> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://docs.shoplift.ai/llms.txt). Markdown versions of documentation pages are available by appending `.md` to page URLs; this page is available as [Markdown](https://docs.shoplift.ai/test/test-management.md).

# Test Management

## Making changes during a test

Your store doesn't stop evolving just because a test is running. New themes get deployed, content gets updated, landing pages get built. This guide covers the most common scenarios so you can make changes confidently without breaking your tests or contaminating your results.

***

### Switching themes during a template test

#### Can I switch themes while a template test is running?

Yes. Switching themes is a normal part of managing a Shopify store, and Shoplift is designed to handle it. The key requirement is that your tested templates must exist in whichever theme becomes your active theme.

Template tests run at the template level, not the theme level. When you switch to a new theme, Shoplift checks whether your test's original and variant templates exist in it. If they do, the test keeps running. If they don't, Shoplift automatically pauses the test to prevent visitors from landing on a template that doesn't exist.

#### What to do before switching themes

**Before you publish a new theme, work through this checklist:**

1. **List all active and draft tests.** In the Shoplift dashboard, check every test that is either live or in draft. 
2. **Note the exact template names used on both sides of each test.** For each test, identify the original template and the variant template. Template names must match exactly in your new theme, including capitalisation and any suffixes.
3. **Confirm those templates exist in the new theme.** Open the Shopify Code Editor on your new theme and verify that every template from your list is present. If any are missing, copy them from your current theme before publishing.

{% hint style="warning" %}
This applies to draft tests too, not just live ones. If you've created a draft test and built variant templates against your current theme, those templates will need to be in the new theme before you launch.
{% endhint %}

#### If Shoplift pauses your test after a theme switch

Copy the missing template from your previous theme into the new one, then resume the test from the Shoplift dashboard. Your existing test data is fully preserved when a test is paused visitor bucketing resumes cleanly when you restart. We will present an error message with the listed Templaets that need to be added in the Test Page as below : 

<figure><img src="/files/WJWBY0j9Jot5vnmfCaFD" alt=""><figcaption></figcaption></figure>

#### If you use Git for theme deployments

Shoplift occasionally ships updates to the `shoplift.liquid` snippet. If your team pushes theme updates via Git, always pull down the latest version of your live theme before pushing this ensures the current snippet version isn't accidentally overwritten with an older one from your repository.

If the snippet is removed or overwritten, Shoplift will attempt to restore it automatically within the hour, and will also check whenever a new theme is published. Until it's restored, all tests will stop collecting data.

{% hint style="danger" %}
If the Shoplift snippet is missing or outdated:

* All tests stop collecting visitor data
* Visitors on the variant side of a theme test may see theme preview bars
* Visitors on the variant side of a theme test may get stuck on the variant theme until the script is restored
  {% endhint %}

#### If Shoplift pauses your test after a theme switch

If you publish a new theme and Shoplift pauses a test because a template is missing, the fix is straightforward: copy the missing template from your previous theme into the new one. Once the template is present, resume the test from the Shoplift dashboard.

Your existing test data is fully preserved when a test is paused. Visitor bucketing resumes cleanly when you restart.

***

### Updating content while a test is running

#### Updating a template during a live template test

If you need to change copy, swap an image, or add a section on a page that's currently being tested, you need to update **both** templates: the original and the variant.

Changes to the original are not automatically reflected in the variant. Shoplift treats them as independent templates. If you update one but not the other, the two sides will diverge beyond your intended test change, and that divergence will skew your results.

**Best practice:** Treat content updates on tested pages as a two-step process.&#x20;

* Make your changes to the original template in Shopify.
* Open the variant template and apply the same changes.

{% hint style="info" %}
If the change is significant enough to meaningfully alter what you're testing, consider pausing the test, making both updates, then resuming. This keeps your results clean and gives you a clear record of when the change was made.
{% endhint %}

#### Creating new templates or landing pages during a live test

Creating new templates in your theme doesn't affect tests that are already running. Shoplift only tracks the specific templates assigned to each test new templates are ignored unless you explicitly add them to a test.

#### Making sitewide content changes during a live test

Changes made through the Shopify Theme Editor to sections that appear across your whole store such as header navigation, footer, or announcement bars affect both the original and variant sides of a template test simultaneously, since template tests share the same underlying theme. No action is needed in Shoplift for these changes.

For theme tests, sitewide changes need to be applied to both the original and variant theme separately, since each theme is an independent copy.

***

### Switching themes during a theme test

#### Can I switch themes while a theme test is running?

A theme test runs your original (live) theme against a variant theme so the themes themselves are what's being tested. Changing your active theme mid-test means the baseline your visitors are being compared against has changed

In most cases, the right approach is to **end the current test before switching themes**, then set up a new test against your updated theme.

#### If you need to update your theme mid-test

If you need to push bug fixes or design changes to your live theme while a theme test is running, you have two options:

**Option 1: Pause, update, resume**

1. Pause your test in Shoplift.
2. Make your changes to the live theme in Shopify.
3. Apply the same changes to the variant theme so both sides stay consistent.
4. Resume the test.

This is the safest approach. Your data is preserved, and bucketing resumes cleanly when you restart.

Video of the workflow seen below :&#x20;

{% embed url="<https://drive.google.com/file/d/1gVxPXTi99B2iXts3CVJyXtwA1dku9jN_/view?usp=sharing>" %}

**Option 2: Remake the tested changes on the new theme**

If you're deploying a significantly updated version of your theme (rather than a minor content change or bug fixes), it may be cleaner to:

1. End the current test.
2. Publish the updated theme.
3. Apply the tested changes from your variant to the new theme.
4. Start a new test.

This is the better option when the original theme has changed enough that continuing the old test would produce unreliable results anyway.

***

### Best practices summary

* **Plan theme switches around your test roadmap.** If a new theme deployment is coming, aim to either launch it before starting new tests or after ending active ones.
* **Draft tests are affected too.** Don't wait until a test is live to check template consistency — verify before you publish a new theme if drafts are in progress.
* **When in doubt, pause.** Pausing a test is always safe. Data is preserved and bucketing resumes cleanly. It's better to pause briefly than to let results be contaminated by an untracked change.
* **Keep both sides in sync.** Whenever you update content on a tested page, update both the original and the variant. Divergence beyond your intended test change will skew your results.
* **If using Git, pull before you push.** Always pull the latest live theme down to your repository before pushing updates to avoid overwriting the Shoplift snippet with an outdated version.

***

### Still need help?

Please contact the Shoplift support team if you run into issues after switching themes or making changes during a test.