How can I use a jQuery-based databinding utility library to bind a CMS Collection to a Webflow Select form control in Webflow?

You can bind a CMS Collection to a Webflow Select form control using a jQuery-based data-binding utility by extracting CMS data from the page and dynamically populating options via JavaScript.

1. Use Webflow CMS to Output Collection Items

• Create a CMS Collection List on the same page using the CMS Collection that holds your data (e.g., list of categories).
• Inside the list, add an element that doesn’t affect layout (e.g., a <div> with Display: None).
• Add a data attribute to each item like:
  Add a <div> with data-value="Category Name" inside each Collection Item.

2. Add a Hidden Wrapper and Load Data in Page

• Wrap the hidden CMS list in a <div> with a unique ID (e.g., #data-wrapper).
• Style it with Display: None so it doesn’t show visibly.
• Your CMS data is now rendered in the DOM and can be accessed by jQuery.

3. Add a Select Form Element with an ID

• Add a Webflow Select form control to your form.
• Give it an ID (e.g., #category-select) so you can target it with jQuery.

4. Use jQuery in an Embed Element to Bind Data

• Add a Custom Code Embed block at the bottom of the page (inside the body).
• Use this jQuery snippet to populate the Select:

<script>  $(document).ready(function() {    $('#data-wrapper [data-value]').each(function() {      var value = $(this).data('value');      $('#category-select').append($('<option>', {        value: value,        text: value      }));    });  });</script>

• This script loops through all elements with data-value inside your hidden CMS list, and appends them as <option> elements in the Select field.

5. Optional: Use a jQuery Databinding Library (e.g., Rivets.js or Knockout)

• If you want advanced data-binding (e.g., dynamic filtering, two-way binding), you can integrate a library like Rivets.js:
• Load the library via CDN in Page Settings > Before tag.
• Replace the above jQuery logic with Rivets.js bindings using data-each-*, etc.
• Note: This is more complex than needed for basic population. For simple Select binding, basic jQuery is sufficient.

Summary

To bind a CMS Collection to a Select control in Webflow, use a hidden Collection List to render your data, then use jQuery to extract the values and populate the <select> dynamically on page load. This workaround efficiently bypasses Webflow’s native limitations on dynamic form fields.