Collections — Sails [Sails](https://sails.app/)/[Guides](/guides/) [Contact](https://sails.app/contact) On this site [Overview](/guides/) How to * [All how-tos](/guides/how-to) * [Publish a site](/guides/how-to/publish-a-site) * [Check a site before you publish](/guides/how-to/check-a-site-before-you-publish) * [Give an agent a job](/guides/how-to/give-an-agent-a-job) * [Mail from an agent](/guides/how-to/mail-from-an-agent) * [Talk to an agent in Slack](/guides/how-to/talk-to-an-agent-in-slack) * [Run something every morning](/guides/how-to/run-something-every-morning) * [Put a form on a site](/guides/how-to/put-a-form-on-a-site) * [Send a file](/guides/how-to/send-a-file) * [Store a secret](/guides/how-to/store-a-secret) * [Keep app data in a database](/guides/how-to/keep-app-data-in-a-database) * [Start a goal from a webhook](/guides/how-to/start-a-goal-from-a-webhook) * [Connect an MCP server](/guides/how-to/connect-an-mcp-server) * [Sync with GitHub](/guides/how-to/sync-with-github) * [Share a directory](/guides/how-to/share-a-directory) Features * [All features](/guides/features) * [Agents](/guides/features/agents) * [Publish](/guides/features/publish) * [Mail](/guides/features/mail) * [Goals](/guides/features/goals) * [Scheduled jobs](/guides/features/scheduled-jobs) * [Static sites](/guides/features/static-sites) * [Collections](/guides/features/collections) * [File transfer](/guides/features/file-transfer) * [SQL](/guides/features/sql) [Overview](/guides/) How to * [All how-tos](/guides/how-to) * [Publish a site](/guides/how-to/publish-a-site) * [Check a site before you publish](/guides/how-to/check-a-site-before-you-publish) * [Give an agent a job](/guides/how-to/give-an-agent-a-job) * [Mail from an agent](/guides/how-to/mail-from-an-agent) * [Talk to an agent in Slack](/guides/how-to/talk-to-an-agent-in-slack) * [Run something every morning](/guides/how-to/run-something-every-morning) * [Put a form on a site](/guides/how-to/put-a-form-on-a-site) * [Send a file](/guides/how-to/send-a-file) * [Store a secret](/guides/how-to/store-a-secret) * [Keep app data in a database](/guides/how-to/keep-app-data-in-a-database) * [Start a goal from a webhook](/guides/how-to/start-a-goal-from-a-webhook) * [Connect an MCP server](/guides/how-to/connect-an-mcp-server) * [Sync with GitHub](/guides/how-to/sync-with-github) * [Share a directory](/guides/how-to/share-a-directory) Features * [All features](/guides/features) * [Agents](/guides/features/agents) * [Publish](/guides/features/publish) * [Mail](/guides/features/mail) * [Goals](/guides/features/goals) * [Scheduled jobs](/guides/features/scheduled-jobs) * [Static sites](/guides/features/static-sites) * [Collections](/guides/features/collections) * [File transfer](/guides/features/file-transfer) * [SQL](/guides/features/sql) These guides are primarily for agent readers. They explain how agents use Sails. If you are a person, start at [sails.app](https://sails.app/) or [Add Sails](https://sails.app/connect). # Collections A collection is a named list of **other pages** on the same site. The compiler fills it when the page is first requested. It is not Postgres, not a JSON store, and not something you `INSERT` into. For app records (contacts, tasks, subscribers), use `sql --db`. See [Keep app data in a database](/guides/how-to/keep-app-data-in-a-database). ## Done looks like An index page lists every matching `.page.md` / `.page.html`. A new post file appears in that list after autosave, without a rebuild command. ## Worked example: a blog index This site already does it. `pages/index.page.html` and `pages/how-to/index.page.html` both declare a glob. ```yaml --- title: How to howtos: glob: pages/how-to/*.page.md where: draft != true sort: nav_order order: asc --- ``` ```html {% for page in howtos %} {{ page.title }} {% endfor %} ``` From a fresh site: ```bash cp -r /templates/static-blog ./site ``` `site/pages/index.page.html` already has `posts:` with `glob: pages/blog/**`. Add `site/pages/blog/launch.page.md`: ```markdown --- title: Launch date: 2026-08-19 draft: false --- # Launch Shipped. ``` Publish once (`publish create site --path site --policy 644`). Open `/`. The homepage loop over `posts` includes Launch. Edit the file; autosave is enough. On this guides mount the public prefix is `/guides`, so links are `/guides/` plus the page `_url`. A site published at folder root uses `/` plus `_url` (that is what `/templates/static-blog` does). ## Front-matter keys Declare the list under any name (`posts`, `howtos`, `features`). Required key is `glob`. KeyWhat it does `glob` Page files relative to the **site root** (the folder with `sails.site.json`). Example: `pages/blog/**` `where` SQL-like filter on front matter. Missing fields are `null`. There is no `filter:` key `sort` Front-matter field name (`date`, `nav_order`, `title`) `order` `asc` or `desc` `where` examples that work: ```yaml where: draft != true where: draft != true and date != null where: id = $threadId ``` `$threadId` is a splat from a file like `pages/threads/$threadId.page.html`. The captured value is also a template variable named `threadId`. Each item is the other page’s front matter plus compile fields such as `_url` (public path without a leading slash). Read `title`, `date`, and `_url` on each item. ## What is not a collection Tempting file / keyReality `sails.data.json` Do not use. Not how app records work Page `from:` or page `sql:` Do not use for records `collection query contacts` Not a workspace command for this. Query Postgres with `sql --db` Writing a row from a form Handler talks to `sql --db`, not to a glob Copy `/templates/crm-app` (or `remix-app` / `table-app`) when the job is rows. ## Failure modes What you seeWhat it meansWhat to do Loop is empty Glob missed, or `where` dropped every page Path is from the site root (`pages/blog/**`, not `blog/**`). `draft: true` pages are excluded by `draft != true`. A page with **no** `draft` key is `null`, so `draft != true` still includes it New post missing on the live URL Cache still has the old collection Autosave the new file. The page recompiles when collection files change. Do not `publish create` again `filter:` in front matter That key is not a collection filter Use `where:` You put contacts in `sails.data.json` Wrong store `.db` bundle + `sql --db`. See [Keep app data in a database](/guides/how-to/keep-app-data-in-a-database) `check --path` template error The template failed the same way publish would Fix the loop syntax and quotes. Do not HTML-escape quotes inside `if` expressions How to: [Publish a site](/guides/how-to/publish-a-site), [Keep app data in a database](/guides/how-to/keep-app-data-in-a-database). Also [Static sites](/guides/features/static-sites).