Understanding collections and collection items

Collection items in B12 let you display grouped content types like services, team members, testimonials, projects, and more. These sections are built with a group of similar items and are a powerful way to manage repeatable content across your website.

This article explains how collections work and where to go to edit them.

What is a collection?

A collection is a group of similar items that are added to an individual section within a page on your website. Each individual collection item is stored in B12's content management system (CMS) and can be included in any section(s) that use the same collection type.

A collection will automatically be added if you choose certain section types. These are the available section types that include collections:

• Awards sections typically include a collection of images, depending on the layout you choose.
• Blog sections include a collection of blog posts.
• Clients sections typically include a collection of images or customers, depending on the layout you choose.
• Contact sections may include one or more contact information collection items as well as a contact form.
• Events sections include a collection of upcoming events.
• FAQ sections include a collection of questions with answers.
• Features sections include a collection of products.
• Gallery sections include gallery items, which can be images or videos.
• Hero sections of all types include a collection of links, which can be used to add multiple buttons or CTAs.
• How it works sections include a collection of process steps.
• Menu sections include a collection of menu items.
• News sections include a collection of announcements.
• Press sections typically include a collection of images or resources, depending on the layout you choose.
• Pricing sections include a collection of products.

• Products sections include a collection of products.

• Projects sections include a collection of projects.
• Resources sections include a collection of resources.

• Services sections include a collection of services.

• Team sections include a collection of team members.

• Testimonials sections include a collection of client quotes.

Collection items and template pages 

Some collection items include a feature that automatically creates a page based on a reusable template for that type of item. This can help you quickly and easily create pages with a similar structure. The template can be edited to meet your needs and help your items appear consistent.

The following collection items automatically include template pages:

• • Blog posts
  • Intake forms
  • Products
  • Services
  • Scheduling pages
  • Team members

When adding one of these collection items, some information associated with the item may appear in the section and some information may appear on the template page.

For example, the blog post Summary only appears in the section, the Body only appears on the template page, while the Title appears in both places.

Mapping collection items and fields

If you would like to show the same collection item across multiple sections of your website, you can choose previously created items by searching at the top of the collection. 

For example, if you've already created a blog post and you'd like to show it on a new section of featured blog posts, search for it under Add existing blog posts to add it to your new section.

Individual fields associated with the collection item can also be shown on sections of your website as needed. Because the content for each collection item is stored in the CMS and associated with the collection item itself,  associated fields can be mapped and un-mapped from sections under Display options.

For example, when a featured image is added to a blog post that is included in two sections, you can choose to hide the image in one section, but show it in another section without removing the image from the blog post itself.

When to use collections

Collections are useful for:

• Showcasing multiple similar items in one area, for example in a list or grid

• Displaying the same set of content across multiple pages
• Automatically create consistent individual pages for each of the items you add (see template pages above)
  

   

Finding and editing collection items

To find and edit collection items:

1. Select Website > Pages

2. Select the page where you collection appears, then select the correct section.

3. In the left sidebar, scroll down to the Collection box to add, remove, or edit your collection items.

 

Changing the appearance of your collection items

Within each section that includes collection items, you can edit the appearance of your items the following ways:

• Choose different layouts to change how items are displayed

• Adjust the number of columns that appear in a grid

• Control how many items appear in a section

• Update styles like background, spacing, and image size and shape

• Organize your items with selectable filters using tags

Changes made to an individual section will not affect other sections that use the same collection item.

Changes made to the collection item itself apply to all sections that use it, so you only need to edit once.

Related articles

Below is a list of articles discussing how to add, edit, organize, and more with collection items:

• Adding collection items
• Changing the number of columns displayed in a collection or gallery
• Adding integrations to individual collection items
• How to automatically sort/reorder collection items
• Rearranging sections, navigation links, and other collection items
• Adding a learn more pop-up box to a product or service section