---
url: https://docs.youcan.shop/themes/sections/section-groups.md
---

# Section groups

In a section group, you list sections that sellers can add, remove, reorder and edit in the theme editor, outside of a template. Use groups for the parts of a page that are shown on every template, such as the header and the footer.

## Location

Save a section group as a JSON file in the `sections` directory, next to the section files.

```bash
└── theme
    ├── layout
    │   └── theme.liquid
    ├── sections
    │   ├── header-group.json
    │   ├── footer-group.json
    │   ├── header.liquid
    │   ├── footer.liquid
    │   ...
    ...
```

## Render a group

Render a group in a [layout](/themes/layouts) with the [sections](/themes/tags/sections) tag and the group file name, without the `.json` extension.

```liquid
<body>
  {% sections 'header-group' %}

  {{ content_for_layout }}

  {% sections 'footer-group' %}
</body>
```

The sections are rendered in the order of `order`. Disabled sections are not rendered.

## File format

```json [sections/header-group.json]
{
  "type": "header",
  "name": "Header group",
  "sections": {
    "announcement": {
      "type": "announcement-bar",
      "settings": {
        "text": "Free shipping on all orders"
      }
    },
    "header": {
      "type": "header",
      "settings": {}
    }
  },
  "order": ["announcement", "header"]
}
```

| Property | Type | Required | Description |
| -------- | ---- | -------- | ----------- |
| `type` | `string` | Yes | The group type. One of `header`, `footer`, `aside`, or `custom.<name>` (for example `custom.overlay`). |
| `name` | `string` | Yes | The group name. Max 50 characters. |
| `sections` | `object` | Yes | [Section objects](/themes/templates/json-templates#section-object) keyed by section ID, the same as in a JSON template. Up to 25 sections. |
| `order` | `array` | Yes | Section IDs in render order. Use only IDs that are keys in `sections`, with no duplicates. |

The data of each section is validated against the schema of the section. A group file with an error cannot be saved.

## Theme editor

In the theme editor, a group is shown as its own area of the section list. Groups of type `header` are shown above the template sections. All other groups are shown below the template sections, and groups of type `footer` are shown last.

Sellers can add, remove, duplicate, reorder and edit the sections of a group. The changes are saved to the group file, and the same group is shown on every template.

To choose the groups where a section can be added, use `groups` in [`enabled_on` and `disabled_on`](/themes/sections/section-schema#enabled-on-and-disabled-on).

## Groups and static sections

When you render a section with the [section](/themes/tags/section) tag, one configuration is stored for it in [`config/settings_data.json`](/themes/config/settings_data), and sellers cannot add or reorder sections around it. In a group, sellers can add, remove and reorder sections, and settings are stored for each section.