# Installing The VU Custom Dev App in Shopify

## Getting Started: Building Your Custom App in Shopify

First things first, we need to create a private connection point within your Shopify store. This is done by setting up a "custom app" that will act as a secure bridge to VU Custom.

1. To kick things off, head to your Shopify admin dashboard and find the **Settings** gear icon in the bottom-left corner.
2. From the Settings menu, select **Apps and sales channels**.
3. At the top of the page, you'll see a button labeled **Develop apps for your store**. Go ahead and click that, followed by **Create an app**.
4. A small window will pop up. In the "App name" field, enter the app name.
5. Choose your developer account from the dropdown menu, and then hit **Create app**.

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## Setting Permissions: Granting VU Custom Access

Now for the important part: we need to set exactly what information this new app is allowed to access in Shopify.

1. On the app's configuration page, click on **Configure Admin API scopes**.
2. You'll be presented with a long list of permissions. The search bar at the top is the quickest way to find what you need.
3. In the search bar, type "**fulfill**". This will filter the list down to permissions related to order fulfillment. Check off **all boxes** that appear. This step is crucial, as it allows VU Custom to read order data and send back fulfillment information.
4. Next, clear that search and type in "**read\_products**". Check the box for this permission. This simply allows VU Custom to view your product catalog so you can link your items to design templates.
5. Once you've selected all the necessary permissions, click the **Save** button at the top to apply your changes.

## Finalizing the Connection: Your API Access Token

With the permissions set, it's time to formally install the app and generate the secure key that connects everything.

1. Jump over to the **API credentials tab**.
2. Click the prominent **Install app** button. Shopify will ask you to confirm this action—click Install in the pop-up window.
3. This will generate your **Admin API access token**. For your store's security, Shopify will only show you this token once.
4. Click **Reveal token once** to see the key.
5. Use the handy **copy icon** right next to the token to copy the entire string of characters to your clipboard. You'll need this in the next step.

## Bringing it all Together in VU Custom

The hard part is done! Now, let's head over to VU Custom to complete the connection.

1. Open your VU Custom dashboard and navigate to the **Settings>Stores** section using the menu.
2. Click the **Add New** button and select **Shopify** from the displayed options.
3. You're on the final setup screen. Just fill out these details:
   1. **Name**: Give your store a simple name you'll recognize, like "My Shopify Store."
   2. **Shopify URL**: Enter just the unique part of your store's address (the name before ".myshopify.com").
   3. **Shopify Token**: Paste the access token you copied from Shopify into this field.
4. Click **Create Store**. You will be returned to the main stores page.
5. Find the store you just added and click the Activate button to bring the connection online.

## Making Sure It Works: A Quick Test

Let's do a quick check to confirm that VU Custom and Shopify are communicating correctly.

1. In VU Custom, go to the **Templates** section.
2. Choose any template and navigate to **Linked Products** tab.
3. Click **Link to Product**.
4. In the store dropdown menu, newly created store must appear. Select the new store
5. Try searching for one of your products by name.

If products from your Shopify catalog show up in the search results, you're all set! The connection is live and working perfectly.


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