Wix Data Collection Builder

Creates CMS data collections for Wix CLI apps. The data collections extension allows your app to automatically create CMS collections when it’s installed on a site. Collections store structured data that can be accessed from dashboard pages, site pages, backend code, and external applications.

Important: This extension automatically enables the site’s code editor, which is required for the Wix Data APIs to work. Without this extension, apps using Data APIs would need the Wix user to manually enable the code editor on their site, which isn’t guaranteed. With the data collections extension, your app can reliably use Data APIs to read and write data in the collections.

File Structure

In Wix CLI apps, all CMS collections are defined in a single file:

File: src/data/extensions.ts

This file uses the extensions.genericExtension() pattern from @wix/astro/builders to register all collections:

import { extensions } from "@wix/astro/builders";

export const dataExtension = extensions.genericExtension({
  compId: "{{GENERATE_UUID}}",
  compName: "data-extension",
  compType: "DATA_COMPONENT",
  compData: {
    dataComponent: {
      collections: [
        // All collections defined here
      ],
    },
  },
});

CRITICAL: The compId must be a unique, static UUID string. Generate a fresh UUID v4 for each app – do NOT use randomUUID() or copy UUIDs from examples. After creating or modifying this file, follow wix-cli-extension-registration for UUID generation and to register the extension in src/extensions.ts (required for collections to work).

Key points:

• Single file contains all collections
• Uses extensions.genericExtension() from @wix/astro/builders
• Each collection includes: idSuffix, displayName, displayField, fields, dataPermissions, and optionally initialData
• displayField specifies which field the CMS displays when referencing items in this collection from other collections
• Collections are generated by merging operations (INSERT, UPDATE, DELETE) with existing collections
• See extension template for complete structure

Field Types

CRITICAL: OBJECT fields require objectOptions. When using type: "OBJECT", you MUST include the objectOptions property — the API will reject OBJECT fields without it. Use an empty object {} if you don’t need schema validation:

{
  "key": "settings",
  "displayName": "Settings",
  "type": "OBJECT",
  "objectOptions": {}
}

For structured objects, define nested fields inside objectOptions.fields:

{
  "key": "triggerRules",
  "displayName": "Trigger Rules",
  "type": "OBJECT",
  "objectOptions": {
    "fields": [
      { "key": "url", "displayName": "URL Condition", "type": "TEXT" },
      {
        "key": "scrollDepth",
        "displayName": "Scroll Depth %",
        "type": "NUMBER"
      },
      { "key": "dateStart", "displayName": "Start Date", "type": "DATE" }
    ]
  }
}

Field Properties

{
  "key": "email",
  "displayName": "Email Address",
  "type": "TEXT",
  "required": true,
  "unique": true,
  "defaultValue": null,
  "description": "User's primary email"
}

Naming Conventions

• Field keys: lowerCamelCase, ASCII only (e.g., productName, isActive, createdAt)
• Collection IDs (idSuffix): lower-kebab-case or lower_underscore (e.g., product-categories, blog_posts)
• Display names: Human-readable, can contain spaces (e.g., "Product Name", "Is Active")

App Namespace Scoping

Collections are automatically scoped with the app namespace to prevent conflicts between apps:

• idSuffix: "products" + app namespace "@company/app-name" = final CMS ID: "@company/app-name/products"
• When using referencedCollectionId in the extension schema, use the idSuffix only (not the full scoped ID) — the system resolves it automatically

IMPORTANT — Namespace setup: Before creating collections, the user must configure their app namespace in the app dashboard:

1. In the Custom Apps page, select an app.
2. In the left menu, select Develop > Extensions.
3. Click + Create Extension and find the Data Collections extension, then click + Create. A popup will appear to set the app namespace.

Once configured, ask the user for their app namespace (e.g., @company/app-name) so collection IDs can be correctly resolved.

IMPORTANT — API calls use the full collection ID: When querying or writing data via Wix Data APIs, you must use the full scoped collection ID (e.g., "@company/app-name/products"), not just the idSuffix. The idSuffix alone is only used within the extension schema definition.

System Fields (Automatic)

Every collection includes: _id, _createdDate, _updatedDate, _owner

Permissions

Access levels control who can read, create, update, and delete items in collections.

Common patterns:

• Public content (default, recommended): read: ANYONE, write: PRIVILEGED
• User-generated content: read: SITE_MEMBER, write: SITE_MEMBER_AUTHOR
• Editorial workflow: read: ANYONE, write: CMS_EDITOR
• Private/admin: read: PRIVILEGED, write: PRIVILEGED

Permission hierarchy (most to least restrictive): PRIVILEGED > CMS_EDITOR > SITE_MEMBER_AUTHOR > SITE_MEMBER > ANYONE > UNDEFINED

Relationships

One-to-One / Many-to-One (REFERENCE):

{
  "key": "category",
  "displayName": "Category",
  "type": "REFERENCE",
  "referenceOptions": {
    "referencedCollectionId": "categories"
  }
}

Many-to-Many (MULTI_REFERENCE):

{
  "key": "tags",
  "displayName": "Tags",
  "type": "MULTI_REFERENCE",
  "multiReferenceOptions": {
    "referencedCollectionId": "tags"
  }
}

CRITICAL Constraints:

• REFERENCE/MULTI_REFERENCE fields can ONLY link to other custom CMS collections defined in your app
• The referencedCollectionId MUST be the idSuffix of another collection in the same plan
• NEVER use REFERENCE fields to link to Wix business entities (Products, Orders, Contacts, Members, etc.)
• Use Wix SDK APIs to access Wix business entities instead

Collection Operations

Collections support three operation types for modifying collections:

INSERT

Creates a new collection or replaces an existing one with the same idSuffix.

Use when: Creating a new collection or completely replacing an existing collection.

UPDATE

Modifies an existing collection by merging new data with existing fields.

Use when: Adding fields, updating permissions, or modifying collection properties.

Behavior:

• If collection exists: Merges new data with existing collection
• If collection doesn’t exist: Treats update as insert (creates new collection)

DELETE

Removes a collection from the app.

Use when: Removing a collection that is no longer needed.

Behavior:

• Removes the collection from src/data/extensions.ts
• If all collections are deleted, the entire file is deleted

Merge logic: Operations are applied using a Map keyed by idSuffix. Existing collections are loaded into the Map first, then each operation modifies it: INSERT sets/replaces, UPDATE merges with existing (or creates if missing), DELETE removes. The final Map values become the output collections.

App Version Updates

Changes to your data collections extension require releasing a new major version of your app. When a user updates to the new major version, their collections are updated as follows:

• Adding a new collection: The new collection is created on the site.
• Removing a collection: If the old app version defined a collection and the new version doesn’t, the collection is removed from the site.
• Modifying a collection schema: Field additions, removals, and type changes are applied to the collection. Existing data is preserved.

Important notes:

• Collection changes only affect users who update to the new major version. Users who don’t update retain their current collections.
• Collection changes take up to 5 minutes to propagate after an update.
• Initial data is only imported when a collection is first created. If a collection already contains data, initialData is ignored during updates.

Wix CLI-Specific Constraints

Embedded Script Parameters vs Collections

CRITICAL: NEVER create CMS collections to store configuration for embedded scripts.

All embedded script configuration must go through embedded script parameters (embeddedScriptParameters), not CMS collections.

DO NOT create collections for:

• Colors, messages, headlines, text content
• Coupon codes, display settings
• UI customization (positions, sizes, styles)
• Timing settings, feature toggles
• Display frequencies, thresholds
• Minimums/maximums
• ANY configuration that controls how an embedded script behaves or appears

Examples of configuration (use parameters, NOT collections):

• Popup headline → embedded script parameter
• Coupon code → embedded script parameter
• Background color → embedded script parameter
• Display position → embedded script parameter
• Show/hide toggles → embedded script parameter

CMS collections should ONLY be created for:

• Business data (products, orders, inventory, etc.)
• User-generated content (reviews, comments, submissions)
• Event logs (if explicitly requested for analytics/tracking)
• Multi-record relational data that is NOT configuration

Decision Rule:

• If it controls HOW the embedded script works or looks → it’s configuration → use embedded script parameters
• If it’s business data or user-generated content → it’s data → use CMS collections

Site Widget Settings vs Collections

CRITICAL: Site widgets have a built-in settings panel (panel.tsx) that handles ALL widget configuration.

For SITE_WIDGET-only blueprints (no DASHBOARD_PAGE or other extensions):

• ALWAYS return collections: [] (empty array)
• The widget panel handles everything
• NEVER create collections to store widget configuration data

Configuration handled by widget panel (NOT collections):

• Target date/time for countdown → widget panel
• Display colors, fonts, sizes → widget panel
• Headlines, labels, messages → widget panel
• Feature toggles, show/hide options → widget panel
• Numeric settings (delays, intervals, thresholds) → widget panel

Only create collections for SITE_WIDGET when ALL of these conditions are met:

1. The blueprint ALSO includes a DASHBOARD_PAGE extension that needs to manage data the widget displays
2. OR the widget explicitly needs to display MULTIPLE records of user-generated/business data (not configuration)
3. AND the data is NOT configuration (dates, colors, settings, display options are ALWAYS configuration)

Anti-Patterns

Don’t create aggregated fields. If you have individual rating fields, calculate averages dynamically — don’t store computed values like averageRating.

Don’t duplicate configuration. If embedded script parameters already hold { headline, color }, don’t also create a CMS collection with the same data.

Don’t create single-value collections. A collection with one field like { theme: "dark" } should be an embedded script parameter or widget setting instead.

Initial Data Rules

Each item in initialData must match the collection schema exactly:

• Field keys must be lowerCamelCase and match the schema
• TEXT → string, NUMBER → number, BOOLEAN → boolean
• DATE/DATETIME → use { "$date": "2024-01-15T10:30:00.000Z" } format
• REFERENCE → provide the idSuffix of the referenced collection
• Required fields must always have values

Examples

Simple Collection with Initial Data

Request: “Create a collection for handling fees with example data”

Generated file: src/data/extensions.ts

import { extensions } from "@wix/astro/builders";

export const dataExtension = extensions.genericExtension({
  compId: "{{GENERATE_UUID}}",
  compName: "data-extension",
  compType: "DATA_COMPONENT",
  compData: {
    dataComponent: {
      collections: [
        {
          schemaUrl: "https://www.wix.com/",
          idSuffix: "additional-fees",
          displayName: "Additional Fees",
          displayField: "title",
          fields: [
            { key: "title", displayName: "Fee Title", type: "TEXT" },
            { key: "amount", displayName: "Fee Amount", type: "NUMBER" },
          ],
          dataPermissions: {
            itemRead: "ANYONE",
            itemInsert: "PRIVILEGED",
            itemUpdate: "PRIVILEGED",
            itemRemove: "PRIVILEGED",
          },
          initialData: [
            { title: "Handling Fee", amount: 5 },
            { title: "Gift Wrapping", amount: 3.5 },
          ],
        },
      ],
    },
  },
});

Collection with Reference Relationship

Request: “Create collections for products and categories with relationships”

Collections:

• categories – Category definitions
• products – Products that reference categories

Both collections are defined in the same src/data/extensions.ts file, with the products collection using a REFERENCE field to link to categories. See the extension template for a complete multi-collection example.

Common Patterns

Soft Delete: Add isDeleted (BOOLEAN, default: false)

Status/Workflow: Add status (TEXT) with values like draft/pending/published

URL Slug: Add slug (TEXT, unique) for SEO-friendly URLs

Owner Tracking: Add createdBy (REFERENCE → custom collection, not Members)

Note: For owner tracking, create a custom collection for users rather than referencing Wix Members directly.

Verification

After implementation, use wix-cli-app-validation to validate TypeScript compilation, build, preview, and runtime behavior.

Reference Documentation

• extension-template.ts – Template for src/data/extensions.ts

Public Documentation

• About Data Collections Extensions – When to use the extension, implementation options, and app version update behavior
• Add a Data Collections Extension in the App Dashboard – Step-by-step guide to configuring collections via the app dashboard JSON editor, with example configuration
• Data Collections Extension JSON Reference – Complete JSON schema and field definitions for the data collections extension