Dynamic Pages: Creating and Managing Collections

Create a New Collection:

• Click Content in the builder side menu.
• Click the Collections option.
• Click the New Collection button.
  
• Select the collection type. Each collection type will provide step-by-step instructions for setting up the selected collection type. For this example, we will use Google Sheets.
• Select Google Sheets.
  
• You will be asked to sign into your Google account.

Note: if you experience trouble signing into your Google account, or selecting a Sheet, it is most likely due to your browser restricting pop-ups. Allow pop-ups for sitemodify.com in your pop-up blocker settings.

• Select the appropriate Google Sheet (if you have not yet made your Google Sheet, do so before attempting this step).
  
• You will now see a list of your collection fields. These fields are imported from your spreadsheet. Each field represents a column in your spreadsheet.
  
  By assigning data types for each field, you are letting the builder know what type of data this is. Fields such as images should be assigned as “image” and phone numbers should be assigned as “phone.” Many fields can be left as the default data type: “text.”
  
  When you connect this collection to widgets such as galleries or lists, the data types will connect data to the intended location, such as images to image elements.
• When you’re done assigning data types, click the Done button.
  

Adding New Collection Fields

You may need to update your datasets (Google Sheet, Airtable, etc.) by adding new information to the spreadsheet. Collections will automatically update as new information is added, such as new rows or information within spreadsheet cells. However, if new columns are added to a spreadsheet, these must be added to your collection manually.

• To add a new field to your collection, click the Add Field link at the bottom of the collection field list.
  
• Enter the Field Name exactly as it appears in the spreadsheet (the column must already be added to the spreadsheet prior to adding the field in the collection).
• Click the Done button.

Refreshing Your Collection Data

Collection data is automatically updated regularly, every couple hours. If there is data that you need updated sooner, you can use the Refresh Data option.

• Open your Collection.
• Click the Refresh Data button.
• The collection data is now manually synced with the dataset. If the editor is already on a dynamic page, you will notice the page refresh after you refresh the data and close the collection. That page refresh will update any dynamic content on the page, such as galleries or text fields.

Note: if you notice that data does not update even after refreshing the collection, this is likely caused by the web browser cached data. If you experience this, try the following steps. It is suggested to try these steps in order, and check the data after each step until the issue is resolved:

Managing Collections

You may add as many collections as you like. You can also use an assortment of collection types as needed. You may find that certain spreadsheet platforms provide features better suited for your needs. For example, if you’d like to display several home images in a real estate listing, those images will need to be properly associated with the correct listing. This means that all images must be placed within a single cell, within a row (they cannot be used in a column). Airtable allows multiple images to be dragged and dropped into a single cell. Other spreadsheets, such as Google Sheets, do not allow this. Sometimes it is best to use the correct platform for the intended usage.

To create new collections, follow the steps above.

To delete a collection, click the gear icon next to the collection name, and select Delete Collection.

If you’re finding that a particular spreadsheet requires extensive updates, you can use the “Add Field” option explained above. However, it may be easier in this case to delete the collection, and then add it as a new collection. If you do this, be sure to update the data types again.