Wishlist for 2022

[HunkyBill]

Dear Shopify.

We all love progress. But, some things remain less than polished and could use some attention. Here is one pattern as an example.

I have two API keypairs, one for localhost and one for production. The localhost one is a custom App whereas the the production one is public. This leads to a nasty inconsistency in the sense that the custom App just gets to use a Storefront API token if it asks for one, but the corresponding public App has to be a Sales Channel. That is straight up nasty!

Also, you know how embedded Apps get Navigation links? Weee! That works a peach in an embedded App that is not a Sales Channel, but when you flip over to an Embedded App that is a Sales Channel, the concept gets kinda mashed up. In an embedded non-sales channel App, the homepage gets hit, but the sales channel version jumps to the first link supplied by default, so what happened to the home page? You must make a link for that? But you cannot use the word Home? Again, this is some nasty! Works, kind of, but nasty!

How about theme App extensions. Can we get better documentation on what it means to use those. And also, since you might install our App to review it, and that review can never be undone, and that leaves us wit a permanent install of 1, meaning we can never convert to a Sales Channel, meaning now we are screwed there, can you fix that up too? We can uninstall Apps from stores, so you should be able to do the same.

And how about that, not being able to delete a theme App extension? I know it's complex in your eyes, but in ours, as developers, we see no problem with this. It is bad code, we want to rid a store and theme of it, but we can't? All we can do is hide it in shame?

You know the Shopify CLI? Work in progress right? I am sure it works perfect for those with one partner account, and maybe a smattering of stores. But you know what? Some of us have 10 or more partner accounts in action, and perhaps a few hundred stores in play! As soon as you try and play with the Shopify CLI, it is clear that it is broken. You login as a partner, but see all the other partner stores? Wow. Who knew. You want to stock a store with products, no chance! All busted. Even connecting to a store? Nope. No way... nothing works, except what I previously pointed out, multiple partner account logins don't work, except now they do, sort of, for theme app extension work. Anyway, can we get that CLI working mostly? Would be nice!

Oh, and yes, it seems you have App Audits that go out, and sometimes have no person attached to them? That is straight-up rude. I am not happy when a Shopify letter arrives and has no human contact point to go along with it, especially when a letter contains threats about "Do something or else!". I know a lot of letters currently go out that are half-baked, or go to the wrong parties, but still, these ones are special for us developers, and we'd appreciate better service. Show some love!

Here is to 2022.