Glossary
The words used across these docs and in the app, defined once.
AI setup#
The two passes that fill your color values in for you: name matching against a multilingual color dictionary, which is free and unlimited, and a photo pass that sends a photo to a vision model, which spends an AI usage credit. Both run on every plan. See AI setup.
AI usage credit#
One product photo the AI vision model looks at. Each plan includes a monthly allowance, 250 on Free through 50,000 on Premium, and it resets every month. Nothing else in Varn spends one. See AI usage credits.
App embed#
The Shopify mechanism that lets an app add code to your storefront without editing theme files. Varn's storefront code is an app embed, which is why it installs and uninstalls cleanly. See Install and activate.
Assignment#
The saved record of what one option value looks like: its mode, colors, uploaded image and photo map. See Assignments.
Card chip#
A small swatch on a product card in a collection, search result or other grid. Navigational: tapping it goes to the product with that variant selected. See Collection and search swatches.
Cover#
The first photo in a color's photo sequence, which becomes the main image when that color is selected.
Entitlement#
What your store is currently allowed to use, derived from your subscription or your trial. Checked in the admin, on the server when saving, and again on your storefront.
Free trial#
The first 7 days of any paid plan, granted by Shopify's own subscription billing. Cancel inside those 7 days and you are never billed. The Free plan needs no trial: it has no time limit. See The free trial.
Group#
Several separate products joined so they render as one swatch row on each other's product pages. See Product grouping.
Island#
A small block of JSON that the app embed writes into your page so the storefront script has your settings without making a request. See Storefront reference.
Metafield#
Shopify's own storage for structured data attached to a shop or a product. All of Varn's configuration lives in metafields, in your store. See Metafields.
Native picker#
Your theme's own variant control, the radio inputs or select element. Varn hides it visually and clicks it on the shopper's behalf, never replacing it. See How Varn works.
Native swatches#
Swatches your theme draws itself. On product pages Varn detects them and steps aside rather than drawing a second row.
Option value#
One choice within an option: "Sand" within "Color". Assignments are keyed by option value.
Photo map#
The ordered list of product photos belonging to one color. Drives per-color galleries.
Scope#
A Shopify permission. See Permissions and privacy.
Seed#
A sensible default Varn shows in an editor, for example a value's variant photo as its chip. Seeds are for display only and are never saved unless you touch them.
Surface#
A kind of page swatches can render on: product page, collection, search, quick view, everywhere else. See Where swatches appear.
Swatch#
The chip a shopper taps to choose a color. Solid, two tone, gradient or a photo.
Theme app extension#
The Shopify packaging format for storefront code that installs and uninstalls with the app. Varn's entire storefront presence is one of these.
Value order map#
The stored positions that keep your assignments correct when your store is translated and option values differ per language. See Languages.