Description Editor

Description Editor

The Description Editor provides a full-featured rich text editor for creating and editing product descriptions with AI-powered assistance.

Opening the Editor

  1. Select a product in the grid
  2. Open using one of these methods:
    • Double-click the Description column
    • Click Edit Description in the toolbar
    • Right-click and select Edit Description
    • Press Ctrl+E

Editor Interface

The editor includes:

  • Ribbon toolbar - Formatting controls (like Microsoft Word)
  • Editor area - WYSIWYG editing surface
  • Preview panel - See how it will look on your store
  • AI buttons - Generate or improve content with AI

Formatting Options

Text Formatting

Button Shortcut Effect
Bold Ctrl+B Bold text
Italic Ctrl+I Italic text
Underline Ctrl+U Underlined text
Strikethrough - Crossed out
Subscript - H₂O
Superscript - E=mc²

Paragraph Formatting

  • Headings - H1, H2, H3, H4, H5, H6
  • Alignment - Left, Center, Right, Justify
  • Lists - Bulleted and numbered
  • Indentation - Increase/decrease indent
  • Line spacing - Single, 1.5, Double

Insert Elements

  • Links - Add hyperlinks to text
  • Images - Insert images (URL or upload)
  • Tables - Create data tables
  • Horizontal Rule - Add divider lines
  • Special Characters - Symbols and emojis

AI Assistance

The editor includes three configurable AI buttons for content generation.

Default AI Buttons

Button Purpose
Improve Enhance clarity and engagement
Shorten Make more concise
SEO Optimize Add keywords and SEO best practices

Using AI

  1. Write or select existing text
  2. Click an AI button
  3. Review the generated suggestion
  4. Accept to replace or reject to keep original

Configuring AI Buttons

Customize the AI buttons for your workflow:

  1. Click Configure Prompts (gear icon)
  2. Edit button labels and prompts
  3. Use {description} placeholder for current text
  4. Click Save

AI Providers

Configure your preferred AI provider in Settings:

  • Google Gemini - Fast and capable
  • Anthropic Claude - Excellent writing quality
  • OpenAI GPT - Widely used, reliable

Note: You need to provide your own API key for AI features.

HTML Mode

Switch between visual and HTML editing:

  1. Click HTML in the toolbar
  2. Edit raw HTML directly
  3. Click Visual to return to WYSIWYG

Supported HTML

The editor supports standard HTML tags:

  • Headings: <h1> - <h6>
  • Text: <p>, <span>, <strong>, <em>
  • Lists: <ul>, <ol>, <li>
  • Tables: <table>, <tr>, <td>, <th>
  • Media: <img>, <a>
  • Layout: <div>, <br>, <hr>

HTML Cleanup

Click Clean HTML to:

  • Remove empty tags
  • Fix malformed HTML
  • Standardize formatting
  • Remove unnecessary styles

Snippets

Save and reuse common content blocks:

Creating a Snippet

  1. Select text in the editor
  2. Click Save as Snippet
  3. Enter a name
  4. Click Save

Using a Snippet

  1. Click Insert Snippet
  2. Select from your saved snippets
  3. Content is inserted at cursor position

Managing Snippets

  • Edit - Modify snippet content
  • Delete - Remove unwanted snippets
  • Rename - Change snippet name

Preview

The preview panel shows how your description will appear:

  • Desktop view - Full-width preview
  • Mobile view - Narrow width simulation
  • Theme preview - Uses your store's CSS (if configured)

Saving

Click Save or press Ctrl+S to save:

  • Changes are sent to Shopify immediately
  • Original description is backed up automatically
  • Success message confirms the save

Undo/Redo

  • Undo - Ctrl+Z (reverts last change)
  • Redo - Ctrl+Y (re-applies undone change)
  • Full history available during editing session

Keyboard Shortcuts

Shortcut Action
Ctrl+S Save description
Ctrl+Z Undo
Ctrl+Y Redo
Ctrl+B Bold
Ctrl+I Italic
Ctrl+U Underline
Ctrl+K Insert link
Ctrl+Shift+L Bulleted list
Ctrl+Shift+N Numbered list

Best Practices

  1. Use headings - Structure content with H2, H3 for readability
  2. Keep paragraphs short - 2-3 sentences per paragraph
  3. Use bullet points - Easy to scan for shoppers
  4. Include keywords - Help with SEO naturally
  5. Add calls to action - Encourage purchases
  6. Preview on mobile - Most shoppers use phones

Troubleshooting

"AI not working"

  • Check AI provider settings
  • Verify API key is entered correctly
  • Ensure you have API credits remaining

"Formatting lost after save"

Shopify sanitizes HTML. Some unsupported tags may be removed:

  • JavaScript is always stripped
  • Some CSS styles may not persist
  • Use standard HTML for best results

"Images not showing"

  • Images must be hosted on accessible URLs
  • Use Shopify's file hosting or CDN
  • Avoid local file paths

See Also