Author Mapping

Shopify doesn't have native author support for blog posts. Wash preserves your WordPress author information using metafields, which you can display in your theme.

Available on Pro, Business, and Enterprise plans.

The Problem

Shopify's blog articles have an "author" field, but it's limited:

  • Must be a Shopify staff account
  • No author bio or photo
  • No author archive pages
  • No guest author support

Wash's Solution

Wash stores WordPress author data in article metafields:

  • wash.author_name — Author display name
  • wash.author_bio — Author biography
  • wash.author_avatar — Author profile image URL
  • wash.author_url — Author website/profile URL

Configuration

Enabling Author Mapping

  1. In Shopify, go to Wash → Settings
  2. Enable Author Mapping
  3. Choose which fields to sync

WordPress Author Setup

Ensure your WordPress authors have complete profiles:

  1. Go to Users → All Users
  2. Edit each author
  3. Fill in Display Name, Biographical Info
  4. Set profile picture (via Gravatar or plugin)

Displaying Authors in Shopify

Accessing Metafields in Liquid

In your Shopify theme's article.liquid template:

{% if article.metafields.wash.author_name %} <div class="article-author"> {% if article.metafields.wash.author_avatar %} <img src="{{ article.metafields.wash.author_avatar }}" alt="{{ article.metafields.wash.author_name }}"> {% endif %} <span>By {{ article.metafields.wash.author_name }}</span> </div>
{% endif %}

Author Bio Section

{% if article.metafields.wash.author_bio %} <div class="author-box"> <h3>About the Author</h3> <p>{{ article.metafields.wash.author_bio }}</p> {% if article.metafields.wash.author_url %} <a href="{{ article.metafields.wash.author_url }}"> Learn more </a> {% endif %} </div>
{% endif %}

Advanced Options

Custom Metafield Names

If you need different metafield names, configure them in Settings:

  • Change namespace from wash to your preference
  • Rename individual fields

Additional Author Fields

Wash can sync additional WordPress user meta:

  • Social media links
  • Job title
  • Custom fields (from plugins like ACF)

Creating Author Archive Pages

Shopify doesn't have native author archives, but you can simulate them:

Option 1: Use Tags

  1. Add author name as a tag to each article
  2. Use tag filtering to show articles by author
  3. Create collection pages filtered by author tag

Option 2: Create Author Pages

  1. Create a Shopify page for each author
  2. Use Liquid to display articles where metafield matches

Metafield Definitions

For best results, create metafield definitions in Shopify:

  1. Go to Settings → Custom data → Articles
  2. Add definition for each Wash author field
  3. Set appropriate types (single line text, URL, etc.)

This enables:

  • Type validation
  • Editing in Shopify admin
  • Better theme editor support

Troubleshooting

Author Not Appearing

  • Verify Author Mapping is enabled in Wash
  • Check the WordPress author has a display name
  • Verify your theme template includes metafield output

Avatar Not Showing

  • WordPress uses Gravatar by default — ensure email is linked
  • Or install a plugin for local avatar uploads
  • Check the URL is accessible (not blocked by CORS)

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