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Guide to Advanced Feeds (CMS Feeds)
How to create and set up a custom Feed, manage fields, and display posts as tiles in Zero Block
CMS Feeds allow you to flexibly customize content structure: use ready-made field sets or create your own for different tasks.
Read this guide to learn how to create and set up a CMS Feed, manage its fields, and display posts as tiles on a page using Zero Block.
Read this guide to learn how to create and set up a CMS Feed, manage its fields, and display posts as tiles on a page using Zero Block.
Creating a CMS Feed
First, connect CMS Feeds in the Site Settings. Then open Feeds and click Create new feed.
Enter the Feed title, select Custom (CMS) as its type, and click Next.
You can create and use both Informational and Custom (CMS) Feeds in the project.
In the next step, select the Feed structure. Choose Blank to configure fields from scratch, or use a ready-made field set, such as Blog, FAQ, or another option that best fits your task.
Click Create, and the Feed dashboard will open.
Click Create, and the Feed dashboard will open.
Any field set in a Custom (CMS) Feed can be edited: you can delete unnecessary fields, add new ones, or change their order.
After creating the Feed, open it. By default, examples of posts are created together with the selected structure. You can view them and then delete.
Adding and deleting fields
To start working with fields, open Feed Settings → Fields.
The Fields tab displays the current Feed structure. To add a field, click Add field. To edit an existing field, select it in the list. To delete a field, click the trash icon.
A field can also be temporarily disabled, duplicated, or moved in the list.
A field can also be temporarily disabled, duplicated, or moved in the list.
The Title field is required. It cannot be hidden, deleted, disabled, duplicated, or moved. It will always be the first field in the post card.
If you delete all custom fields or create a Blank Feed, only system fields will be displayed in the post card: title, post address, visibility, link to a custom page with a post, order number in the list of posts, and meta tag fields.
Editing fields
When adding a field, select its type: primary, secondary, or decorative.
Primary fields are used to create post content. These include one line input filed, multi-line text field, formatted text, block text editor, image, gallery, video, and media.
Secondary fields can be added depending on the project specific features. These include date, website, number field, color, dropdown list (selectbox), list with answer options, checkbox, and HTML.
Decorative fields help format and structure the field set. These include divider, white space, and text comment.
Secondary fields can be added depending on the project specific features. These include date, website, number field, color, dropdown list (selectbox), list with answer options, checkbox, and HTML.
Decorative fields help format and structure the field set. These include divider, white space, and text comment.
You can also set additional conditions and parameters for each field. To open them, click Additional.
Fill in all fields you need, such as the default value for the Image, Gallery or Media. Pay attention to the Required and Show field in post list options.
If Required option is enabled, the post cannot be saved until this field is filled in. This condition applies both when creating and editing a post.
If a default value is set for the field, it will be used until you change it manually.
If a default value is set for the field, it will be used until you change it manually.
If Show field in post list option is enabled, the field and its value will be displayed in the post table.
Restoring fields
A deleted field can be restored or permanently deleted. To do this, click Deleted fields in the Fields tab in the Settings.
A list of deleted fields will open. For each field, the deletion date and two available actions will be displayed: restore and delete.
After restoration, the field will appear in the post card again together with the previously saved value.
After restoration, the field will appear in the post card again together with the previously saved value.
Deleted fields are stored for 30 days and then permanently deleted. To delete a field permanently before this period expiration, click Delete.
If a deleted field contained data, a tooltip about deleted fields will appear in the post card. Click Show to view the fields and the values saved in them.
Values in deleted fields can be edited and saved. However, they will not be displayed on the published page and will be hidden again after you close the post card. To return them to the post card and the page, restore the fields on the Fields tab in the Feed Settings.
Creating a post page template in Zero Block
With Zero Block, you can create a page with a custom design for Feed posts. To do this, create a new page and assign it as the post page template in the Feed Settings. Then add Zero Block to the page and start configuring how Feed fields should be displayed.
To display Feed fields in Zero Block, click the Add new element icon and select a specific post field in the dropdown menu, or add all fields at once.
Creating post tiles in Zero Block
You can use the standard block to display posts from a custom Feed or you can create a custom-designed post tiles in Zero Block.
Create a new page or open an existing one, then add Zero Block to it.
Create a new page or open an existing one, then add Zero Block to it.
Click Block Editor and delete the example elements.
In the left upper corner, click the plus icon. In the element list, hover over Feeds. In the dropdown menu, select the custom Feed you created before.
A post tile layout for the selected Feed will be displayed in Zero Block. It consists of system groups and layers. Auto Layout is enabled by default for the tile layout.
Editing Feed tiles
Linking elements to Feed fields
System layers and groups in the tile layout are highlighted with a different color in the layers panel because they are linked to Feed variables.
Select any element in the tiles. The settings panel on the right will display the Content field with the filed linked to the element.
For example, if the post title is selected, the Content field will show the corresponding field.
Select any element in the tiles. The settings panel on the right will display the Content field with the filed linked to the element.
For example, if the post title is selected, the Content field will show the corresponding field.
To change the connection, click the field name. A menu with the following options will open:
- Not linked — disconnects the element from the field.
- Post fields — fields created for the selected Feed.
- System fields — fields automatically created for all posts.
- Feed fields — the Feed name and description.
If you select Not linked, the element will stop receiving data from the Feed and will become a regular Zero Block element. Its content will no longer be updated dynamically.
Adding an element to post tiles
To add another field to the tile layout, click the plus icon and select the required element, such as text.
The element will appear on the artboard and in the layers panel. To link it to a Feed field, move the layer into the Post group.
Post is the system group of the post card. You can add new elements to it and delete existing ones.
Posts is the system group of the entire tile layout. It contains repeating Post cards.
Posts is the system group of the entire tile layout. It contains repeating Post cards.
After the element is placed inside the Post group, the Link to Feed icon will appear in the settings panel on the right. Click it to select a Feed field.
In the dropdown menu, select the field you need, such as Publication date.
The element will be linked automatically to the selected field. The field name will appear in the Content setting. Additional formatting options may also appear in the settings panel. For example, for the publication date, you can select the display format.
When a text or graphic element is added to the post tiles group, it can be linked to Feed or category fields: title, description, and image.
The element color in the layers panel will also change. This means the element is linked to a Feed field and receives content dynamically.
You can customize the design of any element in the Post group.
In Zero Block, you can also add standard elements not linked to Feed fields.
Elements linked to Feed fields can only be added to the Post group. Standard elements can be placed above the Posts group. If you place an element directly inside the Posts group, an error message will appear.
Adding the Media field
If the Media field is used as the preview in the Feed, you need to add the corresponding elements to the Post card.
In the Zero Block editor, add the image, video, and gallery elements.
Place the added elements directly inside the Post group.
Link each element to the Feed field. To do this, click the field connection icon and select Media from the dropdown menu. You need to do this for all three elements: image, gallery, and video.
Save the changes and reload the editor so that connections are applied to all elements.
Save the changes and reload the editor so that connections are applied to all elements.
Now each post will display the type of media added to that post.
If you use only video as the post preview, you do not need to add all three elements. It is enough to add the Video element and link it to the Media field.
Adding secondary fields
You can add secondary fields of different types to a Feed: website, dropdown list, color, number field, list with answer options, checkbox, HTML, and date.
Date field. To display a custom post date, add a Date field to the Feed and set its value. Then, in the Zero Block editor, add a text element to the Post group and link it to this field.
Link field. If you need the posts to link to other pages, add a Website field to the Feed.
By default, each post automatically gets a link to the post page. With an additional Website field, you can specify a different URL.
To link the Website field to a Feed, add an element with a URL field, such as a button. Click the connection icon and select the custom link in the dropdown menu.
This link will be added to all Feed posts in the tile layout. Posts will open only when the linked element is clicked.
You do not need to create a separate element with a URL to connect your custom Website field. You can select the Post group and change the URL field connection from the system post link to a Feed link.
You do not need to create a separate element with a URL to connect your custom Website field. You can select the Post group and change the URL field connection from the system post link to a Feed link.
A post card can have only one link. You can set it either for a separate element in the URL field or for the entire Post group. It is not possible to set two links in one post card.
Color. You can add a Color field to the post card and use it in Zero Block settings where color selection is available, for example, to style tags.
In the example below, a Button element is added to the post tile layout. The Text field is linked to the Tags Feed field, and the background color uses the value from the Feed field with the same name.
In the example below, a Button element is added to the post tile layout. The Text field is linked to the Tags Feed field, and the background color uses the value from the Feed field with the same name.
Other additional fields. You can also display other additional fields in post tiles and the page template in Zero Block: dropdown list (selectbox), number field, list with answer options, and HTML.
Their values can be used as needed, for example, for tags or other additional information in the post card.
Their values can be used as needed, for example, for tags or other additional information in the post card.
Configuring posts display
Click the post tile layout to show its controls in the settings panel on the right. The controls are grouped in the Feed section.
To switch directly to the selected Feed management, click the Manage in the Feed settings section.
Source. To display posts from another Feed, select it in the Source dropdown menu.
After changing the source, elements previously linked to fields will remain on the artboard. If the new Feed does not have the corresponding field, the linked element will be displayed as empty.
To unlink it, select the element with the error and click Disconnect.
To unlink it, select the element with the error and click Disconnect.
Sorting. To configure the post order, find the Sorting field in the right panel and select the required option from the dropdown menu.
If Reverse default order is selected, posts will be displayed from the end of the list.
If Reverse default order is selected, posts will be displayed from the end of the list.
If you keep the field unchanged, posts will be displayed in the default order — just the same as they are in the Feed dashboard. For example, if the default order is used in the Feed dashboard and you move the third post to the beginning of the list, the order will also change in the tiles editor.
The moved post will become the first in the list.
Filters. To filter posts, open the Filters menu and configure a condition that defines which posts will be displayed in the tile layout.
Pagination. To add pagination, open the Pagination dropdown menu and select one of the options:
- Load more button
- Infinite scroll
Important: For pagination to display correctly, the artboard height in the block must be automatic. This prevents posts from being cut off. To do this, set Grid Container height to Auto.
If you choose the button option, the button will automatically appear in the layers panel.
You can style the button using the settings panel, just like a standard Button element.
If infinite scroll is selected, the button is not displayed. New posts are loaded automatically as the page is scrolled.
Limit. You can set how many posts are displayed in the tile layout. To do this, select the entire tile layout in the layers panel and enter the required number in the Limit field in the settings panel on the right.
Additional post tiles display settings
To open additional post tile settings, select the Feed layer in the layers panel and click Empty state, skip X posts, and categories in the settings.
The empty state is displayed if the Feed does not have any posts yet. You can configure it by selecting one of the options in the dropdown menu:
- Default — a standard message saying there are no posts will be displayed on the page.
- Empty — the Feed will not be displayed on the page.
- Custom — a group will be created in Zero Block that you can customize with different elements.
Categories. If the Feed has categories, you can choose whether to display them in the tile layout.
After categories are added, a new Categories group will automatically appear in the layers panel. The fields will be linked to the relevant categories' fields from the Feed. After adding categories, you can customize their design.
Skip X posts. You can display posts in the tile layout starting not from the first post, but from any other post in the list. For example, if you enter to skip 1 post, the tile layout will display posts starting from the second post.
Element visibility conditions
You can set visibility conditions for elements. Click any element in the post tiles and find Visibility in the settings. By default, the element is set to Show.
To hide the element, click the Visibility dropdown menu and select Hide.
To hide the element, click the Visibility dropdown menu and select Hide.
To set a visibility condition, click Add condition.
Select the condition that will determine when the element is displayed or hidden. The following options are available:
- Is set—the field contains any value.
- Is not set—the field does not contain a value.
- Equals—the field value strictly matches the specified value.
- Does not equal—the field value does not match the specified value.
In addition to the main conditions, date fields support Before and After, while number fields support Less than and Greater than.
If Equals or Does not equal is selected, enter the value to check against in the field.
To add another condition, click the plus icon.
After conditions are configured, the tile layout will display only the elements that match the specified conditions.
Transferring Feeds using CSV
You can use CSV import and export features to transfer posts from informational Feeds to custom Feeds, as well as transfer posts between custom Feeds.
To do this, click on three dots in More in the Feed editor and click Export posts as CSV.
To do this, click on three dots in More in the Feed editor and click Export posts as CSV.
Select a category or all posts, specify the delimiter, and click Export.
Then create all content fields in the new custom Feed so that post values are transferred correctly. After that, import the CSV file with the Feed posts.
Check the preview to make sure everything is correct, then click Import.
In the mapping window, match the fields from the file with the Feed fields. If some fields do not need to be transferred, select Ignore for them.
Feed fields from the file are not created automatically. Once all fields are matched, click Start writing data.
Feed fields from the file are not created automatically. Once all fields are matched, click Start writing data.
Transferring posts between Feeds
You can also transfer posts between Feeds using the Transfer feature. To fo this, select the posts in the Feed and click on the Transfer button.
Select the "Destination feed" field and match the fields to be transferred.
You can transfer posts both between Informational Feed and CMS Feed and between each other. For example, between Informational Feeds as well as between CMS Feeds.
Before transferring posts to the CMS Feed, you may need to create fields that are not available in that Feed additionally in advance.
If you want just to copy a post from one Feed to another, select the "Copy post" checkbox and click on Transfer.
