Managing collections in your CMS (Content Management System) can sometimes present challenges. Whether it's connecting page elements, setting permissions, or syncing content, troubleshooting these issues ensures your site runs smoothly. For example, imagine a real estate agent who updates property listings but finds the new properties aren't displaying correctly on their site. This guide will help you resolve such problems.

Tip:

You can troubleshoot many collection issues from the View Connections page in your collection.

1. Go to CMS in your site's dashboard.

2. Click the relevant collection.

3. Click More Actions at the top right and select View Connections.

Check your page element connections

After creating a collection and adding a dataset to your page, ensure all elements and user inputs are connected to the dataset. This guarantees that the content displays correctly. Ensure every element, such as images, text, and buttons, is properly connected to the relevant dataset.

Learn how to check the dataset connections between your elements and your collections.

Check your collection permissions

Permissions control who can view, create, update, and delete content in a collection. Make sure you have the correct permissions set and that they align with the roles of your site users.

Learn how to check your collection permissions to make sure they're properly set.

Sync your optional sandbox and live collections

If you have enabled sandbox collections, remember that changes in one do not affect the other. Sync the content to ensure updates take effect. Regularly sync your collections to prevent discrepancies between sandbox and live collection data.

If you've enabled sandbox collections, learn how to sync your sandbox and live collection content.

Check your dataset mode

Datasets control how site visitors interact with the content in your collections. Ensure your dataset is set to the appropriate mode. You can choose from the following dataset modes:

• Read: Connected elements can read and display content from your collection. The elements cannot modify the collection content.

• Write: Connected elements cannot display content from the collection. Input elements can add content to the collection but cannot modify the collection's existing content.

• Read & Write: Connected elements can display content from your collection. Input elements can add or edit content in your collection.

Learn how to edit your dataset mode and other dataset settings.

Check your browser settings

If your browser blocks third-party cookies, you may have trouble displaying or editing your content. Make sure your browser is not blocking any Wix cookies.

Check issues with adding to a collection

Several scenarios can prevent you from adding items to a collection. Here’s how to troubleshoot common problems:

Not enough permissions to add an item

With limited access, you can read or update existing content but not add new items. This error message will display: "You don't have permission to add items to a collection. Contact the owner for access."

To resolve: Contact the owner of the site and ask them to assign you a role with more permissions.

Wix App Collections and external collections

Wix App Collections (e.g. Blog, Stores, Events) are read-only by default. External collections may have mixed permissions. The error message will display: "You can't add items to this type of collection."

To resolve: Open the relevant section from within the dashboard (e.g. Blog, Stores) and add the item. For external collections, ask the site owner to adjust the settings.

The server returns a collection item ID error

This error can occur for various reasons, displaying an error message over the collection content area. The collection header and options, including the + Add Item button, are still visible.

To resolve: Refresh the collection and try to add an item again. If the issue persists, contact Customer Care.

A collection is not available (deleted, doesn't exist or the server can't find it)

If a collection is deleted or unavailable, an error message will display to let you know.

To resolve:  If a collection was deleted accidentally, use backups to restore it.

Check your collection field types

The collection field type determines what kind of data you can store in the collection fields. For example, you can store only number values in a Number field type. Elements you connect to the CMS also have limitations on which types of fields they can connect. For example, the Rich Content element can only connect to the Rich Content field type.

If you're having issues with storing the correct kind of data in your fields or connecting elements to them, check that you're using the correct field types.

Learn more about the types of content you can store in each collection field type.

FAQs

Click below to learn how to troubleshoot other collection issues.

Why do I get this message: "Collection didn't load due to a syntax error"?

This error can occur if you're using Velo and data hooks. If you get this error, review your data.js file and confirm that the syntax and formatting is correct. Learn more about using data hooks in Velo.

Why do I get a "Server didn't respond" error when my collection doesn't load?

If you get a "Server didn't respond" error message, refresh the page and try again.

If it still doesn't load, go to the Monitoring Dashboard, click the Data requests tab and select the relevant collection. Then check the error codes in the Failed data requests by error section to learn how to resolve the issue.

Watch a tutorial on monitoring your code for performance and error handling in the Wix Studio academy.

If you still need help, contact us for support.

Why does it take my collection so long to load?

If you have thousands of items or a large number of referenced items, it may take longer than expected for your collection to load.

You can solve this issue by adding indexes to larger collections or the collections that are being referenced. For example, if a collection has 10 items, but has multi-reference fields for 20 other collections, the collection with 10 items might load slowly. In this case, you could use an index in the 20 referenced collections to improve the data recovery speed.

Why are my CMS dynamic pages showing a 404 error?

A 404 error on your live site's dynamic pages usually means the CMS collection or the dynamic page is not properly connected. Check the CMS collection to ensure all items are published and linked correctly to the dynamic page. Also, verify that the dynamic page URL structure matches the field values in your collection. If you’ve recently changed the URL structure or SEO settings, update the links accordingly.

Tip: If the issue persists, clear your browser cache or try accessing the page from an incognito window to rule out caching issues.

Why is my repeater, gallery, or table not displaying the correct data from the CMS?

Ensure that the repeater, gallery, or table is properly connected to the relevant dataset. Check that the dataset is linked to the correct CMS collection and that the fields in the repeater are mapped to the correct collection fields.

Tip: If using sandbox collections, after making changes, always sync the sandbox and live collections to ensure the data is up-to-date on your live site.

How can I increase the number of items displayed on a dynamic page or repeater?

Open the dataset settings in the editor and adjust the Items per load field that controls the maximum number of items displayed on the page. For example, increase the limit from 13 to a higher number, such as 20 or 25.

Tip: If you have a large collection, consider adding a pagination bar or a 'Load more' button.

Why do some images in my CMS collection appear as broken or corrupted?

This can happen if the images were not uploaded correctly or became corrupted during the upload process. Delete the corrupted images from the CMS and re-upload them. You can also add images to the CMS collection fields by pasting their image URLs in the fields.

Note: Always ensure your images are less than 25MB each and are in supported formats: JPG, PNG, SVG, or GIF

Why are empty values appearing in my CMS collection and can I delete them?

Empty values in your CMS database can occur if fields were added but not filled in. If the empty entries are not connected to any live pages or elements, you can safely delete them.

Note: Before deleting, double-check to ensure no live site elements depend on these empty values.