Source: https://docs.amadalis.ai/composer/collection-index/

# List a collection on a page

Checked against the product’s code on 7 November 2026.

Use **[Collection index](https://docs.amadalis.ai/reference/glossary/#collection-index)** to introduce an existing [collection](https://docs.amadalis.ai/reference/glossary/#collection) and list its entries. It starts a page with **Hero**, **[Live list](https://docs.amadalis.ai/reference/glossary/#live-list)**, **Rich text**, **FAQ** and **Call to action** sections. It creates a page draft, not a collection or its records.

Anyone with permission to create content can start the draft. For collection setup and permissions, see EmDash’s [Content Types](https://docs.amadalis.ai/content/content-types/) screen. The collection must already exist before the list can read it.

## Choose a starting point

There are three related choices:

| Choice | Where | What it starts |
| --- | --- | --- |
| **Collection index** page type | **Composer** > **New page** > **Page type** | Five basic draft sections to finish. |
| **Collection index** page template | **Add to the page** > **Page templates** | The five sections with their designed starting settings. |
| **Collection index with paging** | The **Live list** section’s starting versions in **Add to the page** | One list section with the paged grid settings below. |

The [page type](https://docs.amadalis.ai/reference/glossary/#page-type) and the designed [template](https://docs.amadalis.ai/reference/glossary/#page-template) are separate choices. **Create draft** does not automatically apply the named list preset. A page template adds sections to the current draft; review **Structure** for sections already there.

[![The Collection index page template details list the five sections it would add to the current draft: Hero, Live list, Rich text, FAQ and Call to action.](https://docs.amadalis.ai/images/steps/S172-p5-page-template-details.png)](https://docs.amadalis.ai/images/steps/S172-p5-page-template-details.png "Open full-size image")

A page template adds sections to the page you are editing.

The [preset](https://docs.amadalis.ai/reference/glossary/#preset) has **Light** and **Dark** catalogue previews. Both show an empty example in Clean. They show the design, not the entries on your site, and do not activate a theme.

[![Live list’s Collection index with paging starting version is selected with its catalogue preview.](https://docs.amadalis.ai/images/steps/2026-11-05-coverage-and-stale/S173-p5-list-starting-version.png)](https://docs.amadalis.ai/images/steps/2026-11-05-coverage-and-stale/S173-p5-list-starting-version.png "Open full-size image")

This preview shows the designed starting example.

[![Composer catalogue with Collection index with paging selected and its empty list preview open, labelled Rendered preview, Clean theme.](https://docs.amadalis.ai/images/steps/2026-11-05-coverage-and-stale/S179-p5-catalogue-thumbnail.png)](https://docs.amadalis.ai/images/steps/2026-11-05-coverage-and-stale/S179-p5-catalogue-thumbnail.png "Open full-size image")

A catalogue example is separate from the entries on your site.

## Create the page draft

1.  Open **Composer**.
    
2.  Choose **New page**.
    
3.  Enter a **Title**.
    
4.  If needed, use **Filter page types (optional)** to find **Collection index**.
    
5.  Select **Collection index**.
    
    [![New page dialog with a title entered, Collection index selected and Create draft available.](https://docs.amadalis.ai/images/steps/S170-p5-page-type.png)](https://docs.amadalis.ai/images/steps/S170-p5-page-type.png "Open full-size image")
    
    Choose the page type before creating the draft.
    
6.  Choose **Create draft**.
    
7.  Review the five sections.
    
8.  Finish the words that need your facts.
    
    [![The new Collection index draft has Hero, Live list, Rich text, FAQ and Call to action in Structure.](https://docs.amadalis.ai/images/steps/S171-p5-basic-draft-structure.png)](https://docs.amadalis.ai/images/steps/S171-p5-basic-draft-structure.png "Open full-size image")
    
    The page type starts five basic sections for you to finish.
    
9.  Select **Live list**.
    
10.  Open **Settings**.
     
     Its source starts with posts.
     
     Keep one collection selected in **Show**. The list uses the first saved collection; clearing the field uses posts again. A custom collection needs public entry addresses and must not be hidden.
     
     The collection and term suggestions do not reliably offer the right choices yet. Ask the copilot to set the list to your existing collection or filter, then check the saved values. Typing a name and pressing Enter alone does not add it.
     
11.  Set the existing collection you want under **Show**.
     
12.  Check the settings below.
     
13.  Choose **Apply changes**.
     
14.  Open **Open preview**.
     

## Choose the entries

In **Settings**, the **Words** group includes **Show**, **In these categories**, **With these tags**, **In these terms**, **By this author** and **Matching these words**. Leave a filter empty to keep that part unrestricted. Use the collection’s actual categories, tags and authors.

[![Live list Words settings show posts as the saved source, as a chip in Show, with the category, tag and term filters empty.](https://docs.amadalis.ai/images/steps/S174-p5-saved-source-filters.png)](https://docs.amadalis.ai/images/steps/S174-p5-saved-source-filters.png "Open full-size image")

Check the saved source before narrowing its entries.

[![Composer Live list Words settings with By this author and Matching these words empty above How many per page.](https://docs.amadalis.ai/images/steps/S174-p5-saved-source-filters-2.png)](https://docs.amadalis.ai/images/steps/S174-p5-saved-source-filters-2.png "Open full-size image")

The remaining filters narrow the same saved source.

**In these terms** is for a collection’s other taxonomies, which group its entries. The saved value joins the taxonomy and term, such as `project_category:residential`. **By this author** uses the author’s address name. **Matching these words** narrows titles and readable body content.

In **Layout**, **Order** chooses the date or title order. **By its date, soonest first** and **By its date, latest first** use **Its date field**, which takes a datetime field’s slug from the selected collection. **Only dates still to come** leaves out earlier dates. If that switch is on without a usable datetime field, the list shows no entries. **Skip the first** leaves entries out before the list starts. **Featured (sticky) posts** chooses whether featured posts lead, stay in date order, are left out or are the only entries shown. **Page like the site’s own post listing**, under **Words**, limits that featured lead to the first page when featured posts are set to lead.

The public list uses published entries. Its cards read their titles, pictures, excerpts and other recorded details from those entries. Edit the source entry to change those words.

If an entry’s access cannot be checked, its card leaves out the excerpt. Title matches can still appear in a search, but the entry’s body text is not searched while that check is unavailable.

## Use the paged grid

The catalogue defines **Collection index with paging** with the settings below. Its preview shows that full example. When you insert it, the layout choices carry over, but its headline, empty sentence and numbers do not. Set the fields yourself:

1.  Finish **Headline**.
2.  Finish **When there is nothing to show**.
3.  Set **How many per page**.
4.  Set **Skip the first**.
5.  Set **Columns (grid only)**.

Use these values for the paged grid, or choose your own. You can set them on the basic list created by **New page** too:

| Control | Group in Settings | Catalogue value in the named preset |
| --- | --- | --- |
| **Headline** | **Words** | Browse the collection |
| **Show** | **Words** | Posts |
| **How many per page** | **Words** | 12 |
| **Skip the first** | **Layout** | 0 |
| **Layout** | **Layout** | **Card grid** |
| **Columns (grid only)** | **Layout** | 3; a phone uses one column |
| **Paging** | **Words** | **Page numbers, with previous and next** |
| **Pager address** | **Words** | `collection-index` |
| **Say how many were found** | **Words** | **Both, the count first** |
| **When there is nothing to show** | **Words** | No entries found. |

[![Live list Words settings show Paging set to page numbers with previous and next, the pager address collection-index, both counts with the count first, and the explicit empty message No entries found.](https://docs.amadalis.ai/images/steps/2026-11-05-coverage-and-stale/S175-p5-list-words-finished.png)](https://docs.amadalis.ai/images/steps/2026-11-05-coverage-and-stale/S175-p5-list-words-finished.png "Open full-size image")

Finish these saved choices before opening the preview.

[![The same Words settings show the headline Browse the collection above the saved posts source.](https://docs.amadalis.ai/images/steps/2026-11-05-coverage-and-stale/S175-p5-list-words-finished-headline.png)](https://docs.amadalis.ai/images/steps/2026-11-05-coverage-and-stale/S175-p5-list-words-finished-headline.png "Open full-size image")

The headline is one of the choices you set by hand.

[![The same Words settings show How many per page set to 12.](https://docs.amadalis.ai/images/steps/2026-11-05-coverage-and-stale/S175-p5-list-words-finished-page-size.png)](https://docs.amadalis.ai/images/steps/2026-11-05-coverage-and-stale/S175-p5-list-words-finished-page-size.png "Open full-size image")

Set the page size yourself.

[![Live list Layout settings show Skip the first set to zero and Layout set to Card grid.](https://docs.amadalis.ai/images/steps/2026-11-05-coverage-and-stale/S175-p5-list-layout-finished.png)](https://docs.amadalis.ai/images/steps/2026-11-05-coverage-and-stale/S175-p5-list-layout-finished.png "Open full-size image")

Review the list’s layout separately from its words.

[![The same Layout settings show Card grid with Columns (grid only) set to 3.](https://docs.amadalis.ai/images/steps/2026-11-05-coverage-and-stale/S175-p5-list-layout-finished-columns.png)](https://docs.amadalis.ai/images/steps/2026-11-05-coverage-and-stale/S175-p5-list-layout-finished-columns.png "Open full-size image")

Choose the number of grid columns.

The captured editor labels the grid column field Columns. These settings were entered by hand, rather than kept from the catalogue example.

**How many per page** sets the page size. **Say how many were found** can hide the figures, show the total, show the current range or show both. Page links appear when the list has more than one page. If you place another paged list on the page, give it a different **Pager address**.

Under **Words**, choose **Show the featured image**, **Show the excerpt**, **Show the date**, **Show the author**, **Show the categories** and **Show a read-more link**. The named preset keeps pictures, excerpts and dates on; authors, categories and read-more links off. **Excerpt length (words)** controls the summary length. **Show the price** can display a recorded product price; this preset leaves it unset.

The list skips details an entry does not have. It does not invent a picture, date or summary. Use [the Collection index reference](https://docs.amadalis.ai/reference/page-types/collection-index/) to compare every query and display control with the basic Live list starter.

## Check the empty state

Set **When there is nothing to show** to **No entries found.** On a page using a library theme or on a site that was not migrated, an empty result shows that sentence without **0 results found** or **Displaying 0 of 0**, even when both counts are selected. It shows no cards or page links. Custom and imported themes on migrated sites keep their earlier empty-count behaviour. Change **When there is nothing to show** to use your own sentence.

[![The draft Live list shows “Browse the collection” and “No entries found.” without zero counts, cards or page links on a library theme.](https://docs.amadalis.ai/images/steps/2026-11-05-coverage-and-stale/S178-p5-explicit-empty-result.png)](https://docs.amadalis.ai/images/steps/2026-11-05-coverage-and-stale/S178-p5-explicit-empty-result.png "Open full-size image")

An explicit empty message explains this empty list.

[![The same draft Live list shows its empty message without zero counts, cards or page links at phone width.](https://docs.amadalis.ai/images/steps/2026-11-05-coverage-and-stale/S178-p5-explicit-empty-result-phone.png)](https://docs.amadalis.ai/images/steps/2026-11-05-coverage-and-stale/S178-p5-explicit-empty-result-phone.png "Open full-size image")

Check the empty result on a phone too.

The same empty message can appear when the source or list cannot be read. Check the selected collection, filters and published entries before treating it as an empty collection. A list that has not loaded at all does not invent public rows; the Composer can still keep its section selectable.

## How this differs from Live list

**Collection index** is a page recipe. **Live list** is the section that reads and draws the entries. You can place a Live list on another kind of page without using this recipe. The list can update as matching entries are published; it does not require you to rewrite each card on the index page.

Review the introduction, supporting copy, questions and next action as well as the list. Use the normal [preview and publishing steps](https://docs.amadalis.ai/composer/composer/#review-and-publish) when the page is ready.