Shopify Plus Development Stores: Unlocking Discount Allocator Functions for Testing

Unlocking Discount Allocator Functions in Your Shopify Plus Development Store

Hey everyone! Ever run into a snag when trying to build cool features for Shopify Plus stores? I recently stumbled upon a really interesting discussion in the Shopify Community about accessing Discount Allocator Functions in development environments, and I wanted to share what I learned.

The original poster, Bmars, was facing a common challenge: they had created a Shopify Plus development store through their Partner Dashboard, but couldn't seem to enable or use Discount Allocator Functions. The store showed "Plus" in the plan, but the option was missing from the developer preview settings. Plus, when trying to register the allocator from their app, Shopify threw an error, claiming the shop wasn't eligible. Sound familiar?

Bmars asked some great questions:

• Are Discounts Allocator Functions intentionally disabled on Partner-created Plus development stores?
• Do they only work on real Plus merchant stores or sandbox/expansion stores within a Plus organization?
• Is there any way to test allocator functions without access to a live Plus merchant store?

Let's dig into what Discount Allocator Functions are all about and how they relate to development stores.

What are Discount Allocator Functions?

Discount Allocator Functions allow you to customize how discounts are applied in a Shopify store. This is especially useful when you need to exclude certain products from discounts (like Bmars wanted to do with "Shipping Protection" tagged products) or create more complex discounting rules. It's a powerful feature, but as Bmars discovered, accessing it in a development environment can be tricky.

The Development Store Dilemma

The core issue here seems to be that while you can create a Shopify Plus development store, it doesn't necessarily grant you access to all the features of a live, fully-fledged Plus store. This is often the case with advanced features that might have cost implications or require specific configurations on the Shopify side.

In Bmars's case, the error message stating that the shop wasn't eligible strongly suggests that Discount Allocator Functions are indeed restricted on Partner-created Plus development stores. This is likely to prevent abuse and ensure that these features are only used in legitimate Plus environments.

Possible Solutions and Workarounds

So, what can you do if you want to test Discount Allocator Functions without access to a live Plus store? Here are a few options to consider:

1. Sandbox/Expansion Stores: As Bmars suggested, these types of stores within a Plus organization might be a viable option. If you have access to a Plus merchant account, you might be able to create a sandbox or expansion store that allows you to test these features.

2. Partner with a Plus Merchant: This might be the most straightforward approach. Find a Shopify Plus merchant who's willing to let you test your app on their development or staging environment. This gives you access to a real Plus store with all the necessary features enabled.

3. Shopify's Internal Testing: In some cases, Shopify might be able to provide internal testing environments for specific features. This is less common, but it's worth reaching out to Shopify support or your Partner Manager to see if it's an option.

4. Careful Code Design with Feature Flags: While it doesn't solve the testing problem directly, you can design your app with feature flags. This means your code includes the Discount Allocator Function logic, but it's only activated when a specific setting is enabled (perhaps based on a check for a real Plus store). This allows you to develop the feature and then easily enable it when you have access to a suitable testing environment.

Here's an example of how you might use feature flags in your app:

if (isShopifyPlusStore()) {
  // Register discount allocator function
  registerDiscountAllocator();
} else {
  // Provide a fallback or alternative functionality
  console.log("Discount Allocator Functions are not available on this store.");
}

To determine if the store is a Shopify Plus store, you can use the Shopify API to check the shop's plan. For example, in GraphQL, you might query:

query {
  shop {
    plan {
      displayName
    }
  }
}

Then, in your code, you can check if `shop.plan.displayName` is equal to "Shopify Plus".

Key Takeaways

So, while it seems Discount Allocator Functions are likely disabled on Partner-created Plus development stores, there are definitely ways to work around this limitation. Exploring sandbox environments, partnering with a Plus merchant, or using feature flags in your code are all viable options. Remember to always check the shop's plan via the API to ensure your app behaves correctly in different environments.

It's all about being resourceful and finding the right approach for your specific development needs. Happy coding!