How to Open Links in a New Tab on Your Shopify Store with the Empire Theme

Every weekend, there's a little routine we follow. We make a strong cup of coffee, click our way into the latest storm of digital dilemmas floating on the internet, and try to throw a life preserver to the best of our abilities. One sunny morning, while sipping that precious java, we stumbled upon a plea for help from a perplexed Shopify user wanting to open image links in a new tab on her store's collection page. Her story triggered a memory of ours, the great debacle of misbehaving links—a saga that's both heartwarming and a smidge hilarious.

Now, back to our dear friend with the Empire theme blues. It seems simple, right? "Open this link in a new window" should just work. What she found was something akin to a cruel digital joke—no matter how hard she tried, it just wouldn’t budge. When she clicked “edit link,” it reverted like a rebellious child refusing to eat broccoli. So, let's hold hands and dive into solving this, once and for all.

Facing Those Pesky Link Settings

Remember that time you kept trying to install that grand mirror in the hallway but it wouldn't hang straight no matter what? This situation feels painfully similar. The root of the trouble here is that the Shopify theme, particularly Empire, doesn't always behave as expected no matter how hard we stare at the screen or whisper bribes to it. Let's shake off that frustration and get into detective mode.

Check Your Intentions: Before any technical wizardry, double-check your intentions, because as funny as it sounds, it's easy to overlook the small nuances. You intended for the link to open in a new tab, but maybe somewhere along the way, a setting vanished in digital limbo.
Inspect Element and Modify: Our trusty sidekick for this adventure? The browser's inspect tool. Right-click on the image in question and select “Inspect.” There, a whole new world unfolds. We wander into the View tab where you can marvel at your code.
Pinpoint the Code Block: Find the <a> tag associated with your image. Code might not feel intuitive at first, but look for something that feels like this:
```
<a href="https://your-link.com" target="_blank"></a>
```
Yours might be missing the target="_blank", which directs browsers to launch a new tab.
Edit Your Theme's Code: Navigate to your Shopify admin, click on Online Store, then Themes. From there, it's Actions > Edit Code. Now, don't be scared; it's only words, after all. It’s like peeking behind the curtain in Oz!
Find the Collection Template: Locate the template, usually residing in sections folder and something like collection-template.liquid. Once inside, chase down your image link code.
Implement the Target Attribute: Add or ensure the target="_blank" is present in your link tag. The simple genius of code—isn't it?
```
<a href="{{ image_url }}" target="_blank"></a>
```
Save and Preview: Click save and see if magic happened. Refresh your storefront and test that a new tab opens. Dance and celebrate or adjust again if it didn’t work.

Sometimes, It's a Team Effort!

Remember our hallway mirror? It was Lisa who pointed out that maybe it wasn’t the mirror that was crooked, but our eyesight. In the Shopify universe, it might be helpful to collaborate. Reach out to the theme developers or Shopify Experts when the going gets tough. Even better, look at it as an opportunity to learn something new together.

Experience teaches us that the digital world is full of quirks. Technology tests patience, but once conquered, it delivers wondrous satisfaction—much like finally hanging that mirror. Through our journey together, we've hopefully equipped you with the power to tame rebellious links on your Shopify collection pages.

In our cozy corner of the internet, we solved another riddle. And while we won't claim to know everything, we sure enjoy navigating this wild digital carnival with fellow dreamers and creators like you. Who said tech can't be personal, heartfelt, and fun?