Converting prefixed tags to list metafields in Shopify

Shopify stores have long used prefixed tags to store additional data for products. A prefixed tag is a tag like size:XL or size:M and is often used for things like product filtering in themes. With the introduction of the 'list of strings' metafield type, more themes and apps are requiring that this data be stored in metafields instead of in prefixed tags.

This article will explain how to copy of list of prefixed tags into a list metafields.

Prerequisites

Before getting started make sure you have the Ablestar Bulk Product Editor installed. You will also need to create a metafield definition in the Shopify admin that is a list of 'Single line text' values:

Steps to Convert Prefix Tags to Metafield Lists

To convert your prefixed tags to a list metafield open up the Ablestar Bulk Product Editor and do the following:

1. Search for the products you want to edit and then click on Edit Products in the top-right
2. Set the 'Field to Edit' to be the list metafield that you want to copy the data to
3. In the 'How to Edit' dropdown select Set from prefixed tags
4. In the 'Tag Prefix' field that appears, enter the fixed prefix for your tags. For example, if you have the tag size:XL , the prefix would be size:
5. Verify that the preview below looks correct and then click on the Run Edit button at the top

The app will the start to edit your products. For each product it will look for all tags that match the tag prefix, remove the tag prefix, sort the values and set those values as the metafield list.

You can monitor the progress , cancel or undo your edit directly in the app.