iPaaS.com to Shopify Product Category Mapping Documentation
This documentation covers writing iPaaS.com Product Categories to Shopify as collections (transfer FROM iPaaS.com). In Shopify, what iPaaS.com calls a Product Category is a Shopify collection — the two terms refer to the same record in this integration. Two mapping collections handle this direction:
Add/Update Shopify Product Category Collection FROM iPaaS.com creates a new Shopify collection from an iPaaS.com category (saving the Shopify collection id as the external-id link), and edits the linked collection on update.
Delete Shopify Product Category FROM iPaaS.com removes the linked Shopify collection when the iPaaS.com category is deleted.
This direction is the outbound counterpart to Shopify to iPaaS.com Product Category Mapping Documentation (TO iPaaS.com), which imports Shopify collections into iPaaS.com. Product-to-collection membership (which products belong to a collection) is a separate concern handled by iPaaS.com to Shopify Product Category Assignment Mapping Documentation.
ID Format
Manual Sync ID: the iPaaS.com Product Category id, entered on the iPaaS.com Manual Sync page (for both the Add/Update and the Delete collections).
External ID saved after sync: the Shopify collection id is recorded as the external-id link, so subsequent updates edit — and a delete targets — the same Shopify collection rather than creating a duplicate.
Deleted Record Support
Deletion is supported in this direction. The Delete Shopify Product Category FROM iPaaS.com collection removes the linked Shopify collection when the iPaaS.com category is deleted. Deleting a Shopify collection removes the grouping and any product-to-collection assignments within it; the underlying products remain in Shopify. (Note: Shopify does not publish a collection-deleted webhook in this integration, so a collection deleted in Shopify is not removed from iPaaS.com — deletion propagates iPaaS.com → Shopify only.)
Mapping Collection Status
Status: Enabled (neither collection applies a mapping filter; every record dispatched is processed).
Trigger Events: the iPaaS.com Product Category Create and Update outbound triggers route to the Add/Update collection; the Delete outbound trigger routes to the Delete collection.
Duplicate or Conflicting Mappings
The opposite-direction importers are Add Shopify Product Category TO iPaaS.com and Update Shopify Product Category TO iPaaS.com. The custom fields those inbound collections capture (description HTML, sort order, template suffix) are the same custom fields this collection reads back out, so values round-trip without loss as long as both directions are configured.
To avoid creating a duplicate Shopify collection, the integration links by Title when no external id is saved yet (see Integration Flow and Prerequisite Handling). Keep iPaaS.com category names distinct enough to identify the intended Shopify collection on first sync.
Supported Child Collections
None. Both collections are standalone with no dependent child collections.
System Caveats
Shopify Caveats
Write access required. The Shopify connection must be authorized to write products/collections to create, edit, or delete collections; without the appropriate scope the transfer fails with an authorization error.
No category hierarchy in the Shopify API. Shopify collections do not support a parent-child hierarchy through the API. An iPaaS.com category hierarchy cannot be reproduced in Shopify by this collection and must be arranged manually in the Shopify navigation (Menu) if a browsable hierarchy is needed.
SortOrder must be a supported value. Shopify rejects an unsupported sort order; the SortOrder formula guarantees a valid value is always sent (see Mappings).
Deleting a collection does not delete its products. Removing a Shopify collection removes the grouping and product memberships; the products themselves remain.
iPaaS.com Caveats
Name is the match key before linking. When no external id is saved yet, matching relies on the category Name (compared to the Shopify collection Title, case-insensitive). Renaming a category in iPaaS.com before it has been linked can cause a new Shopify collection to be created instead of updating the intended one. Sync the category once to establish the external-id link before renaming.
Custom fields back the round trip. The Shopify-specific values (description HTML, sort order, template suffix) are stored on iPaaS.com Product Category custom fields by the TO-iPaaS import, and this collection reads them back out. For a category created directly in iPaaS.com, those fields may be empty until first captured — the SortOrder default covers that case.
Prerequisite Handling
When an iPaaS.com Product Category is transferred to Shopify and it is not already linked to a Shopify collection, the integration first searches Shopify for an existing collection whose Title matches the iPaaS.com category Name (case-insensitive) and links it by saving the Shopify collection id as the external id. This avoids creating a duplicate collection when one with the same name already exists. If more than one Shopify collection shares the title, the one with the most products is linked. If a same-named Shopify collection is found but the link cannot be saved, the transfer fails rather than creating a duplicate. Subscribers do not need to pre-create or pre-link Shopify collections — this linking happens automatically as part of the transfer.
The Delete collection has no prerequisite cascade: it requires only the existing external-id link. If no Shopify collection is linked, there is nothing to delete.
Setup Requirements
iPaaS.com Configuration
Enable the Add/Update Shopify Product Category Collection FROM iPaaS.com and Delete Shopify Product Category FROM iPaaS.com mapping collections, and subscribe to the iPaaS.com Product Category Create, Update, and Delete outbound triggers in the subscription configuration's Outbound Data Flows section. No automatic transfers occur until those subscriptions are enabled. Categories can also be created, updated, or deleted on demand from the Manual Sync page using the iPaaS.com Product Category id.
Shopify Configuration
The Shopify connection must be authorized with write access to products and collections. No additional per-collection configuration is required in Shopify.
Integration Flow
An iPaaS.com Product Category Create, Update, or Delete is dispatched to Shopify.
Add/Update: if the category is not yet linked, the integration searches Shopify for a collection whose Title matches the category Name (case-insensitive) and links it (saving the external id); otherwise it edits the linked collection. On Add with no match, a new Shopify collection is created and linked.
The category Name is written to the collection Title and Handle; the captured description HTML, sort order, and template suffix are written back from the iPaaS.com custom fields. The sort order is validated and defaulted if necessary.
Delete: the integration resolves the linked Shopify collection from the saved external id and removes it. If nothing is linked, there is nothing to delete.
Mappings
Add/Update Shopify Product Category Collection FROM iPaaS.com
Mapping Type | Source Field (iPaaS.com) | Destination Field (Shopify) | Description |
Field | Name | Title | Required. The iPaaS.com Product Category Name, written to the Shopify collection Title. The Title is also the key used to match an existing Shopify collection during prerequisite linking — a same-title collection (case-insensitive) is linked instead of duplicated. |
Field | Name | Handle | Recommended. The iPaaS.com Product Category Name, written to the Shopify collection Handle. |
Field | Shopify Collection Description HTML (custom field) | BodyHtml | Recommended. Writes the collection description HTML back to Shopify from the custom field the TO-iPaaS collection captured, so the description round-trips unchanged. |
Dynamic Formula | Shopify Collection Sort Order (custom field), validated | SortOrder | Required (defaulted). Reads the sort order from the iPaaS.com custom field Shopify Collection Sort Order and validates it against Shopify's supported values ( |
Field | Shopify Collection Template Suffix (custom field) | TemplateSuffix | Optional. Writes the collection template suffix back to Shopify from the custom field captured during import, keeping the value aligned across both platforms. |
Delete Shopify Product Category FROM iPaaS.com
This collection has no field mappings — it carries the delete operation only. The Shopify collection to remove is identified by the external-id link established when the category was first synced. If no link exists, there is nothing to delete.
Error Handling
Unauthorized access — ensure the Shopify connection has write access to products and collections.
Unable to link by title — if a same-title Shopify collection is found but the external-id link cannot be saved, the transfer fails rather than creating a duplicate.
Unsupported sort order — handled automatically: an unrecognized stored value is replaced with
PRICE_ASCbefore the request is sent.Nothing to delete — a category that was never synced to Shopify has no external-id link, so the Delete collection has no target.
Testing & Validation
Create an iPaaS.com Product Category, sync it, and confirm a new Shopify collection is created with the correct Title and Handle, and that the Shopify collection id is saved as the external id.
Sync a category whose Name matches an existing unlinked Shopify collection (case-insensitive) and confirm it links to that collection rather than creating a duplicate.
Update a linked category and confirm the same Shopify collection is edited (no duplicate), with description HTML, sort order, and template suffix written back.
Create a category in iPaaS.com with no captured sort order and confirm Shopify receives
PRICE_ASC.Delete a linked category and confirm the Shopify collection is removed while its products remain.
Additional Notes
This direction writes iPaaS.com categories to Shopify and deletes Shopify collections when categories are deleted in iPaaS.com. Importing Shopify collections into iPaaS.com is handled by the TO-iPaaS collections, and product-to-collection membership by the Assignment collections (see Related Documents). Because Shopify has no category hierarchy in its API, a browsable hierarchy in Shopify is arranged manually in the Shopify navigation (Menu); the parent relationship lives in iPaaS.com.