CMS: Changing a Field Type in a Collection

5 min read

Change the type of data you can store in a CMS (Content Management System) collection field by changing the field type. Keep in mind that changing the field type of a field that is connected to page elements can disconnect the elements on your live site.

Tip:

If the field type you want to change is connected to elements on your site, rather than changing the field type, consider creating a new field instead. You can paste your existing field's data to the new field. This ensures page elements connected to the existing field remain intact.

In this article, learn more about:

Effects of changing a field type

Consider the effects of changing a field type to ensure your live site content remains connected and functioning as expected. Since field types determine the type of data you can keep in each field, changing them can disconnect any of their connected page elements. This can result in page elements displaying no content at all or not working as expected.

Other problems that can occur as a result of changing a field type:

If you have dynamic pages that use the field as a filter, the links to the pages may no longer work.
If you have a dataset that uses the field to filter or sort content, the connection may break between the elements and the collection.

In your collection, if you have fields with values that do not match the field type, a Warning icon

appears to let you know. If available, you can click to convert the value so it matches the correct field type format.

A screenshot showing the warning message you see in your collection fields if the data doesn't match the field type.

Restore collections:

Keep in mind, if you make a mistake and need to revert your collection to a previous version, you can do so with Backups.

Changing a field type in your CMS collection

In your CMS collection, you can change a field's field type to control the kind of data it can store.

To change a field type:

Go to CMS in your site's dashboard.
Click the relevant collection.
Click Manage Fields.
Hover over the relevant field in the list and click the More Actions icon .
Note: You can also click the column header of a field.
Click Edit.
Click Change type next to the field type.
Select the new field type and click Change Field Type.

A screenshot of choosing from the available field types.

Click Save.
Click the Yes, change field type checkbox then click Confirm.

FAQs

Click below for answers to frequently asked questions about changing field types.

What content can I store in each field type?

The field type you select determines what kind of content you can store in it. Choose from the following supported field types:

Text: Store plain text for use with titles, descriptions, and other text-based content.
Image: Store image files such as JPG, PNG, and GIF file types.
Tip: You can add images to fields by pasting their image URLs in the fields.
Media Gallery: Store multiple images or videos in each field.
Boolean: Store binary "true" or "false" values that appear as checkboxes in the collection fields.
Number: Store numerical data for various purposes (e.g. quantity, price, dimensions).
Date: Store date and optional time values associated with content items.
Time: Store time information for associated items independently of the date.
Rich Content: Create and manage content with rich text formatting, media embeds, and other advanced features directly in your CMS.
Rich Text: Create and manage text using formatting options, directly in your CMS.
Reference: Create a relationship between content items by referencing another content item.
Multi-Reference: Create many relationships between content items by referencing multiple other content items. Those references can also be linked to multiple sources.
URL: Store web addresses for use with creating hyperlinks and navigational links.
Document: Store single document files for each item such as PDFs, CSVs, and more.
Tip: You can add documents to fields by pasting their document URLs in the fields.
Multi Document: Store multiple document files for each item. You can also add multiple documents to fields by pasting their URLs in the fields.
Video: Store single video files for each item using file types such as AVI, MPEG, MOV and more.
Audio: Store single audio files for each item using file types such as MP3, WAV, FLAC, and more.
Address: Store structured data for physical addresses such as street names, city, state/province, postal code, and country.
Tags: Manage and categorize content items using keywords or descriptive labels.
Array: Input and manage multiple values within a single field. You can use the array field type to handle a collection of related data, such as a list of options, tags, or other sets of related values.
Object: Manage complex and structured data using custom objects or data structures. You can use the object field type to store and organize multiple related pieces of data as a single unit.

Learn more about supported field types and their limitations.

Can I revert my collection to a previous version if I make a mistake?

Can I choose field types when importing a CSV file to a collection?

Did this help?

In this article

Effects of changing a field type
Changing a field type in your CMS collection
FAQs

Hire a Professional

Get matched with a Wix Partner who can help you reach your site goals.

Get Matched