Shopify Theme New Input Setting "article_list": Features and When to Use It vs. blog.articles

In January 2026, a new input setting type article_list was added to Shopify themes. Unlike the existing article (single article selection), a picker that allows selecting multiple articles at once is now available.

After trying this setting, I found several differences from the traditional blog.articles . Here is a summary of those differences and how to choose the right approach for each use case.

Overview of article_list Setting

article_list is an input setting type that can be used within the {% schema %} of theme sections and blocks. It displays an article picker in the theme editor, allowing merchants to select multiple published articles.

Schema Example

Below is an example of adding an featured-blogs.liquid に article_list setting to Dawn theme's file. The left side shows the schema definition, and the right side shows the Liquid template reference code.

{
  "type": "article_list",
  "id": "featured_articles",
  "label": "Featured articles",
  "limit": 6
}

Usage in Liquid

{%- for article in section.settings.featured_articles -%}
  <h3>{{ article.title }}</h3>
  <p>{{ article.excerpt_or_content | strip_html | truncate: 100 }}</p>
  <a href="{{ article.url }}">Read more</a>
{%- endfor -%}

limit attribute specifies the maximum number of selectable articles (default and maximum are both 50). Selected articles are returned as an array, so they can be processed with afor loop.

Key Feature: Select Articles Across Multiple Blogs

従来の blog.articles only retrieves articles belonging to a specific blog, but witharticle_list , you can select articles across all blogs in the store. For example, mixing articles from a "News" blog and a "Notes" blog can be done entirely through the theme editor.

Important: New Articles Are Not Displayed Automatically

This is the key difference from blog.articles .

blog.articles automatically retrieves articles in order of publication date, so new articles appear in the list without any action. On the other hand,article_list only displays articles manually selected through the picker. Even when a new article is published, it won't appear unless you add it to the picker in the theme editor.

The article list in the picker is displayed in publication order, making it easy to find the latest articles, but it requires the operational task of opening the theme editor and re-selecting each time.

Below is the blog article list from the admin panel. You can confirm that the picker's list order matches this publication date order.

Cross-Blogで新着記事を自動表示したい場合

article_list is attractive for its ability to select across blogs, but when the requirement to automatically display the latest articles is added, manual selection becomes impractical.

複数のブログを混在させて新着記事順に自動で表示したい場合は、従来のLiquidコードでSupportedするMethodがあります。

Combining Articles from Multiple Blogs in Liquid for Chronological Display

{%- liquid
  assign all_articles = blogs.news.articles | concat: blogs.note.articles
  assign all_articles = all_articles | sort: 'published_at' | reverse
-%}

{%- for article in all_articles limit: 6 -%}
  <div>
    <h3>{{ article.title }}</h3>
    <span>{{ article.published_at | date: "%Y-%m-%d" }}</span>
    <span>{{ article.blog.title }}</span>
    <a href="{{ article.url }}">Read more</a>
  </div>
{%- endfor -%}

blogs.news.articles と blogs.note.articles を concat filter and sorted withsort: 'published_at' → reverse for reverse chronological order. New articles automatically appear at the top of the list when published.

Furthermore, to allow dynamic blog selection from the theme editor, add multiple blog -type settings to the schema as shown below:

// schema
{
  "settings": [
    { "type": "blog", "id": "blog_1", "label": "Blog 1" },
    { "type": "blog", "id": "blog_2", "label": "Blog 2" }
  ]
}

// Liquid
{%- liquid
  assign all_articles = section.settings.blog_1.articles
  if section.settings.blog_2 != blank
    assign all_articles = all_articles | concat: section.settings.blog_2.articles
  endif
  assign all_articles = all_articles | sort: 'published_at' | reverse
-%}

{%- for article in all_articles limit: 6 -%}
  ...
{%- endfor -%}

Summary: Choosing the Right Approach

article_list は「おすすめ記事」や「特集記事」のようなキュレーションUse Caseには最適です。一方、「新着記事を常に最新の状態で表示したい」という要件には従来のMethodが適しています。両方の特徴を理解して、ストアの運用に合ったMethodを選択するのが良いでしょう。