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Liquid strip_html: How to Remove HTML Tags from String in Shopify

Sam Updated: May 07, 2024

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Shopify's Liquid, a versatile templating language, empowers merchants to customize their online stores. While Liquid offers various features for dynamic content and data manipulation, sometimes you need to remove unwanted HTML tags for a cleaner presentation.

This guide will show you how to easily remove HTML tags from strings in Shopify using the strip_html filter, ensuring your content is displayed exactly as intended.

How to Remove HTML Tags from String in Shopify

HTML Tags was firstly published on the Internet with the detail description in late 1991. As an innovation of human being, HTML includes 18 elements comprising the initial, which creates the structure of an online document from headings, paragraphs, lists, links, quotes, etc. Besides, the Hypertext Markup Language strongly and relatively influence to web pages and web applications. Although this HTML has a simple design, HTML elements can have attributes to provide additional information.

Why to remove HTML Tags from String in Shopify

There are certain cases when you may need to remove HTML Tags from String in Shopify, including:

Clean Data Display: When displaying dynamic content fetched from product descriptions, blog posts, or metafields, you may only want the plain text without any formatting or styling.
Email Notifications: HTML tags can clutter email content and create formatting issues. Stripping HTML ensures a clean and readable message.
Text Processing and Manipulation: Certain Liquid filters or operations might work better on plain text, requiring you to remove HTML tags beforehand.
Improved SEO: While search engines understand HTML, focusing on clean and concise text can help ensure your content is properly indexed and ranked.
Accessibility: Removing HTML tags can improve accessibility for screen readers and other assistive technologies, making your content more inclusive.

Troubleshooting

Follow these troubleshooting circumstances if you are encountering some issues with the removal of HTML Tags from String in Shopify:

1. Unexpected Results or Incomplete Removal:

Nested Tags: Ensure you are not dealing with complex nested HTML structures. The strip_html filter might struggle with deeply nested tags. Consider using a more robust HTML parsing library or a custom Liquid filter for complex scenarios.
Self-Closing Tags: If your string contains self-closing tags like <br /> or <img />, make sure they are handled correctly. Some themes or Liquid versions might require you to add a space before the closing slash (e.g., <br / >) for the strip_html filter to recognize them.
Custom HTML Elements: If you have custom HTML elements in your string, the strip_html filter might not recognize them by default. You might need to create a custom Liquid filter or use a more advanced HTML parsing library to handle these cases.

2. Errors or Unexpected Behavior:

Liquid Syntax Errors: Double-check your Liquid code for any syntax errors, such as missing curly braces or incorrect filter usage. These errors can prevent the strip_html filter from working properly.
Theme Conflicts: If you have other customizations or third-party apps that manipulate the same string or output, they might be interfering with the strip_html filter. Try temporarily disabling other modifications to isolate the issue.
Liquid Version Compatibility: Ensure your Shopify theme is using a Liquid version that supports the strip_html filter. Older versions might have different or limited filter functionality.

General Tips:

Test Thoroughly: Always test your Liquid code changes in a development environment or using Shopify's theme editor preview feature before publishing them to your live store.
Backup Your Theme: Create a backup of your theme files before making any code changes, allowing you to revert to the previous version if needed.
Consult Shopify Support: If you're unable to resolve the issue, reach out to Shopify's support team for assistance. They can help you diagnose the problem and provide specific solutions.

FAQs

Does strip_html remove all HTML tags, including those I might want to keep for formatting (like <strong> or <p>)?

Yes, strip_html is designed to remove all HTML tags from a string, leaving only the plain text content behind. If you need to keep specific tags, consider using a more advanced Liquid filter or a custom solution.

Can I use strip_html to remove HTML tags from a product description that's stored in a metafield?

Absolutely! Simply access the metafield value using Liquid's dot notation and then apply the strip_html filter, like this:

Code snippet

Use code with caution.

Will strip_html also remove any special characters or entities within the HTML tags?

Yes, strip_html will remove both the HTML tags themselves and any content contained within those tags, including special characters or HTML entities.

What should I do if strip_html isn't removing all the HTML tags from my string?

This could happen if you have nested or complex HTML structures in your string. In such cases, consider using a more robust HTML parsing library or a custom Liquid filter for better control over the removal process.

Are there any performance implications of using strip_html on large blocks of text?

While strip_html is generally efficient, processing very large strings could potentially impact page load times, especially on slower devices or connections. If you're dealing with extensive HTML content, consider alternative approaches like pre-processing the data or using JavaScript for client-side HTML stripping.

In conclusion

The strip_html filter in Shopify's Liquid language is a valuable tool for efficiently removing HTML tags from strings, ensuring clean data display and enhanced content control. Have you encountered any specific scenarios where the strip_html filter has proven particularly useful in your Shopify projects? Share your insights and experiences in the comments below!

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Sam Nguyen

Sam Nguyen is the CEO and founder of Avada Commerce, an e-commerce solution provider headquartered in Singapore. He is an expert on the Shopify e-commerce platform for online stores and retail point-of-sale systems. Sam loves talking about e-commerce and he aims to help over a million online businesses grow and thrive.