Create Collections

Collections are the primary way to organize content in md0 CMS. A collection represents a group of content files that share the same structure and purpose, such as blog posts, documentation pages, or product listings.

What is a Collection?

A collection is a set of markdown files that:

• Live in a specific directory or path pattern in your repository
• Share a common frontmatter schema
• Represent the same content type (posts, docs, pages, etc.)
• Can be managed together as a group

Creating Your First Collection

Basic Collection Setup

1. Navigate to your connected repository
2. Click "Collections" in the sidebar
3. Click "Create Collection"
4. Fill in the collection details:

Name: Blog Posts
Label: Posts
Path Pattern: content/posts/**/*.md
Description: Blog articles and tutorials

Collection Fields

Name (required)

• Internal identifier for the collection
• Used in navigation and settings
• Example: "Blog Posts", "Documentation", "Team Members"

Label (optional)

• Plural label shown in the UI
• Defaults to name if not specified
• Example: "Posts", "Docs", "Members"

Path Pattern (required)

• Glob pattern matching files in your repository
• Determines which files belong to this collection
• Example: content/blog/**/*.md

Description (optional)

• Helper text for content creators
• Explains the purpose of this collection
• Shows in the collection overview

Understanding Path Patterns

Path patterns use glob syntax to match files in your repository.

Basic Patterns

The two patterns you'll use most often:

# Match all .md files in a specific directory
content/posts/*.md

# Match .md files recursively in subdirectories
content/posts/**/*.md

Use *.md for a flat folder of files, and **/*.md once you start organizing posts into subfolders (by year, category, and so on).

For character sets, ranges, negation, and other advanced patterns, see Advanced Collection Patterns.

Collection Examples

Blog Collection

Name: Blog Posts
Path Pattern: content/blog/**/*.md
Description: Blog articles, tutorials, and announcements

Matches:

• content/blog/my-first-post.md
• content/blog/2024/january/new-features.md
• content/blog/tutorials/getting-started.md

Documentation Collection

Name: Documentation
Path Pattern: docs/**/*.mdx
Description: Product documentation and guides

Matches:

• docs/getting-started.mdx
• docs/api/authentication.mdx
• docs/guides/deployment.mdx

Multiple Collections

Create separate collections for different content types:

# Collection 1: Blog Posts
Name: Blog Posts
Path: content/posts/**/*.md

# Collection 2: Documentation
Name: Documentation
Path: docs/**/*.mdx

# Collection 3: Pages
Name: Pages
Path: src/pages/*.md

Collection Settings

Advanced Options

File Extension

• Specify .md or .mdx or both
• Set via path pattern: **/*.{md,mdx}

Slug Field

• Field used to generate URLs
• Usually title or slug
• Can be customized per collection

Preview Path

• Template for preview URLs
• Example: /blog/{slug}
• Enables live preview of content

Sort By

• Default field for sorting entries
• Common: date, title, order
• Can be changed in collection view

Sort Order

• Ascending or descending
• Descending for blog posts (newest first)
• Ascending for docs (alphabetical)

Collection Organization Strategies

By Content Type

Organize collections by what they represent:

Posts: content/posts/**/*.md
Pages: content/pages/**/*.md
Docs: docs/**/*.mdx

By Section

For documentation sites:

Getting Started: docs/getting-started/**/*.md
Guides: docs/guides/**/*.md
API Reference: docs/api/**/*.md

By Date

For blogs with date-based structure:

2024 Posts: content/posts/2024/**/*.md
2023 Posts: content/posts/2023/**/*.md

By Status

Separate drafts from published content:

Published: content/posts/**/!(_)*.md
Drafts: content/drafts/**/*.md

Managing Collections

Editing Collections

1. Go to Collections settings
2. Click the collection to edit
3. Update name, path, or description
4. Save changes

Note: Changing path patterns may affect which files appear in the collection.

Deleting Collections

1. Go to Collections settings
2. Click the collection to delete
3. Confirm deletion

Important: Deleting a collection does not delete files from your repository - only the collection configuration in md0 CMS.

Reordering Collections

Drag and drop collections in the sidebar to reorder them for easier navigation.

Collection Filters

Filter entries within a collection:

By Frontmatter Field

# Show only published posts
published: true

# Show posts from specific category
category: "Tutorial"

# Show posts by author
author: "Jane Doe"

By Date Range

# Posts from last 30 days
date: last_30_days

# Posts from 2024
date: 2024

Best Practices

Naming Conventions

• Use clear, descriptive collection names
• Pluralize collection names ("Posts" not "Post")
• Match naming to your site's structure
• Be consistent across collections

Path Patterns

• Use **/* for recursive matching
• Be specific to avoid unintended matches
• Test patterns with your repository structure
• Document complex patterns

Collection Structure

• One collection per content type
• Keep schemas focused and minimal
• Use filters instead of many collections
• Consider editor workflows when organizing

Troubleshooting

No Files Appearing

Check:

• Path pattern matches your repository structure
• File extensions match pattern (.md vs .mdx)
• Files contain valid frontmatter
• Repository connection is active

Solution:

• Verify pattern in repository file browser
• Update path pattern to match actual structure
• Check file encoding and syntax

Wrong Files in Collection

Check:

• Path pattern is too broad
• Multiple collections with overlapping patterns
• Unexpected files in matched directories

Solution:

• Make path pattern more specific
• Use exclusion patterns: !(**/drafts/**)
• Reorganize repository structure

Collection Performance

For large collections (1000+ files):

• Use more specific path patterns
• Split into multiple collections
• Consider archiving old content
• Contact support for optimization help

Next Steps

After creating collections:

1. Define Schemas for frontmatter fields
2. Configure Patterns for advanced setups
3. Start Editing your content

Related Documentation

• Collection Patterns - Advanced pattern techniques
• Schema Configuration - Define frontmatter fields
• GitHub Sync - How collections sync with GitHub