Fixing broken collections

How TreeNav handles collection changes

Handle changes (automatic)

When you change a collection's URL handle in Shopify:

• TreeNav automatically updates all trees containing that collection
• No action required from you
• Changes sync within seconds via webhooks

Collection deletions (manual fix required)

When you delete a collection in Shopify:

• The node remains in your tree but is marked as deleted
• The tree dashboard shows a health warning
• You need to manually remove or replace the node

Checking tree health

Dashboard indicators

On the TreeNav dashboard, each tree shows its health status:

Viewing details

1. Open the affected tree
2. Deleted nodes appear with a visual indicator
3. The node label shows but links are broken

Fixing deleted collections

Option 1: Remove the node

If you no longer need the category:

1. Open the tree editor
2. Find the deleted node (marked with warning)
3. Click the node's menu (…)
4. Select Delete
5. Save the tree

Option 2: Replace with another collection

If you want to keep the category but link to a different collection:

1. Delete the broken node
2. Click Add collections (or + on parent)
3. Select the replacement collection
4. Drag to correct position if needed
5. Save the tree

Option 3: Re-create the collection

If the deletion was a mistake:

1. Re-create the collection in Shopify with the same handle
2. TreeNav will automatically detect it
3. The node will become active again

Preventing issues

Before deleting collections

1. Check if the collection is used in TreeNav
2. Update your trees first
3. Then delete from Shopify

Archiving vs. deleting

Consider making collections unavailable instead of deleting:

• Set collection availability to hidden
• Products remain organized
• TreeNav links still work (but show empty collection)

Bulk fixes

If you have many broken nodes:

1. Open each affected tree
2. Use the tree editor to remove broken nodes
3. Save after each tree

Currently, broken nodes must be fixed individually per tree.

What about children?

When you delete a node that has children:

• Delete node only: Children move up one level (become siblings of deleted node's siblings)
• Delete branch: Node and all descendants are removed

Choose based on whether you want to keep the subcategories.

Metafield sync

After fixing broken collections:

1. Save the tree
2. TreeNav automatically syncs to metafields
3. Your storefront shows the updated tree immediately

Next steps

• Create your first tree for tree editing basics
• Multiple trees if managing several trees