Gardners Product Tags & Metafields¶
When Emersoft Books imports a Gardners title, it adds Shopify tags for useful catalogue attributes and stores structured book data in Shopify metafields. You can use this data to organize products, build Smart Collections, add storefront filters, and display book details in your theme.
Gardners and Ingram provide different catalogue data. Gardners uses Thema subjects rather than Ingram's BISAC subjects, and some metafields are only available from one provider.
Catalogue metafields are written only when Gardners supplies the source data or Emersoft Books can derive the value. The app-owned import tracking fields described below are set by Emersoft Books. It is normal for some imported products to have fewer catalogue fields than others.
Gardners product tags¶
Imported Gardners products can receive tags from the following data:
| Tag source | Example | When it is added |
|---|---|---|
| Emersoft Books | Emersoft Books |
When Emersoft Books creates a new Gardners product |
| Emersoft Books Global Search | Emersoft Books Global Search |
When Global Search creates the product, including its temporary drafts |
| Thema subject | 1: Fiction, 2: Fantasy |
One tag for each level of every Thema subject supplied by Gardners |
| Publisher age range | Age: 8-12, Age: 8+ |
When Gardners supplies a minimum or maximum interest age |
| Thema interest age | Age 9+, Age 0-36 months |
When the publisher supplies Thema age information |
| Audience | Children |
When Gardners supplies a general audience |
| Audience type | Young adult |
When Gardners supplies a more specific audience type |
| Format | Paperback / softback |
From the Gardners binding code, converted to a readable format |
| Binding | Paperback / softback |
From the same Gardners binding code; the duplicate value is removed |
| Series | Series: Engineering Series |
When the title belongs to a named series |
Format and Binding currently resolve to the same readable Gardners binding label. Duplicate values are removed, so the product receives that tag only once.
Thema subject tags¶
Thema is the international subject classification used by the Gardners catalogue. Emersoft Books turns each Thema subject into a hierarchy of Shopify tags, using the same numbered style as Ingram BISAC tags. Thema and BISAC remain different classification systems, so their category names are not always the same.
For example, a Fantasy title receives:
| Tag | What it means |
|---|---|
1: Fiction |
Broadest subject |
2: Fantasy |
More specific subject |
A book can have several Thema subjects. Emersoft Books adds every level from every subject path, removes duplicates, and orders the tags from broadest to most specific. Thema paths can contain up to six levels.
The tag wording comes from Emersoft Books' standardized Thema classification table rather than directly from the Gardners caption. This keeps the same Thema category consistent across products. Raw codes and Gardners captions remain available in emersoft.thema_codes and emersoft.thema_subjects.
BIC data supplied alongside Thema is stored in emersoft.bic_codes and emersoft.bic_subjects. BIC captions do not become Shopify tags.
Thema main subject¶
Subject tags include every subject assigned to a book, which is useful when a title belongs in several collections. Gardners can also identify one subject as the book's main subject — the single category path that best describes where the book belongs.
For a children's general-fiction title, the main subject fields may contain:
| Field | Example value |
|---|---|
emersoft.thema_main_code |
YFB |
emersoft.thema_main_subject |
1: Children's / Teenage and Educational, 2: Fiction and true stories, 3: General / modern and contemporary fiction |
Use Thema Main Subject includes 2: Fiction and true stories to build a Smart Collection containing books whose primary subject is children's fiction. A book where children's fiction is only an additional subject will not match that condition.
If Gardners does not mark a main subject, Emersoft Books uses the first Thema subject supplied for the book. When a title has no Thema subjects, neither main-subject field is written.
Age tags¶
Gardners products can carry age information from two independent catalogue sources:
| Source | Shopify tags | Metafields |
|---|---|---|
| Publisher age range | Age: 8-12, Age: 8+ |
emersoft.audience_age_min, emersoft.audience_age_max |
| Thema interest age | Age 9+, Age 0-36 months |
emersoft.thema_interest_age, emersoft.thema_interest_age_months, emersoft.thema_interest_age_labels, emersoft.thema_qualifier_codes |
The colon distinguishes the two tag families. A Thema tag such as Age 9+ means that the content is suitable from approximately age 9. For babies and toddlers, Emersoft Books also stores the starting age in months and can add both a broad tag such as Age 0-36 months and a more precise tag such as Age 6 months+.
Some Thema qualifiers describe reader suitability rather than a numeric age. These produce descriptive tags such as Reluctant or struggling readers (children / teenagers) but do not set the numeric Thema age fields.
The two sources are never combined or used to fill gaps in each other. A product can contain both, one, or neither, and the values can differ. Emersoft Books writes only the information supplied by the publisher and does not infer an age from the book's subject or the Gardners website.
You can use the numeric Thema fields in Smart Collections. For example:
- Ages 9–12: Thema Interest Age is greater than
8and less than13 - Babies and toddlers: tag is equal to
Age 0-36 months; for 6–12 months, use Thema Interest Age (Months) greater than5and less than13 - Reluctant readers: tag is equal to
Reluctant or struggling readers (children / teenagers)
Your own tags and updates¶
For a standard catalogue import, use Apply tag to all books. For a CSV Bulk Import job, use Global tags. By default, Emersoft Books merges these tags with tags already on an existing Shopify product, so tags added manually or by another app are kept.
When a CSV Bulk Import job updates existing products, it also offers a Tag merge strategy. If you choose Replace existing tags, Shopify keeps only the tags produced by that job. Use the default Merge with existing tags option unless you intentionally want to replace them.
Products imported before the current Thema and age fields were introduced may need to be imported again. Contact Emersoft support before using Replace existing tags for an existing catalogue, because it can remove tags added manually or by other apps.
Gardners metafields¶
Gardners catalogue data uses the emersoft namespace. Work-level information is stored on the Shopify product; information about the specific ISBN or edition is stored on the product variant.
In Shopify Admin, product metafields appear under Settings > Custom data > Products and variant metafields under Settings > Custom data > Product variants. Emersoft Books creates the definitions automatically.
Product metafields¶
| Name | Key | Type | Gardners value |
|---|---|---|---|
| Authors | emersoft.authors |
Text list | Author names |
| Illustrators | emersoft.illustrators |
Text list | Illustrator names |
| Foreword By | emersoft.forewords |
Text list | Contributors credited with a foreword |
| Narrators | emersoft.narrators |
Text list | Narrator names, mainly for audiobooks |
| Other Contributors | emersoft.other_contributors |
Text list | Editors, translators, series editors, and other contributors |
| Harmonized Code | emersoft.harmonized_code |
Single line text | HS code for international shipping, when supplied |
| Language | emersoft.language |
Single line text | Readable language name, such as English |
| Source | emersoft.source |
Single line text | Always GARDNERS for Gardners catalogue imports |
| Thema Codes | emersoft.thema_codes |
Text list | Thema subject codes supplied by Gardners |
| Thema Subjects | emersoft.thema_subjects |
Text list | Human-readable Thema captions supplied by Gardners; these are not used as Shopify tags |
| Thema Main Code | emersoft.thema_main_code |
Single line text | Code for the publisher's main Thema subject, or the first Thema subject when no main subject is marked |
| Thema Main Subject | emersoft.thema_main_subject |
Text list | Numbered path for the book's main Thema subject, from broadest to most specific |
| BIC Codes | emersoft.bic_codes |
Text list | BIC subject codes supplied by Gardners |
| BIC Subjects | emersoft.bic_subjects |
Text list | Human-readable BIC captions; these are not used as Shopify tags |
| Star Rating | emersoft.star_rating |
Number | Review star rating supplied by Gardners |
| Audience | emersoft.audience |
Single line text | General audience description |
| Audience Type | emersoft.audience_type |
Single line text | More specific audience category |
| Min Age | emersoft.audience_age_min |
Number | Minimum interest age in years from the publisher age range |
| Max Age | emersoft.audience_age_max |
Number | Maximum interest age in years from the publisher age range |
| Thema Interest Age | emersoft.thema_interest_age |
Number | Lowest numeric Thema starting age in years |
| Thema Interest Age (Months) | emersoft.thema_interest_age_months |
Number | The same Thema starting age in months, useful for babies and toddlers |
| Thema Interest Age Labels | emersoft.thema_interest_age_labels |
Text list | The same age or reader-suitability labels used as Thema age tags |
| Thema Qualifier Codes | emersoft.thema_qualifier_codes |
Text list | Source codes for the Thema age and reader-suitability data; most stores do not need to use these directly |
| Series ID | emersoft.series_id |
Single line text | Gardners series name |
| Series Number | emersoft.series_number |
Decimal | Position within the series, including fractional values |
| Leading Article | emersoft.title_leading_article |
Single line text | Leading article separated from the title, such as The |
| Title | emersoft.title_main |
Single line text | Main title without the leading article |
| Subtitle | emersoft.subtitle |
Single line text | Subtitle, stored separately from the Shopify product title |
Choosing a subject field
Use numbered Thema tags when a book should appear under any of its subjects. Use Thema Main Subject when it should appear only under its primary subject. Thema Codes, Thema Subjects, and the BIC fields are mainly useful as catalogue reference data.
Variant metafields¶
Each Gardners ISBN is imported as a separate Shopify product with one variant. Edition-specific data still lives on that variant so its scope remains consistent with the rest of Emersoft Books.
| Name | Key | Type | Gardners value |
|---|---|---|---|
| Description | emersoft.description |
Multi-line text | Gardners description or publisher marketing copy |
| Publication Date | emersoft.publication_date |
Date | Publication date |
| Publication Date and Time | emersoft.publication_date_time |
Date and time | Publication date at midnight when the store's timezone is available |
| Pre-order | emersoft.is_preorder |
True / False | true when Gardners reports the title as a pre-order at import time |
| Publisher | emersoft.publisher |
Single line text | Publisher name |
| Country of Origin | emersoft.country_of_origin |
Single line text | Country code supplied by Gardners |
| Binding | emersoft.binding |
Single line text | Readable binding name |
| Pages | emersoft.pages |
Number | Page count |
| Width | emersoft.width |
Dimension | Width in centimetres |
| Height | emersoft.height |
Dimension | Height in centimetres |
| Depth | emersoft.depth |
Dimension | Depth in centimetres |
| Dimension Unit | emersoft.dimension_unit |
Single line text | cm when dimensions are available |
| Format | emersoft.format |
Single line text | Product format derived from the Gardners binding |
| Edition | emersoft.edition |
Single line text | Edition statement or number |
| Media Type | emersoft.media_type |
Single line text | Book, audiobook, or e-book |
| Cost | emersoft.cost |
Decimal | Gardners price excluding VAT when available; otherwise RRP. Any cost discount configured for the import is applied before this value is stored, so it may differ from the final account price |
| Title Status | emersoft.title_status |
Single line text | Readable Gardners distribution status |
| Returnable | emersoft.is_returnable |
True / False | Whether Gardners marks the ISBN as returnable |
| Print on Demand | emersoft.pod |
True / False | Whether Gardners marks the ISBN as Print on Demand |
| Availability | emersoft.availability |
Single line text | Normalized availability such as IN_STOCK, LOW_STOCK, or PREORDER |
| Expected Availability Date | emersoft.expected_availability_date |
Date | Availability date reported by Gardners |
| Replaced By ISBN | emersoft.replaced_by_isbn |
Single line text | Replacement ISBN when this edition has been superseded |
The Gardners product weight is stored in Shopify's standard variant shipping measurement rather than an emersoft metafield.
App import metadata¶
Emersoft Books also records import tracking data on the product:
| Name | Key | Type | When it is set |
|---|---|---|---|
| Imported by App | emersoft.imported_by_app |
True / False | When the product is imported through Emersoft Books |
| Import Method | emersoft.import_method |
Single line text | Records how the product was imported (jit for Global Search) |
| Created At | emersoft.created_at |
Date and time | When Emersoft Books creates the product |
| Updated At | emersoft.updated_at |
Date and time | When Emersoft Books most recently updates the product |
Using Gardners product data¶
- Use numbered Thema tags to organize books by every subject assigned to them.
- Use
emersoft.thema_main_subjectwhen a collection should follow only the book's primary subject. - Use
emersoft.thema_interest_age_labelsfor age-only storefront filters, or the numeric years and months fields for Smart Collection ranges. - Use
emersoft.audience_age_minandemersoft.audience_age_maxwhen you specifically need the publisher's separate age range. - Use compatible fields such as Binding, Format, Availability, and Pre-order in storefront filters.
- Display Publication Date in a theme block or with Liquid; Shopify Search & Discovery does not support Date metafields as filters.
- Use
emersoft.is_preorderto identify titles that were not yet published when imported. - Use
emersoft.imported_by_appto find every product imported through Emersoft Books.
Shopify's free Search & Discovery app can expose compatible product and variant metafields as storefront filters. More complex values can also be displayed with Liquid. See Shopify's supported metafield filter types for the available options.
Next step¶
Product tags and metafields do not enable fulfillment. See Gardners Setup & Fulfillment to connect your account, configure GBP shipping rates, and test an order.