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  • Flex Paid theme
  • By Out of the Sandbox
  • $495
  • Native swatches: yes
  • Version 7.0.0

Color swatch guide

How to add color swatches to the Flex theme.

Flex is a paid theme by Out of the Sandbox, sold on outofthesandbox.com for $495 and not in the Theme Store. Version 7.0.0, released September 11, 2026, added full support for metaobject swatches, the data behind Shopify's native swatches. Swatches are set in Theme settings > Product form; a grid setting isn't documented.

Checked Flex theme profile

Which route fits Flex?

Route 1

Shopify's native swatches.

Native swatch support in Flex from version 7.0.0.

  1. Update Flex to 7.0.0

    Full metaobject swatch support arrived in Flex 7.0.0 on September 11, 2026. Flex isn't in the Theme Store, so get the update from Out of the Sandbox.

  2. Give each product a category

    In Products, open a product and choose the most specific match in the Category field. Categories come from Shopify's Standard Product Taxonomy, and picking one adds that category's attributes to the product as category metafields. You want a category that lists Color (or a color attribute such as Frame color or Band color). If Color is missing under Category metafields, try a narrower category.

  3. Add the colors you sell

    Under Category metafields, open Color and select every color your variants come in. Each color is a reusable entry. You can rename an entry, set its exact hex value or upload a pattern image later in Content > Metaobjects, and the change shows everywhere that entry is used.

  4. Link the Color option to the metafield

    In the Variants section, add an option and pick Color from the suggestions so its values come from the entries you just chose. If the product already has a Color option, open it, use the connect icon beside the option name and choose the Color category metafield. Swatches only appear for options linked this way, so do this on every product you want swatches on in Flex.

  5. Turn on swatches in the product form

    In the theme editor, open Theme settings > Product form, turn on Show color swatches, pick Rounded or Squared for Swatch style, and set Color option style to Color swatch. Variant image is the other choice if you'd rather show photos.

  6. Product grid: not documented

    Out of the Sandbox doesn't document a product grid swatch setting for Flex. Check Theme settings for one; if there isn't one, see Collection pages below.

  7. Check it on a real product page

    Save, then open a product in a private browser window and on your phone. Click each swatch and confirm the price, photo and stock message change with it. If Flex shows plain text buttons instead, go back to the linking step: the option is probably not linked to the Color category metafield yet.

Route 2

A swatch app.

Flex's own swatches cover the product page, but a product grid swatch setting isn't documented. GLO Color Swatch Variant Image and Color Swatch Pug both list collection-page swatches, and OP Color Swatch Variant Images restyles the product-page picker with stock badges.

  1. Duplicate Flex first

    In Online Store > Themes, open the menu beside Flex and choose Duplicate. Set up the app on the copy, preview it, and publish the copy only when the swatches look right. Your live store keeps working while you test.

  2. Install the app and start its trial or free plan

    Install the app from the Shopify App Store and approve the access it asks for. Every app suggested on this page had a free plan, a free listing or a free trial of 7 to 30 days when we checked on October 23, 2026, so you can test before you pay.

  3. Switch on the app embed

    Open the theme editor on your copy (Online Store > Themes, then Customize or Edit theme), click the App embeds icon in the left sidebar, switch on the app's embed and click Save.

  4. Match each color name to a swatch

    In the app's own settings, give each color name a hex value or a small image. Apps read your option values as text, so Navy on one product and Navy Blue on another need two swatches. Tidy the names first and you only set each color once.

  5. Avoid two sets of swatches

    If the app replaces the product-page picker, turn off Show color swatches.

  6. Preview a product page and a collection page

    Use the theme editor preview, then a phone, to check both page types in Flex. If the app adds collection-page swatches, click one on a product card and confirm the card's photo or link changes to that color.

Apps that fit Flex

Swatch apps for Flex, from each App Store listing on October 23, 2026
AppFromRatingWhat it does
GLO Color Swatch Variant Image $9.90/month 4.9 (1,906 reviews) A dedicated swatch app whose free plan already covers collection-page swatches and hiding sold-out options; image swatches start on the $9.90 Silver plan.
Color Swatch Pug $6.99/month 4.6 (55 reviews) One $6.99 monthly plan with a 14-day trial for color and pattern swatches on collection and product pages; it isn't Built for Shopify, and its listing still links to this site, which is independent of the publisher.
OP Color Swatch Variant Images $11.90/month 5.0 (802 reviews) Replaces your theme's text picker with color and image swatches plus stock badges; pricing follows your Shopify plan, from $11.90 a month.

Prices and ratings change often; check the listing before you install. This site is not affiliated with any of these publishers.

Alternatives: Swatchy (Color Swatches) has a free plan for one product, and option builders such as Globo Product Options and Aris Product Options include swatches alongside text fields and add-on prices. Prices and ratings are in the apps table on the color swatch guide hub.

Route 3

Editing the theme code.

You don't need to edit code for swatches in Flex. Flex 7.0.0 reads metaobject swatches in its product form.

Collection pages.

Out of the Sandbox doesn't document grid swatches for Flex. Use swatch filters or an app for collection pages.

  1. Add color filters with swatches (optional)

    Open the Search & Discovery app, go to Filters > Add filter, choose Color with the type Category metafield, then open Manage values and turn on Include swatch. For patterns, turn on Use images when available so the filter shows each entry's image.

  2. Or add an app for card swatches

    GLO Color Swatch Variant Image and Color Swatch Pug both list collection-page swatches. Test on a duplicate of Flex first.

Flex at a glance.

The theme's facts from the Shopify Theme Store and Out of the Sandbox's documentation, checked October 23, 2026. Anything we could not confirm says so.

Full Flex profile Check images against Flex's sizes
Flex: theme facts
Theme Flex
Vendor Out of the Sandbox
Price $495 Price on outofthesandbox.com, checked October 23, 2026. Vendor prices can change without notice.
Free or paid Paid
Where it is sold Sold on outofthesandbox.com
Status Current theme
Online Store 2.0 Yes
Current version 7.0.0 (September 11, 2026)
Native color swatches Yes From version 7.0.0.
Variant picker block No block of that name documented
Swatch setting Theme settings > Product form > Show color swatches; Swatch style: Rounded / Squared; Color option style: Color swatch / Variant image
Swatches on product cards No setting documented
Swatch documentation Out of the Sandbox's documentation
Favicon 64 x 64 px PNG. Source: Out of the Sandbox's documentation.
Logo 600 x 200 px Main menu, overlay and mobile logo; footer 500 x 200. Source: Out of the Sandbox's documentation.
Product images 1024 x 1024 px Source: Out of the Sandbox's documentation.
Collection banner 1800 x 800 px Source: Out of the Sandbox's documentation.
Slideshow and hero 1600 x 1000 px Slideshow with text; image with text overlay 1800 x 900. Source: Out of the Sandbox's documentation.
Swatch images (older swatch method) 50 x 50 px 50 x 50px or larger PNG. Source: Out of the Sandbox's documentation.
Last checked October 23, 2026

Swatch problems on Flex, and fixes.

  • Swatches not showing

    Work through three checks in order: the product has a category that includes Color, its Color option is linked to the Color category metafield, and the swatch setting is on in Flex. In Flex, check Show color swatches is on and Color option style is Color swatch, not Variant image.

  • Wrong colors

    A native swatch takes its color from the entry in Content > Metaobjects, not from the color's name. Open the entry, correct the hex value and save, and every product linked to it updates at once. If two products show different shades of the same color, they're probably linked to two separate entries, so point both at one.

  • Pattern or image swatches

    Upload a square image to the color's entry. Crop it to the fabric or finish itself rather than a product photo, because at swatch size a busy photo turns into a blur. Multicolor has no preset hex value, so it always needs an image. Flex's older custom swatches used PNGs of 50 x 50 px or larger; for native swatches, upload the image to the color's entry.

  • Out-of-stock variants

    How a sold-out color looks is decided by the variant picker in Flex, so test it: set one color to zero stock and open the product. If you'd rather hide sold-out colors completely, Color Swatch Pug and GLO Color Swatch Variant Image both list that option (checked October 23, 2026).

  • Speed

    Native swatches are drawn by Flex itself, so they add no app script to your pages. A hex swatch costs nothing extra to load; an image swatch adds one small image per color, so keep those files small. The swatch loading speed guide shows how to measure a collection page before and after a change.

Flex swatch questions.

Which Flex version supports native swatches?

Version 7.0.0, from September 11, 2026, added full support for metaobject swatches.

Why isn't Flex in the Theme Store?

Flex was never in the Shopify Theme Store; Out of the Sandbox sells it on its own website, at $495 when we checked on October 23, 2026.

What's the difference between Color swatch and Variant image in Flex?

Color swatch shows each color as a dot or square; Variant image shows a small photo of the variant instead. Both are choices for Color option style.

Does Flex show swatches on collection pages?

Out of the Sandbox doesn't document it. Use swatch filters or an app that adds card swatches.

Is Flex an Online Store 2.0 theme?

Yes, since Flex 3.0.0 from October 19, 2021, according to Out of the Sandbox's release notes.

Related guides and tools.

Themes like Flex

Checked

Sources

Make the swatch files.

Turn your colors into hex values, swatch images and a printable sheet, ready for Shopify.

Open the swatch generator All theme guides