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Manual URL blocks (product templates)

Manual URL blocks let you show PDFs on product templates without linking PDFs in the app first.

Use this when you want the same one or more PDF URLs across a whole product template (for example, all products using product or product.custom).

What manual blocks are​

PDF Connect provides two manual product blocks:

  • PDF Embedded Manual - Shows PDFs inline on the page
  • PDF Button Manual - Shows clickable buttons that open PDFs

Unlike linked blocks, manual blocks:

  • Do not read linked resources
  • Do not read PDF metafields
  • Do not require per-product linking
  • Render only from block settings in the Shopify theme editor

How to add manual blocks​

  1. Open a PDF details page in PDF Connect
  2. Open the Link/Add dropdown
  3. Choose Add PDF block to product template (manual URLs)
  4. Select:
    • A product template (for example product or product.custom)
    • Block type (pdf_embedded_manual or pdf_button_manual)
  5. Continue to open the Shopify theme editor
  6. Paste one or multiple PDF URLs into the block settings
  7. Save the theme

Directly in Shopify theme editor​

  1. Go to Online Store > Themes > Customize
  2. Open a product template
  3. Add an app block from PDF Connect
  4. Choose PDF Embedded Manual or PDF Button Manual
  5. Fill in URLs/settings and save

Viewer types in manual blocks​

Manual blocks support the same four viewer types:

  • Native Browser
  • Custom Viewer (PDF.js)
  • Flipbook
  • Light Viewer

For manual blocks, viewer behavior is configured in block settings (not from saved per-PDF app config), and one block-level viewer profile applies to all URLs inside that block.

Multiple URLs and labels​

  • Enter multiple PDF URLs as newline-separated values.
  • In the button manual block, labels are optional and also newline-separated.
  • If labels are fewer than URLs, remaining URLs fall back to filename/default text.

Linked blocks vs manual blocks​

TypeData sourceBest for
Linked blocks (pdf_embedded, pdf_button)App linking + metafieldsPer-resource PDFs, per-PDF app viewer config
Manual blocks (pdf_embedded_manual, pdf_button_manual)Theme block schema settings onlyTemplate-wide shared PDFs without linking

Important limitations​

  • Current rollout is product templates only for the app's early manual flow.
  • Manual blocks are template-scoped, not resource-scoped.
  • Manual blocks do not auto-sync with PDF records in your app library.

Troubleshooting quick checks​

If a manual block does not show content:

  1. Confirm at least one valid https:// PDF URL is set
  2. Confirm the block is added to the active product template
  3. Save theme changes and hard refresh storefront
  4. Try switching viewer type to Native Browser to isolate viewer-specific issues

Next steps​