Using the Live Banner Preview mode

Overview

The Preview on store feature lets you share a live preview of your banner changes with teammates, developers, or clients who do not have access to the Pandectes app or your Shopify admin. You can now show them changes in live mode without refreshing the page.

Instead of only using the preview inside the Pandectes app, this feature opens your store in a separate browser window and connects it to the banner editor. This helps you review the banner position, layout, content, and behavior in real time in your store environment without affecting your customers.

The feature works similarly to Google's Tag Assistant, where a help modal opens on the page, providing additional information about the connection between the preview URL and the Pandectes application in the Store admin.

How it works

When you start the preview, Pandectes opens your storefront with a temporary preview parameter in the URL.

Example:

https://[your-store].myshopify.com/?pandectesLivePreview=[preview-token]

This preview parameter tells the storefront to load the Pandectes live preview mode. When the connection is active, a Pandectes preview panel appears on the store.

Changes made in the banner settings are reflected in the preview window in real time. Regular store visitors are not affected by the preview.

What you can test

Use the live store preview to check:

• How the banner appears on the real storefront
• Desktop and mobile layout behavior
• Banner position and spacing
• Cookie notice and preferences dialog behavior
• Consent widget visibility
• Text, colors, buttons, and styling changes
• How the banner appears together with your active theme

Sharing the preview

The preview panel includes a Share link option.

Use this link to share the preview with teammates before publishing the banner changes. The shared link opens the store with the same preview parameter.

For password-protected stores, teammates may also need the store password before they can access the preview.

Preview panel actions

When the live preview is connected, the preview panel shows that the Banner preview connected state is active.

From this panel, you can:

• Confirm that the live preview is connected
• Copy a shareable preview link
• Exit the preview when testing is complete

Common questions and notes

Does this publish my changes?
No. The live preview is used for testing. It does not publish draft banner changes to regular visitors.

Why do I need to enter the store password?
Shopify blocks access to password-protected storefronts until the password is entered. The Pandectes preview can connect only after the storefront page loads.

Can I share the preview with someone else?
Yes, use Share link from the preview panel. Share it only with people who should review the draft banner. If the store is password protected, they may also need the store password.

What if the preview window does not open?
Check whether your browser blocked the pop-up window. Allow pop-ups for the Pandectes app and try again.

Updated on: 03/07/2026