Shopify API: Retrieving the current category ID for a product

Other Questions Shopify
1

I’m trying to figure out how to determine a product’s current category ID via the Shopify API. While the user interface clearly shows the taxonomy category ID and allows for its selection, I can’t seem to locate it in the API data.

After fetching product data before and after a category change, the only variation I observed was the updated_at field. Additionally, none of the metafields appear to reflect the change.

Is there a dedicated API endpoint or a specific field that provides the current category ID? I’m stuck and would appreciate help with programmatically accessing this detail in Shopify.

Here’s an example of what I’ve attempted so far:

 def retrieve_category(product_id):
     # Get product details using the Shopify API
     product = shopify.Product.find(product_id)
     
     # Attempt to access a presumed category ID attribute
     cat_id = product.category_id
     
     return cat_id

 # Example usage
 prod_id = 123456789
 category = retrieve_category(prod_id)
 print(f'Product category ID: {category}')

Any suggestions on how to successfully obtain the category ID?

2

I’ve actually faced this issue in a recent project, and I found a somewhat unconventional but effective solution. Instead of relying on the API directly, I ended up using the Admin API’s GraphQL endpoint. It gives you more flexibility in querying the data you need.

Here’s a rough outline of how I approached it:

import requests

def get_product_category(product_id, shop_url, access_token):
    query = '''
    {
      product(id: "gid://shopify/Product/%s") {
        collections(first: 1) {
          edges {
            node {
              id
            }
          }
        }
      }
    }
    ''' % product_id

    url = f'https://{shop_url}/admin/api/2023-04/graphql.json'
    headers = {'X-Shopify-Access-Token': access_token, 'Content-Type': 'application/json'}
    response = requests.post(url, json={'query': query}, headers=headers)
    
    data = response.json()
    if data['data']['product']['collections']['edges']:
        return data['data']['product']['collections']['edges'][0]['node']['id']
    return None

# Usage
category_id = get_product_category('123456789', 'your-store.myshopify.com', 'your-access-token')
print(f'Category ID: {category_id}')

This method assumes the first collection is the category you’re after. You might need to tweak the query if your setup is different. It’s not perfect, but it’s been reliable for my needs.

3

I’ve wrestled with this exact issue before, and it’s a bit tricky. The Shopify API doesn’t directly expose the category ID as you might expect. What I found to work is using the ‘collections’ endpoint instead.

Try fetching the product’s collections and then look for the one that corresponds to your category. It’s not perfect, but it’s the closest you can get with the current API:

def get_product_category(product_id):
    product = shopify.Product.find(product_id)
    collections = product.collections()
    
    for collection in collections:
        if collection.collection_type == 'smart':  # or 'custom', depending on your setup
            return collection.id

    return None

category_id = get_product_category(123456789)
print(f'Category ID: {category_id}')

This approach assumes your categories are set up as collections in Shopify. It’s not foolproof, but it’s been reliable in my experience. Hope this helps!

4

hey, i’ve run into this before. shopify’s api is a bit weird with categories. have you tried using the smart collections endpoint? it might help. something like:

def get_category(product_id):
    product = shopify.Product.find(product_id)
    smart_collections = shopify.SmartCollection.find()
    for collection in smart_collections:
        if product_id in collection.product_ids:
            return collection.id
    return None

hope that helps! let me know if u need more info

5

I’ve encountered this issue before, and there’s a somewhat unconventional solution that might work for you. Instead of relying on the standard API, you can use Shopify’s GraphQL Admin API. It offers more flexibility in querying specific data.

Here’s a basic approach:

import requests

def get_product_category(product_id, shop_url, access_token):
    query = '''
    {
      product(id: \"gid://shopify/Product/%s\") {
        collections(first: 1) {
          edges {
            node {
              id
            }
          }
        }
      }
    }
    ''' % product_id

    url = f'https://{shop_url}/admin/api/2023-07/graphql.json'
    headers = {'X-Shopify-Access-Token': access_token, 'Content-Type': 'application/json'}
    response = requests.post(url, json={'query': query}, headers=headers)
    
    data = response.json()
    if data['data']['product']['collections']['edges']:
        return data['data']['product']['collections']['edges'][0]['node']['id']
    return None

# Usage example
category_id = get_product_category('123456789', 'your-store.myshopify.com', 'your-access-token')
print(f'Category ID: {category_id}')

This method assumes the first collection is your category. You might need to adjust the query based on your specific setup. It’s not a perfect solution, but it’s been effective in my experience.

6

I’ve encountered a similar challenge, and there’s a workaround that might help. Shopify doesn’t provide direct access to category IDs through their API, but you can leverage the product’s tags instead. Many stores use tags to represent categories.

Here’s an approach you could try:

def get_category_from_tags(product_id):
    product = shopify.Product.find(product_id)
    tags = product.tags.split(', ')
    
    # Assuming category tags follow a specific format, e.g., 'category:electronics'
    category_tags = [tag for tag in tags if tag.startswith('category:')]
    
    if category_tags:
        return category_tags[0].split(':')[1]
    return None

category = get_category_from_tags(123456789)
print(f'Product category: {category}')

This method isn’t perfect and relies on consistent tagging practices, but it’s often used as a practical solution. You might need to adjust the tag format based on your specific setup.