restart your server for the changes to take effect.

Terminal

shopify app dev

Anchor to Auto-populate the address fields when a customer selects an address suggestionAuto-populate the address fields when a customer selects an address suggestion

Provide address suggestions by using the purchase.address-autocomplete.suggest target.

Anchor to Extract attributes from the targetExtract attributes from the target

In the suggest.ts file, extract the following attributes provided by the target:

  • value : What the customer entered in the address field.
  • field : The autocomplete field of the shipping or billing address form that the customer is interacting with.
  • selectedCountryCode : The country code selected in the address form that the customer is interacting with.
Note

The selectedCountryCode can differ between the billing and shipping address forms.

Anchor to Fetch address suggestionsFetch address suggestions

  1. Use a combination of the value, selectedCountryCode, and field values to fetch relevant address suggestions using your address service.

  2. Pass signal to fetch calls made by your extension. This signal can be used to cancel asynchronous operations, like network requests, as needed by Shopify.

Anchor to Map address suggestionsMap address suggestions

Map additional address data to the expected Shopify address format. When provided, the formattedAddress attribute is used to populate the appropriate fields of the shipping or billing address form after a suggestion is selected. You can return up to five address suggestions.

Anchor to Preview the extensionPreview the extension

Preview your extension to make sure that it works as expected.

Run the Shopify CLI dev command to build your app and preview it on your development store.

Make sure that you select a development store that has enabled the developer preview for Checkout and Customer Accounts Extensibility.

  1. In a terminal, navigate to your app directory.

  2. Either start or restart your server to build and preview your app:

    Terminal

    shopify app dev
  3. Press p to open the developer console.

  4. In the developer console page, click on the preview link for the custom address autocomplete extension.

    The checkout opens.

Note
This extension is non-rendering and won't appear during on your checkout

This section describes how to solve some potential errors when you run dev for an app that contains a checkout UI extension.

Anchor to Property token errorProperty token error

If you receive the error ShopifyCLI:AdminAPI requires the property token to be set, then you'll need to use the --checkout-cart-url flag to direct Shopify CLI to open a checkout session for you.

Terminal

shopify app dev --checkout-cart-url cart/{product_variant_id}:{quantity}

If you don't receive the test checkout URL when you run dev, then verify the following:

  • You have a development store populated with products.

  • You're logged in to the correct Partners organization and development store. To verify, check your app info using the following command:

    Terminal

    shopify app info

Otherwise, you can manually create a checkout with the following steps:

  1. From your development store's storefront, add some products to your cart.

  2. From the cart, click Checkout.

  3. From directory of the app that contains your extension, run dev to preview your app:

    Terminal

    shopify app dev
  4. On the checkout page for your store, change the URL by appending the ?dev=https://{tunnel_url}/extensions query string and reload the page. The tunnel_url parameter allows your app to be accessed using a unique HTTPS URL.

    You should now see a rendered order note that corresponds to the code in your project template.

Anchor to In the Checkout and Accounts EditorIn the Checkout and Accounts Editor

  1. Navigate to the Address autocompletion section in the Settings tab of the checkout and accounts editor.
  2. Select your address autocomplete app.
  3. Enter a house number and street name in the address field of the delivery address (for example, "1 White House").
  4. Select an address suggestion in the dropdown (for example, “1 White House, Huntington NY 11743”). The delivery address fields are automatically updated.

When you're ready to release your changes to users, you can create and release an app version. An app version is a snapshot of your app configuration and all extensions.

  1. Navigate to your app directory.

  2. Run the following command.

    Optionally, you can provide a name or message for the version using the --version and --message flags.

    Terminal

    shopify app deploy

Releasing an app version replaces the current active version that's served to stores that have your app installed. It might take several minutes for app users to be upgraded to the new version.

Tip

If you want to create a version, but avoid releasing it to users, then run the deploy command with a --no-release flag. You can release the unreleased app version using Shopify CLI's release command, or through the Partner Dashboard.

Nice work - what you just built could be used by Shopify merchants around the world! Keep the momentum going with these related tutorials and resources.

If your address service provides a two-step autocomplete process, then follow the Format your address suggestions tutorial to complete your custom address autocomplete provider.

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