BigCommerce Widgets & Script Manager

Before writing code

Fetch live docs:

1. Fetch https://developer.bigcommerce.com/docs/storefront/widgets for Widget SDK
2. Web-search site:developer.bigcommerce.com scripts api for Script Manager API
3. Web-search bigcommerce page builder widgets custom for custom widget patterns

Widget System

Architecture

Widgets are reusable content components managed via API:

• Widget Template — Handlebars template defining the HTML output
• Widget — an instance of a template with specific configuration data
• Placement — positions a widget in a specific theme region on specific pages
• Page Builder — admin drag-and-drop UI that creates widgets and placements

How It Fits Together

Widget Template (Handlebars + JSON schema)
    ↓
Widget (template + configuration data)
    ↓
Placement (widget + region + page)
    ↓
Rendered on storefront

Widget Templates

Creating a Template

POST /v3/content/widget-templates:

{
  "name": "Banner with CTA",
  "storefront_api_query": "query { site { settings { storeName } } }",
  "schema": [
    {
      "type": "tab",
      "label": "Content",
      "sections": [
        {
          "label": "Banner",
          "settings": [
            {
              "type": "text",
              "label": "Heading",
              "id": "heading",
              "default": "Welcome"
            },
            {
              "type": "text",
              "label": "Button Text",
              "id": "buttonText",
              "default": "Shop Now"
            },
            {
              "type": "text",
              "label": "Button URL",
              "id": "buttonUrl",
              "default": "/shop"
            }
          ]
        }
      ]
    }
  ],
  "template": "<div class='banner'><h2>{{heading}}</h2><a href='{{buttonUrl}}'>{{buttonText}}</a></div>"
}

Schema Field Types

Template Syntax

Widget templates use Handlebars:

• {{setting_id}} — access setting values
• {{{html_setting}}} — unescaped HTML
• {{#if condition}}...{{/if}} — conditionals
• {{#each items}}...{{/each}} — iteration
• Access GraphQL data via storefront_api_query results

GraphQL in Widgets

Widgets can include a storefront_api_query that fetches data at render time:

• Useful for dynamic content (featured products, customer data)
• Query results available in the template context
• Limited to the GraphQL Storefront API schema

Widgets

Creating a Widget

POST /v3/content/widgets:

{
  "name": "Homepage Banner",
  "widget_template_uuid": "template-uuid-here",
  "widget_configuration": {
    "heading": "Summer Sale!",
    "buttonText": "Shop Deals",
    "buttonUrl": "/sale"
  }
}

Placements

Creating a Placement

POST /v3/content/placements:

{
  "widget_uuid": "widget-uuid-here",
  "template_file": "pages/home",
  "region": "home_below_menu",
  "sort_order": 1,
  "status": "active"
}

Regions

Regions are defined in Stencil theme templates using:

{{{region name="home_below_menu"}}}

Common regions: home_below_menu, home_below_featured, product_below_price, category_below_header

Script Manager

What It Does

Inject JavaScript, CSS, or HTML snippets into storefront pages without theme modification.

API Endpoints

Creating a Script

POST /v3/content/scripts:

{
  "name": "Analytics Tracker",
  "description": "Track page views",
  "html": "<script src='https://analytics.example.com/tracker.js'></script>",
  "src": "",
  "auto_uninstall": true,
  "load_method": "default",
  "location": "head",
  "visibility": "all_pages",
  "kind": "script_tag",
  "consent_category": "analytics",
  "channel_id": 1
}

Script Properties

Use Cases

• Analytics (Google Analytics, Meta Pixel)
• Chat widgets (Intercom, Zendesk)
• A/B testing tools
• Custom CSS overrides
• Third-party integrations

Best Practices

• Use widgets for structured, reusable content — not one-off HTML
• Define complete JSON schemas for Page Builder integration
• Use auto_uninstall: true for app-managed scripts
• Set appropriate consent_category for GDPR compliance
• Use load_method: 'defer' for non-critical scripts
• Place widgets in well-defined theme regions
• Test widget rendering across different theme variations
• Use Script Manager API for scripts that don't require theme changes
• Prefer widgets over scripts for content — they're manageable in Page Builder

Fetch the BigCommerce Widget SDK and Script Manager API documentation for exact schema types, placement regions, and script properties before implementing.