Can I search for PDF uploads on my website's frontend?

Shopify Apps

Topic summary

A user seeks a Shopify app that enables frontend PDF file searching, similar to WordPress’s Simple File List plugin. The goal is to let customers search for uploaded files like instruction manuals and test certificates directly on the website.

Initial Attempts:

  • No pre-built Shopify app solution was found initially
  • A basic custom JavaScript solution was created but has significant limitations
  • The main drawback: users must enter exact filenames to find results
  • Shopify’s file management system appears quite rigid for this use case

Recent Development:

  • After 3 years, an app called “File Search & Download Hub MPX” has been launched specifically for this purpose
  • The app allows embedding searchable file directories on Shopify storefronts
  • Files are sourced from those uploaded to Shopify admin

Status: The discussion evolved from an unsolved problem to having a dedicated app solution available in the Shopify App Store.

Summarized with AI on November 8. AI used: claude-sonnet-4-5-20250929.
1

Hello,

I am looking for an application that allows users to search for files (PDF uploads) on the frontend of the website. A similar plugin for wordpress is here: https://wordpress.org/plugins/simple-file-list/. Is there anything like this in the Shopify App Store/can this be done any way else?

Thank you

2

Did you find a solution for this yet?

3

@chenster No app or premade solution sadly. I managed a simple custom solution using JavaScript but it only works for very basic applications. The biggest drawback being that the frontend user needs to search for the filename exactly (or you need to add some code on the backend to assist matching the term to the exact filename). Shopify’s file management system seems pretty rigid from what I can tell.

If you are interested in seeing my code feel free to message me, I am not very experienced with JavaScript/web dev in general so maybe you could improve it.

4

Yes, please DM. I’d love to see it. I’m developer. Are you selling digital products? Why do you need file search at all?

5

Hello, 3 years has now passed since this. Do we know if anything has been developed yet? I’m wanting add search functionality into pages where customers can search for Instruction Manuals, Test Certificates etc. And the results will be files that have been uploaded to Shopify admin.

Thanks,

6

We have just launched an app for this - it’s called File Search & Download Hub MPX.

Love to know your thoughts on this.


Choong_HueApps_0-1720596269362.png