Once you have installed the Arta app on Shopify, you’ll next set up the connection between your Arta organization and your Shopify store.

Click “continue” on the onboarding notice at the top of the Arta app’s homepage to proceed to the “connection settings” page.

If you are already onboarded, the Connection settings page may also be viewed by clicking the “manage” link in the “Connection settings” section on the Arta app’s home page.

This takes you to the “connection settings” section of the Arta app, where you manage the integration between your store on Shopify and Arta. There are three sections on this page that are quick to complete.

However, you’ll want to also sign in to your Arta Dashboard since there will be a few steps to complete in the Arta Dashboard as well.

API key

During your customers’ checkout, Shopify will make API requests to Arta to fetch shipping quotes tailored based on your Arta organization’s shipping preferences. Under the hood, the API requests Shopify makes are identified as being on behalf of your Arta organization through an API key that is private, secure, and unique to your organization.

Let’s add the API key in a few quick steps:

In the Arta Dashboard

• Click the “Developers” tab in the Arta Dashboard sidebar; this opens the Developer section of the Arta Dashboard.

• Click the “API Keys” link; this opens the API keys section of the Arta Dashboard.

• Click the “New API Key” button in the upper right corner of the window; this opens a form that will enable you to create a new API key.

• Optionally, add a helpful name for your API key. Ideally, this name will provide context about how the API key will be used (for example, something like Shopify app key).

• Ensure the “Test mode” switch is in the off position. This means we’ll generate a Live mode API key that returns actual shipping rates for your Arta organization.

If you cannot disable the “Test mode” switch, it is likely that your Arta organization isn’t launched yet. Please get in touch with your account manager to continue.

• Ensure the “Publishable” switch is in the off position. This means we’ll generate a private API key with full access to securely create quote requests and book shipments within your Arta account.

• Click the “create” button to create your new API key.

• Click on the newly created API key that has just appeared in the API keys list. This will open the API key detail screen.

• Copy the “token” on this page to your clipboard and return to the “connection settings” section in the Arta Shopify app.

In the “Connection settings” section of the Arta app on Shopify

• Click on the “Add API key” button in the “API keys” section of this page. This will open the “API key configuration” pop-up form.

• Paste the API key token you created in the Arta Dashboard into this form.

• Click “save” to save your API key and close the pop-up form.

Congrats, you have configured an API key for your Shopify store. Let’s finish up the “API integration” on this page by setting your store’s default contact details.

Contact details

Shopify doesn’t require a phone number and email address by default for its locations. However, most commercial and specialized shipping carriers do. So let’s specify default contact details that Arta will use for the origin location of your shipments if they aren’t otherwise included in your store’s locations on Shopify.

In the “Connection settings” section of the Arta app on Shopify

• Click the “configure” button in the “Contact details” section on this page; this opens the “Contact details” pop-up form.

• Add an email address and phone number to the form.

• Click “save” to store these details and to close the pop-up form.

Now that we’ve completed the “API integration” section let’s proceed and configure syncing between Arta and Shopify.

Sync

To keep your Shopify orders up-to-date with shipment status and tracking changes, we’ll enable syncing between Arta and Shopify using Arta’s webhooks platform.

In the “Connection settings” section of the Arta app on Shopify

• Click the “Setup webhook endpoint” link in the “Webhooks” section on this page. This opens the “Webhook configuration” pop-up form.

• Copy the value marked “Endpoint URL” on this form to your clipboard. This is a secure and unique link generated just for your store. You’ll use this value to create a webhook endpoint in the Arta Dashboard that sends updates to Shopify on your behalf.

In the Arta Dashboard

• Click the “Developers” tab in the Arta Dashboard sidebar; this opens the Developer section of the Arta Dashboard.

• Click the “Webhook Endpoints” link; this opens the Webhook Endpoints section of the Arta Dashboard.

• Click the “New Webhook Endpoint” button in the upper right corner of the window; this opens a pop-up form that will enable you to create a new webhook endpoint for your Arta organization.

• Add a helpful name for your webhook endpoint (for example, something like Shopify store webhook) in the “Webhook Endpoint Name” field in the form.

• Paste the “Endpoint URL” value you copied a few steps back in the Shopify app into the “URL” field on this form.

• Click the “create” button to create your new webhook endpoint.

• Click on the newly created webhook endpoint that has just appeared in the webhook endpoints list. This will open the webhook endpoint detail screen.

• Click the “actions” button in the upper right corner of this page. This will reveal a menu of options.

• Click “signing secret” in the actions menu. This will open the “Signing Secret” pop-up window.

Arta generates a unique signing secret token for each webhook endpoint. As a security precaution, this secret is used to verify that the webhook events received at your webhook endpoint were sent by Arta and not by a third party.

• Copy the value in the “Secret token” field on this pop-up form to your clipboard and return to the “connection settings” section in the Arta Shopify app.

In the “Connection settings” section of the Arta app on Shopify

• Click the same “Setup webhook endpoint” button we clicked previously in the “Webhooks” section on this page. This opens the “Webhook configuration” pop-up form (again).

• Paste the “secret token” we copied in the Arta Dashboard in a previous step into the “Signing secret” field on this form. The Arta app will use this signing secret to authenticate webhook deliveries prior to updating your Shopify orders.

• Click the “save” button in the pop-up window to save this setting and close the pop-up form.

We’ve successfully configured sync between Arta and Shopify. This will enable the app to keep your store’s orders current as shipments are updated and completed.

Shopify configuration

The last step to configuring the connection between Arta and Shopify is to enable Arta as a “Carrier” in your store.

In the “Connection settings” section of the Arta app on Shopify

• Click the “Activate” button in the “Enable Arta” section at the bottom of this page. This will open a pop-up window asking for your confirmation.

• Click the “confirm” button in the pop-up window to save this setting and close the pop-up form.

Nice one! All four sections on this page should have a green “complete” tag visible, which means we have completed establishing the connection between Arta and Shopify. Next up? Let’s make sure your products are ready to ship.