Quick product switching
When a shopper clicks a swatch, the browser normally loads the whole new product page. With quick product switching on, FD Combined Listings swaps the product in place and updates the URL. The page does not fully reload.
Quick product switching is turned on per store. Ask us in the in-app chat to turn it on. After we turn it on, you see Quick product switching on the Settings page.
How it works
Quick switching runs on product pages, for swatches in the FD Product Groups block.
- The shopper clicks a swatch for another product in the group.
- The app loads that product's content and puts it in place of the current one.
- The URL in the address bar changes to the new product.
Clicking the product you're already on does nothing. If the shopper uses Ctrl-click, Cmd-click or Shift-click, the link opens as usual.
The Back and Forward buttons reload the page, so the right product always shows.
Choose what gets swapped
| Setting | What changes |
|---|---|
| Enable quick product switching | The theme's main product section, plus the sticky add-to-cart bar if your theme has one. |
| Update the entire page content | The whole main content area of the page, plus the page title in the browser tab. |
Start with Enable quick product switching alone. Turn on Update the entire page content if your product pages have other sections that change per product, like banners, tabs or related content.
Preview before you turn it on
- Open Settings and check the boxes you want to try. Don't save yet.
- Click Copy preview link.
- Open the link in an incognito or private window.
The preview stays active only for that browsing session. It turns off when you close the window. Your shoppers don't see it until you save.
Other apps after a switch
Most theme scripts and apps start when a page loads. After each switch, the app sends the same page-load signal again, so scripts that listen for it run against the new product.
Some apps need more than that. FD Combined Listings handles these:
- Judge.me reviews: with Update the entire page content on, the review widget refreshes for the new product, including sorting, dates and the Write a review button. With the default setting, the review widget usually sits outside the swapped section and stays as it is. The star rating next to the title keeps the previous product's rating until the next full page load.
- Aco Product Options & Addons: the options refresh for the new product with either setting.
Content from other apps may need a compatibility check. Use the preview link to test your product pages before you save.
When it falls back to a normal page load
If the app can't swap the content safely, the shopper goes to the new product page the normal way. This happens when:
- The app can't find your theme's main product section.
- The request for the new product fails.
- The new product uses a different product template.
Faster loading with prefetch
When quick switching is on, the app loads the content for every swatch on the product page in the background. A click can then show the new product right away.
Even without quick switching, swatches load faster. In groups with fewer than 5 products, the app starts loading a product page when a shopper hovers over or presses its swatch. This is on for every store and every plan. It is skipped when the shopper's browser has data saver turned on.
