Working with Collections

Collections are one of the most powerful tools in Zibit for building experiences that display structured, repeating content. Instead of manually creating a separate moment for every artwork in a gallery, every stop on a tour, or every species in a natural history exhibit, you define your content once as a collection and let your views do the work. Whether you're building a touchscreen kiosk that browsers a catalog of 200 artifacts or a digital sign that cycles through upcoming events, collections keep your content organized, consistent, and easy to update.

Managing Your Collections

The All collections page shows every collection linked to your project. Collections let you connect structured data — like exhibit labels, artifact details, or tour stop information — so your moments can display dynamic content without rebuilding layouts from scratch.

If you're starting fresh, the list will be empty. Click Add collection to create your first one. Any collections you add here will be available to components throughout your project, and you can always come back to add or edit them later.

The All collections page in Zibit showing an empty state with an Add collection button — The collections list for your project — ready for your first data set

Name Your New Collection

The "Add new collection" dialog is open and ready for your input. Type a clear, descriptive name in the Name field — something that reflects the data it will hold, like "Artifact Labels" or "Exhibition Highlights." You can also add a note in the Description (optional) field to help your team understand what the collection is for.

When you're happy with the name, click "Create" to add the collection to your project. Don't worry if you're not sure about the name yet — you can rename it later.

The Add new collection dialog box is open on the Collections page, showing a Name field and an optional Description field, with Cancel and Create buttons. — Give your collection a name that makes its content easy to identify at a glance.

Define Your Collection's Fields

The Fields tab is where you set up the structure of your collection — think of it as designing the columns in a spreadsheet. Every collection starts with a required Title field, which acts as the unique name for each entry (for example, an artifact name or exhibit label).

To add more detail to each entry, click "Add field" and choose the type of data you want to store — such as a description, image, date, or number. You can always come back and add or adjust fields later, so don't worry about getting everything perfect right away.

The Collection Fields tab showing a required Title field and an Add field button for creating custom fields in the collection schema — Set up your collection's structure by adding custom fields alongside the required Title field

Name Your Field and Choose a Data Type

The "New field" dialog lets you define a single piece of information your collection will store — like an artwork title, an image URL, or a year. Enter a descriptive name in the "Name" field, then use "Data type" to tell Zibit what kind of content this field holds (for example, text, number, or image).

Once you're happy with your choices, click "Create" to add the field to your collection schema. If you change your mind, click "Cancel" — and don't worry, you can always add, rename, or remove fields later.

A dialog box titled 'New field' with a Name text input and a Data type selector, plus Cancel and Create buttons — Define a field name and data type to build out your collection schema

Adding Items to Your Collection

The Items tab is where your collection's data lives. Each row is a single item — for example, one artwork, one exhibit stop, or one product in a retail display. You'll see a data table here that grows as you add content.

To add your first entry, click "Add item" and fill in the fields you defined in your collection's schema. You can also bring in data in bulk using the "Import" option if you have a CSV ready. Don't worry — you can edit, remove, or add more items at any time.

The Items tab of a collection in Zibit, showing an empty data table with an Add item button and column controls in the top right — The Items tab displays all rows in your collection — add entries one by one or import them in bulk.

You've set up a collection with a defined structure and real content inside it — that's the foundation for some of Zibit's most dynamic experiences. Here are a few great ways to build on what you've created:

Connect your collection to a view — Link your new collection to a component in a moment so your content renders dynamically based on each item's data.
Add more field types — Explore field types like images, URLs, and booleans to enrich your collection and unlock richer layouts.
Import content in bulk — If you have existing data in a spreadsheet, check whether your collection supports CSV import to save time on large data sets.
Create multiple collections — Complex projects often use several collections together, such as one for exhibits and one for staff bios on a museum's main kiosk.
Keep your collection updated — Collections can be edited at any time, so you can add new items, update existing ones, or change field names without rebuilding your project from scratch.