Changelog

We've made improvements to the page that shows you the status of a site scan for broken links. Now, while the scan is running, you are able to see the current page being scanned and any broken links found so far. No more waiting for the scan to complete.

Learn more about scanning your Shopify store for broken links.

On March 8, starting at 05:30 UTC, we will be performing database maintenance which will result in the Shopify apps being briefly unavailable. Scheduled tasks will run automatically once the maintenance completes but bulk edits running during that time may be interrupted and need to be restarted. We are trying our best to schedule the maintenance during periods of low usage, if you have any questions please reach out.

We are establishing a code freeze between November 25 and December 6. During this period we will only deploy critical fixes to our Shopify apps.

The idea behind a code freeze is to reduce the possibility of introducing bugs and unexpected system interactions that could cause problems during the peak holiday shopping days.

After December 6 we will resume deploying changes as usual.

You can now use regular expressions when creating wildcard redirects using Ablestar Link Manager. Regular expressions (or regex) allow you to perform more advanced matching against URLs including looking for patterns or just certain groups of characters.

Learn more about .

Now wildcard redirects will preserve URL query parameters through the redirect. For example, if there's a wildcard redirect setup for:

/p/* → /products/*

A visitor to the wildcard redirect would be redirected like so:

https://myshopify.com/p/summer-hat?promo_code=SUMMER2024 → https://myshopify.com/products/summer-hat?promo_code=SUMMER2024

Preserving the values in the URL that come after the question mark can help for user attribution or for promotions.

Learn more about wildcard redirects in Shopify.

When a vistor lands on a page with a wildcard redirect they're seamlessly redirected to the new page. Now, you can see each time this happens in the app's dashboard.

This data is also available when you export a spreadsheet of your wildcard redirect visits. This information can be especially useful if you've just migrated to Shopify because you can see the most frequent broken links, all the while ensuring your visitors get redirected to a relevant page.

Learn more about wildcard redirects for Shopify.

You can now use placeholders in wildcard redirects. This allows you to redirect a URL like /store/[ANY TEXT] to /products/[ANY TEXT]. This can be especially useful for migrations when the structure of your URLs are changing to Shopify's format.

And as was the case before, wildcard redirects with Ablestar Link Manager do not a flicker of the '404 error page' like other apps could.

Learn more about wildcard redirects on Shopify.

Ablestar Link Manager now includes a weekly email report to track broken links on your store. The report will tell you the number of website visits to broken links as well as the number of internal broken links discovered in a site scan.

The reports are sent out Monday mornings.

You can turn on the report and configure the recipients in the settings section of the app.

We're very pleased to announce that now the Ablestar Link Manager is now 'Built for Shopify'. According to Shopify, the "Built for Shopify status is the highest level of recognition and achievement that an app can reach" and requires the app to meet specific design and performance standards. With this milestone you can be sure that the app has very low impact on your store's speed and will function well within the Shopify admin.

Learn more about Ablestar Link Manager on the Shopify App Store.

We're happy to announce that the Ablestar Link Manager is now embedded within the Shopify admin. This means that you can access your broken link reports without leaving the Shopify admin and also give you the option to pin the app to the sidebar.

This update involved a significant rewrite of our application. If you encounter any issues while using the app please contact us and we'll resolve them as quickly as possible.

Ablestar Link Manager now uses app embed blocks instead of script tags to track visits to 404 error pages. App embed blocks provide a better-performing way to track broken link visits and ensure that the app will remain compatible with the newest themes and versions of the Shopify API.

App embed blocks require a store administrator to enable the block within the Shopify admin. For existing users of the app, tracking will continue to work using the script tags but we recommend that you log in to the app and enable the app block instead.

Learn more about enabling the app embed block to track broken link visits.

For the last three years we have implemented a feature freeze during the Black Friday/Cyber Monday season. The primary goal is to maintain the stability of our app.

We've found that, after a certain point, most of the bugs we encounter stem from recent changes or additions to the app. By refraining from making any changes or introducing new features for a brief period, we can minimize the chances of disruptions and ensure smooth operation throughout the holiday season.

Our feature freeze will be in effect from the end of November 15th to November 29th, lasting for two weeks. During this period, we won't be releasing new features. However, please rest assured that we will address any critical problems or issues promptly to minimize disruptions to your business operations.

Previously, when creating redirects, the Link Manager treated all URLs as case insensitive, turning any uppercase characters in your 'Redirect To' field to lowercase.

Now, we've refined this: while Shopify URLs remain case insensitive, we've ensured that the capitalization you input in the 'Redirect To' field is preserved. This is particularly crucial for redirects leading off Shopify where URL capitalization might matter.

Previously, when you conducted a scan for broken links on your website, the download of the results would yield a CSV file filled with raw data. We've made a key upgrade to this export functionality.

Instead of a CSV file, you will now receive an Excel file when you download the results of a broken link scan. The Excel file includes some built-in filtering options, as well as built-in hyperlinks.

While Shopify offers a default feature that allows for specific URL redirects, our recent update introduces a more flexible approach: Wildcard or Pattern Redirects.

Instead of defining specific URLs, these pattern redirects allow you to set up a system where any URL that matches a given pattern will be redirected accordingly. For instance, creating a pattern redirect for "old page/" ensures that any URL under the "old page" directory (like "old page/A" or "old page/B") will be redirected to your defined destination, such as the homepage.

This feature can be particularly useful for managing product or collection URLs. If a specific product page no longer exists, you can set up a wildcard redirect to send visitors to a broader collection page or another relevant section.

Learn more about Wildcard Redirects on Shopify

Previously in the Link Manager App, we tracked instances where visitors landed on 404 'page not found' pages under the term 'Visitor Errors'. To clarify the purpose and ensure better understanding, we've renamed 'Visitor Errors' to 'Broken Link Visits'.

This new terminology reflects instances when someone visits a broken link on your site. The change is reflected throughout the app and any associated email reports.

We've improved our Link Manager's site scan tool. It will now better identify and report broken links on your Shopify site, even when multiple pages refer to the same broken link. You may notice minor changes in your reports compared to previous weeks due to these enhancements.

We are establishing a code freeze between November 21 and November 30. During this period we will only deploy critical fixes. The idea is to reduce the possibility of introducing bugs and unexpected system interactions that could cause the service to be compromised during the peak days of the holiday season.

After November 30 we will resume deploying changes as usual.