How can I create a blog with a category filter as a side menu in Webflow without having to manually create separate pages for each category and set up filters?

To create a blog with a category filter as a side menu in Webflow without manually creating separate pages for each category and setting up filters, you can follow these steps:

1. Set up your Collection:

• In your Webflow project, create a Collection for your blog posts. Include fields for the post title, content, category, and any other relevant information.
• Add a reference field to link each post to a category. This will allow you to associate each post with a specific category.

1. Design the Blog Template:

• Create a template page for your blog posts that will be used for all posts. Include dynamic elements to display the post title, content, and other relevant information.
• Add a dynamic list to display a list of blog posts on the page. Set the list to pull data from the Collection you created earlier.
• Use conditional visibility to filter the list based on the category selected in the side menu.

1. Create the Side Menu:

• Design a side menu on your blog template or create a symbol that can be reused across all pages.
• Add a dynamic list or dropdown field to the side menu to display the available categories.
• Link each category item to the corresponding category collection page.

1. Set up Collection Pages:

• Create a Collection Template page for the category collection. This template will be used for each category page.
• Design the page layout, including the dynamic list that will display the posts filtered by category.
• Use the conditional visibility feature to filter the posts based on the category selected in the side menu.
• Link each post to its respective blog post page.

1. Apply Styles and Interactions:

• Customize the styling of your blog template, side menu, and category pages to match your desired design.
• Apply interactions or animations to enhance the user experience, such as highlighting the active category in the side menu.

1. Publish and Test:

• Once everything is set up, publish your Webflow site and test the functionality of the category filter side menu.
• Make sure the blog posts are correctly filtered based on the selected category, and that clicking on a post takes you to the individual blog post page.

By following these steps, you can create a blog with a category filter as a side menu in Webflow. This method allows you to dynamically filter and display the blog posts without having to manually create separate pages for each category and set up filters.

Additional Questions:

1. How can I create a dynamic category filter in Webflow for my blog?
2. Can I customize the design of the category filter in Webflow without coding?
3. Is it possible to add additional fields to my blog post template in Webflow?