Last Updated | February 17, 2023
As a developer, it is compulsory to design a unique and attractive website for your client as it will be the basis of his business, and the future of their business will depend a lot on the webpage you create for them. To help you in this regard, you must know what is Shopify Polaris.
Shopify has introduced this design system to make websites more consistent, scalable, and attractive.
Here’s why you should use Polaris by Shopify:
- Shopify Polaris components include reusable UI elements, such as buttons, form controls, etc.
- Shopify Polaris design system also provides guidelines and support on how to send feedback on actions of users, loading of pages, and other processes that take a lot of time to run
- It provides a style guide that contains guidelines on the use of color, best practices for the use of reusable components, animation, notes on content.
This article will explain in detail what is Shopify Polaris, who it is for, how you can use it, and similar other tools like Polaris.
What Is Polaris Shopify?
In an easy way, if we wanna answer what is Polaris Shopify? Shopify Polaris is a design system created by Shopify that provides a set of reusable UI components and guidelines for building consistent, accessible, and visually pleasing user interfaces.
It is one of Shopify Development Partners, built with Shopify Polaris React, making it easy to integrate with React-based solutions. Its main goal is to make Shopify custom development and Shopify Store Development easier.
For example, the Shopify Polaris telescope sketch plugin lets you search and view Polaris guidelines and code right within Sketch.
Polaris organizes its documentation into six main categories:
- Design guidance: To help you with Shopify store development, it provides design guidance, including knowledge of colors and typography, which further includes spacing, naming, and actionable language, which would result in creating a consistent experience with the other admins.
This includes guidance related to the following:
- Shopify Polaris navigation
- Shopify Polaris tabs
- Shopify Polaris table
- Shopify Polaris toggle
- Reusable Components: These include blocks of coding which has interface elements and styles which can be used again in any other project making Shopify integration and Shopify migration much easier.
- Tokens: The token includes Shopify Polaris CSS items that represent design actions, including colors, text and content spacing, and typography that is used to make merchant experiences consistent.
- Icons: Shopify Polaris icons are specially designed to focus on startups and commerce to help merchants complete tasks using visual aids. Polaris Shopify icons can be used to assist buyers with their decisions.
- Patterns: It provides effective solutions to common UX problems in a specific situation, which can make the admin familiar and easy to use when used in the right context.
What Is The Target Audience For Shopify Polaris?
You might’ve known now What is Shopify Polaris? Now let’s talk about who it is designed for. Shopify Polaris is designed for front-end developers and designers and is a Shopify development company whose goal is building user interfaces for web applications.
It is particularly useful for those who are building solutions using React, as Polaris is built with React and provides easy integration with React-based solutions. You can also add Shopify Polaris Modal, which are overlays used by merchants to take action before they can continue interacting with the rest of Shopify.
It is also suitable for teams looking to create consistent, accessible, and visually pleasing user interfaces. It provides a set of reusable UI components and guidelines that can help teams to reduce development time and effort while ensuring a high-quality and consistent user experience.
It could be used by anyone looking to create an e-commerce platform, web apps, or any other web-based projects that need to have a consistent design system and user experience. You can also use Figma for color after the Shopify Polaris Figma collaboration.
How Shopify Polaris Can Help You Build Shopify Apps
Here are the general steps to building a Shopify app using Polaris
1. Set Up Your Development Environment
You will need to have a basic understanding of React and Node.js, and you will need to have a Shopify Partner account. You will also need to install the necessary tools, such as Node.js, Yarn, and the Shopify App CLI.
2. Create A New Shopify App
You can use the Shopify App CLI to create a new app and get a set of basic files for your app.
3. Integrate Polaris Into Your App
You can install the Polaris React component library via npm and then import the components you need in your app’s code.
4. Build The UI Of Your App
Using the reusable UI components provided by Polaris, you can quickly build the different views of your app. You can also use the guidelines provided by Polaris to ensure that the app is visually pleasing and accessible.
5. Connect Your App To The Shopify Platform
Use the Shopify APIs to connect your app to the Shopify platform and retrieve data from it.
6. Test And Deploy Your App
Test your app locally and then deploy it to the Shopify App Store.
The above-written steps are a general overview. The implementation of these will be changed according to the requirement of your app and your experience with Shopify, React, and Polaris. Moreover, if you get somewhere during this whole process, just look for some Shopify Polaris examples on the internet and get some guidance.
Developer Tools Other Than Polaris To Build Shopify Apps
Here are some tools that can be used to build Shopify apps:
1. Shopify App CLI
A command-line tool that can be used to create, test, and deploy Shopify apps.
2. Polaris Sandbox
A development environment that allows developers to experiment with and test different UI components and designs using the Polaris design system.
3. Shopify API Libraries
A set of APIs that allow developers to create custom functionality and integrate with the Shopify platform.
4. GraphiQL Admin API explorer
It allows developers to test the queries and mutations without having to write any code, which can be useful for debugging and understanding the API.
Note that this is not an exhaustive list; other tools and technologies may be used depending on the specific requirements of the app being developed. You need to Hire Shopify Experts or Hire Shopify Developers to use these tools effectively.
Conclusion
Generally, if we want to answer what is Shopify Polaris? Polaris is designed to help developers create high-quality and consistent user interfaces while also reducing development time and effort.
The system is based on Shopify’s experiences with its own platform, making it highly useful for front-end developers looking for the right components to use.
Hope this article has answered all your queries regarding what is Shopify Polaris and how you can use Polaris by Shopify for your Shopify app development.
Source: https://ecommerce.folio3.com/blog/what-is-shopify-polaris/
