Troubleshooting

Start by identifying what is missing or incorrect and where it happens: in the editor, product page, cart, checkout, order details, or downloaded file. Then follow the matching checks below. Similar symptoms can have different causes.

Identify the Problem Before Changing Settings

Use the details you already have. If the problem is still unclear, answer the one question that separates the relevant checks before changing settings or rebuilding options.

Find the Check for Your Issue

Custom Options Not Showing on Product Page

Podifai is designed for modern Shopify Online Store 2.0 themes and most standard product page layouts. If your options are not appearing, check the following:

1. On Products, check Customizer status → Added and open Edit Options to confirm the saved setup. Status → Active describes the Shopify product, not an option-set switch.
2. Go to Online Store → Themes → Customize and confirm the Podifai App Embed is toggled on, or that a Podifai App Block has been added to the product template.
3. If you need custom placement, use the Podifai App Block. Turning off App Embed is optional; see App Block setup.
4. Clear your browser cache and try again in an incognito window.

Cannot Find or Use Image Controls

1. Select the Image Swatch or Image Upload option in the custom option form.
2. In its Properties panel, open Live Preview and enable Live customizer.
3. Turn on On-canvas image controls and check the specific permission: Allow move, Allow resize, or Allow rotate.
4. For free placement of multiple Image Swatch values, choose Multiple position → Mode → Drag freely. Drag & snap uses predefined slots.
5. Save, select a swatch value or upload an image on the storefront, and select the image in the preview.

Display mode below the product preview chooses Inline or Popup. Image controls are configured in the selected option's Live Preview tab. If enabled controls still do not respond, check theme gallery interactions. For a missing tool inside Edit Photo, check Uploaded image editor popupand its enabled tools on the Image Upload option.

Live Preview Not Rendering

Inline Live Preview can depend on the theme's product gallery layout, image zoom, sliders, and product media behavior. You can also try Popup display mode.

Preview Also Fails in the Editor

Use these checks when the preview is missing or misplaced in the editor itself:

1. Ensure Live Preview is toggled on for the option type in the editor.
2. Check that the preview canvas and selected background source are configured. Blank canvas does not require a background image.
3. Verify the preview layer has valid position and size values.
4. Compare Inline and Popup in a test theme or theme preview to help isolate a product gallery conflict. See Theme Compatibility for the checks.

Check the source selected in Live Preview background settings:

• First or Last Shopify product image — Confirm the configured first or last product image exists in Shopify.
• Variant image — Check the image assigned to the selected Shopify variant. If none is assigned, check the first product image used as the fallback.
• Custom image — Confirm your intended background image is uploaded and visible in the editor.
• Blank canvas — An empty background is expected. For a template created from My Templates, choose an image ratio to define the canvas, then check the preview layers and their placement.

Preview Works in the Editor but Fails on the Storefront

If the preview already works in the editor and you have saved it, keep that working setup. Start with the storefront checks below instead of rebuilding the layers or repeating the enable-and-save steps. If you can see the option field, the app is loading, so work through the preview checks below.

1. Confirm the page belongs to the product you edited and uses the intended saved options or linked template. Check the selected Shopify variant and view when they affect the preview background.
2. Enter a test value in the storefront text field. When both the input and its placeholder are empty, there may be no text to display.
3. Check the theme and product template you are viewing. Confirm the intended Podifai App Embed or App Block integration is active there; enabling both is not a required fix.
4. For an Inline preview, compare the documented theme gallery checks and Inline/Popup behavior in a test theme or theme preview. Record the difference before changing the live theme.

Retest the same product, selected values and view after each change. If it still fails, send support the product URL, theme name, display mode, editor and storefront screenshots, and the checks already tried. A preview that works on the product page does not mean the cart, order, or print file is correct, so check those separately.

A Documented Setting Is Missing

Compare the current screen and visible option labels with the relevant guide. Note the selected option type and tab, and take a screenshot. If the documented path still does not match, use the chat icon on the left side of the page or email chelsea@podifai.com with that evidence instead of repeating the same steps or deleting the configuration.

Conflicts with Other Product Customizer Apps

Do not enable multiple product customizer apps on the same product template at the same time. Their storefront scripts can compete for:

• The Shopify product form and selected variant ID
• Add to Cart behavior
• The product image gallery and Live Preview
• Cart line item properties

1. Disable the other customizer app embeds and storefront integrations.
2. Test Podifai again in an incognito browser window.
3. If the issue continues, send support the store URL, product URL, theme name, and a screen recording.

Wrong Shopify Variant Added to Cart

If you already use Shopify variants and the native picker shows blue while the cart contains red, record the expected and actual variant names or SKUs. Send support the product URL, theme name, and a recording of the selection and Add to Cart steps. The product form or an app interaction may need investigation. Creating variants again or deleting personalization options is not the first step.

If the selection method is not yet known, identify whether the choice came from the native Shopify picker or a Podifai option. A Podifai color, badge, dropdown, or swatch value is saved as customization data and does not automatically replace the base Shopify variant ID.

Use the matching branch in Shopify Variants vs Podifai Options: an existing native-variant mismatch needs different checks from a product-defining choice configured only as a Podifai option.

Product Page Freezes or Add to Cart Feels Slow

Possible causes include app or theme conflicts, upload processing, network delays, or an app error. First identify the step that stalls: opening the page, selecting an option, uploading a file, rendering the preview, or adding the configured product to cart.

1. Record the product URL, device, browser, and exact step. Note any error message and whether the issue happens every time.
2. Compare a text-only selection with an upload, if the product supports both. For an upload-specific problem, test a small file in a supported format within the upload limit. Record whether the upload itself or the preview is waiting.
3. Retry the same steps in a clean browser session, then on another network if possible. Change one condition at a time so you can identify what affects the result.
4. If an app or theme interaction is suspected, compare the behavior in a duplicate test theme or theme preview. Temporarily disable the relevant product-page integration there and test again before making changes to the live storefront.

If the issue continues, send support the product URL, theme name, device, exact failing step, and a short recording. Include the comparisons you tried; they show us whether the cause is an app, the network, or the product setup.

App Embed Is Enabled, but the Customizer Is Missing

1. On Products, find the exact product you are viewing, check Customizer status → Added, and open Edit Options to confirm its saved setup. Status → Active describes the Shopify product.
2. In Shopify admin, check the product status. A Draft product is not shown on the storefront. To test before launch, set it to Unlisted: shoppers cannot find it in collections or search, but the direct product link opens.
3. If the store is password protected, enter the storefront password before opening the product page.
4. Check the same Shopify theme you are viewing or previewing; enabling App Embed in a different theme, such as a duplicate theme, does not enable it here.
5. Disable other product customizer apps on the same product. See conflicts with other customizer apps.
6. Open the product page. Homepage Featured Product sections and collection pages are not supported customizer surfaces.
7. Check the configured display mode. Popup uses a Customize button; Inline displays options on the product page.
8. If automatic placement does not fit the product template, use the Podifai App Block where supported.
9. Retest in a clean browser session. If it still fails, send the product URL, theme name, display mode, and a short recording to support.

App Embed works on most standard product pages. Heavily modified, less common, or custom-built themes may require a compatibility check. Support should inspect the affected product form and gallery before recommending code changes.

Other Preview Elements Fade When I Focus an Area

Open Global Settings → Live preview → Focus areas. When this toggle is on, selecting an area highlights it and dims other areas. Turn it off if you do not want that focus effect. Dimming does not mean the other customization has been deleted.

A layer that is entirely absent even with Focus areas off needs a separate check of its Live Preview settings, position, and size.

A Conditional Field Appears at the Wrong Time

1. Select the field that should appear conditionally and check the rule on that field.
2. Confirm the referenced parent option and the value that should trigger visibility.
3. Review whether each condition uses Contains any or Contains none, and whether the rule uses All or Any.
4. Check parent defaults and the initial unselected state, then test matching and non-matching choices.
5. After entering a value, change the parent selection and review the preview, charges, and order data for the new path.

See the engraving rule example and conditional path checklist.