# Routine step
## How to Create a Routine Step Metafield in Accentuate Custom Fields (ACF)
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### Prerequisites
Before you begin, make sure you have:
* An active Shopify store
* Accentuate Custom Fields installed from the Shopify App Store
* Staff permissions to access Apps in your Shopify admin
* (Recommended) An Online Store 2.0 theme, which allows metafield values to be displayed via the theme editor without touching code
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### Key Concepts to Know First
Scope — The Shopify object the metafield attaches to. For Routine Step, this will be Products.
Namespace & Key — The unique identifier for your field. The namespace groups related fields (e.g. custom) and the key is the specific field name (e.g. routine\_step). Together they form custom.routine\_step, which is the address used in your theme to pull the value.
Field Data Type — Controls what kind of data the field holds. For Routine Step, a Single Select is recommended since a product typically belongs to one primary step in a skincare routine (e.g. Step 1 — Cleanse, Step 3 — Treat). If your range includes products that can genuinely serve multiple routine steps, you can opt for Multi Select instead.
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### Step-by-Step Guide
Step 1 — Open ACF from your Shopify Admin Go to your Shopify Admin, click Apps in the left sidebar, and open Accentuate Custom Fields. You'll land on the ACF dashboard, which shows the Metafields and metaobjects section with cards for Products, Shops, Metaobjects, and Customers.
Step 2 — Open Product Metafields In the Products card, click the Metafields button. This takes you into the Product Custom Fields screen where you can see all existing fields listed with their types and manage your definitions.
Step 3 — Add a New Section Click the + Add section button in the top-right area of the Product Custom Fields screen. An Add Section modal will open across two pages.
Page 1 — Basic Details:
* Title: Routine Step — displayed in bold as a visual header when editing product values (1–50 characters, no HTML)
* Name: routine\_step — must be unique within your Product fields (3–64 characters, letters, digits, underscores or dashes only)
* Description: Optionally add a note like The step in the skincare routine where this product is applied — supports Markdown
* Color: Leave as the default #dfe3e8, or choose a colour to visually distinguish this section from others like Skin Type or Usage Time
* All fields in this section apply to: Leave as All types unless you want to restrict this to specific product types
* Make visible to the Storefront API: Leave checked (default) — this makes the routine step value accessible in themes and custom storefronts
Click Next to continue.
Page 2 — Advanced Settings:
* Repeatable section: Leave unchecked — a product belongs to one routine step position, not a repeating block.
* Include value of first text field: Leave unchecked — not needed for a select-type field.
* Show as collapsed when editing: Leave unchecked — keeps the section expanded by default so it is easy to find and fill in when editing a product.
* Hide section: Leave unchecked — checking this would make the section invisible in the editor entirely.
* Show section even if empty: Optionally check this if you want the Routine Step section to always appear on products, even before a value has been assigned.
* Exclude from layout: Leave unchecked — only tick this if you want the section excluded from ACF's layout editing tools.
Click Done to save the section.
Step 4 — Add the Routine Step Field Once the section is saved, click + Add field to add the actual field inside it. Fill in the details:
* Label: Routine Step
* Namespace: accentuate (ACF's default, or use your own e.g. beauty)
* Key: routine\_step
* Field Data Type: Select Single Select — this restricts input to your predefined routine step options
Step 5 — Add Your Routine Step Options Once Single Select is chosen, add each allowed value one by one:
Morning Routine:
* Step 1 — Cleanse
* Step 2 — Tone
* Step 3 — Essence
* Step 4 — Treat (Serum)
* Step 5 — Eye Care
* Step 6 — Moisturise
* Step 7 — SPF & Sun Protection
Evening Routine:
* Step 1 — Cleanse (First Cleanse / Oil Cleanse)
* Step 2 — Cleanse (Second Cleanse)
* Step 3 — Exfoliate
* Step 4 — Tone
* Step 5 — Essence
* Step 6 — Treat (Serum)
* Step 7 — Eye Care
* Step 8 — Moisturise / Night Cream
* Step 9 — Face Oil
* Step 10 — Sleep Mask
Weekly Treatments:
* Weekly — Face Mask
* Weekly — Exfoliating Treatment
* Weekly — Scalp Treatment
Add, remove, or simplify options to match your store's specific range.
Step 6 — Save Click Save. Your Routine Step field will now appear inside its section on every product edit page in your Shopify admin.
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### Populating Routine Step Values on Products
One by one: Open any product in Shopify Admin, scroll to the Routine Step section added by ACF, select the appropriate step from the dropdown, and save.
Bulk edit: Back on the Product Custom Fields screen, click Edit Values to open the table/bulk edit view. All products appear as rows and you can update the Routine Step column across many products at once. This is the most efficient method when setting up a full range for the first time.
CSV import: Use the Export button to download a CSV template, fill in the routine\_step column for each product row, then re-import via the Import button. Best for large catalogs or migrating data from an existing spreadsheet.
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### Displaying Routine Step on Your Storefront
Theme Editor (no code, OS 2.0 themes): Go to Online Store → Themes → Customize. Open a product template, click Add Block, select an ACF or Metafield block, choose the Routine Step field, position it on the page (typically near the how-to-use section or product highlights), and save. It will display automatically for any product with a value set.
Liquid Code (all themes): Add this to your product template file where you want the routine step to appear:
{% if product.metafields.custom.routine\_step%}
\\Routine Step:\
{{ product.metafields.custom.routine\_step.value }}\
{% endif %}
If you used a custom namespace (e.g. beauty), replace custom with your namespace name.
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### Tips & Best Practices
* Keep step labels intuitive — including both the step number and the action (e.g. Step 4 — Treat (Serum)) makes it immediately clear to shoppers where the product fits, without needing to know the routine by heart.
* Align steps with your brand's routine — if your brand promotes a 5-step routine, keep your options to those 5 steps. Avoid creating steps that don't correspond to products you actually sell.
* Use Routine Step to build routine-based collections — create automated Shopify collections for each step (e.g. "All Cleansers", "All Serums") by filtering on custom.routine\_step. This makes routine building on your storefront much easier for shoppers.
* Pair with Usage Time — combining Routine Step with Usage Time (Morning / Night) gives shoppers a complete picture of how and when to use each product, and enables powerful filtering combinations.
* Enable storefront filtering — connect routine\_step as a filter in Online Store → Navigation → Filter menus so shoppers can browse by where a product fits in their routine.
* Consider a "Build Your Routine" feature — with Routine Step, Skin Type, and Skin Concerns all tagged consistently, you have the data foundation to build a routine recommendation quiz or guided shopping experience on your storefront.
* Avoid the shopify namespace — it is reserved by Shopify and can cause conflicts. Use custom or a brand-specific name.
* Multi-language stores — ACF supports translatable metafields. Mark Routine Step as translatable if you need localised step labels for different markets.
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### Quick Reference
| Setting | Value |
| ---------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ |
| Scope | Products |
| Section Title | Routine Step |
| Section Name | routine\_step |
| Field Label | Routine Step |
| Namespace | custom |
| Key | routine\_step |
| Full Identifier | custom.routine\_step |
| Field Data Type | Single Select |
| Options | Step 1 — Cleanse, Step 2 — Tone, Step 3 — Essence, Step 4 — Treat (Serum), Step 5 — Eye Care, Step 6 — Moisturise, Step 7 — SPF, and more (see Step 5) |
| Storefront API | Enabled (checked by default) |
| Liquid Reference | {{ product.metafields.custom.routine\_step.value }} |
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For further details, visit the official ACF documentation at help.accentuate.io