How can I create a search functionality in Webflow that filters through CMS collections to show only those with matching text?

To create a search functionality in Webflow that filters through CMS collections and shows only those with matching text, you can follow these steps:

1. Set up your CMS collection:

• In the Webflow Designer, go to the "CMS" tab and create a new CMS collection or use an existing one.
• Add a Text field to your collection that will hold the searchable text content.
• Populate your collection with items and add content to the Text field.

1. Design your search form:

• Drag and drop a Form element onto your page.
• Add an Input element inside the form for the search query.
• You can also add a Button element to submit the search.

1. Set up the search functionality:

• Select the Form element and go to the settings panel on the right side of the Designer.
• Under "Form Settings", set the Method to GET. This will make the search query visible in the URL.
• Under "Form Actions", put a unique URL slug for the search results page in the Action field, e.g., "/search-results".
• Now select the Input element and go to the settings panel.
• Under "Field Settings", set the Name to something like "query", which will be used to pass the search query as a URL parameter.

1. Create the search results page:

• Create a new page and name it according to the slug you provided in the form action, e.g., "search-results".
• Drag and drop a Collection List element onto the page.
• Bind the collection list to the CMS collection you want to search through.
• Customize the design of the collection list to display the relevant information from each item.

1. Add custom code for filtering:

• Select the Collection List element and open the "Settings" panel on the right side of the Designer.
• Under "Filter", choose "Show all" initially.
• Click on the "Custom code" tab.
• In the Before tag </body> section, add custom code to filter the collection based on the search query.
• Use JavaScript to capture the search query from the URL parameter and filter the items based on the matching text in the CMS collection's Text field.
• Hide or display the corresponding collection items based on the search results.

1. Style and test the search functionality:

• Customize the design of the search form, search results page, and the filtered collection items to match your website's design.
• Publish your site and test the search functionality by entering search queries in the form and verifying that the results are filtered correctly.

Implementing a search functionality like this will enhance the user experience of your Webflow CMS-powered website and make it easier for visitors to find specific content.

Additional Questions:

1. How do I set up a search form in Webflow?
2. Can I search and filter through Webflow CMS collections?
3. What is the process to create a search results page in Webflow?