Giftie developer overview
Giftie adds written messages, video and audio recordings, and personalised greeting cards to Shopify storefronts. The standard Shopify integration owns these shopper experiences and normally requires no custom JavaScript.
The recording browser SDK documented here is the lower-level widget for custom
placements and non-Shopify hosts. It covers video and audio recording only.
Written-message synchronization and the greeting-card builder use separate
integration surfaces. The framework-neutral card host is exposed separately as
window.GreetingCardBuilder; it may open the recording widget when video or
voice features are enabled, but it does not use window.Giftie to launch or
complete the greeting card itself.
Choose an integration
- Use the standard Giftie Shopify theme integration for ordinary Shopify installations. Configure Giftie and place its app blocks in the theme editor; merchants do not need to implement the SDK or cart logic themselves. Its head-target app embed owns script loading, widget configuration, and the controllers that manage cart slots. Section placement blocks add controls where the theme supports app blocks. Cart drawers and other unsupported surfaces use Giftie target elements in theme markup so the app embed can inject and maintain the configured controls.
- Use the browser SDK directly for a custom placement or non-Shopify host. Your integration then owns the trigger, the save callback, and every business action after a recording is saved.
- Use the Greeting Card Builder SDK when a custom host needs to open Giftie's card experience in a modal and receive its completion payload. Start with the Greeting Card Builder quick start.
Current browser integration surface
The released v1.4.0 code and current production loader expose the loader URL,
the window.Giftie factory, the listed configuration fields and instance
methods, and the documented save payload. These are the current browser
integration surface. Confirm any compatibility or versioning requirements for
a long-lived custom integration with Giftie.
Unlisted query parameters, iframe markup, postMessage event names, mutable
instance callbacks, global compatibility aliases, theme-extension modules,
target-slot IDs, and DOM selectors are implementation evidence. The Shopify
pages describe that evidence so theme developers can integrate safely; they do
not create a separate JavaScript API.
Start here
- Quick start: load and open the widget.
- Configuration: current SDK fields.
- Methods: control an SDK instance.
- Opening and closing: lifecycle rules.
- Save payload: handle the video or audio recording reference emitted by the SDK.
- Advanced Shopify cart refresh: adapt a custom theme or framework cart after a recording line is added.
- Greeting Card Builder SDK: load the card builder, initialize a card, and handle completion.
- Errors and limitations: current failure and lifecycle behavior.
Browser requirements
The host page must run in a modern browser with JavaScript enabled and permit the Giftie script and iframe. Recording also requires the shopper to grant camera and/or microphone permission.
The production loader is:
https://widget.get-giftie.com/widget-loader.js
Do not put secrets, personal data, or private order data in SDK configuration or per-open context. Non-function values are transported in the iframe URL.
Need help?
Contact your Giftie implementation contact before replacing the standard Shopify theme integration or cart behavior. Most Shopify merchants do not need the advanced integration pages.