Can an unspecified number of images be loaded through the CMS in Webflow to display on a webpage, such as in an image slider, without using workarounds like adding multiple images to a rich text field or setting conditional visibility?

Webflow’s native CMS Collection Lists only allow referencing a fixed number of image fields per CMS item, so you cannot load an unspecified or variable number of images dynamically for a single CMS item (e.g., in an image slider) without using workarounds or custom code.

1. Limitations of Webflow CMS for Image Arrays

• Each CMS item supports only a fixed number of Image fields (currently up to 30 custom fields total).
• Multi-image fields are not supported — Webflow does not have a native field that handles a dynamic array of images.
• You can't loop over an unknown number of images tied to a single item in the designer using Collection Lists, as these rely on static field counts.

2. Why Common Workarounds Are Needed

• Some workarounds include:
• Using multiple image fields (image1, image2, ..., image10) and applying conditional visibility—which you want to avoid.
• Embedding preformatted image groups within a Rich Text field, though this also requires content formatting externally.
• Custom code using tools like JavaScript to parse a comma-separated list of image URLs stored in a plain Text field.

3. Better Solution Using Multi-Image CMS Structure

To effectively load a flexible number of images, you can restructure your CMS as follows:

• Create a separate “Gallery” Collection where each item is a single image.
• Link these images to a parent CMS item (e.g., Product, Project, etc.) using a Reference or Multi-reference field.
• On your page, use a Collection List to pull in the associated images by referencing the linked Gallery.
• This allows you to display an unlimited number of images dynamically (e.g., in a slider or lightbox), as each gallery item is its own record.

4. Additional Options for Variable Image Sliders

• Use custom JavaScript with a Text field containing image URLs in a JSON or comma-separated string.
• Use third-party solutions like Finsweet's CMS Load or Jetboost to enable more complex CMS-driven behaviors.

Summary

Webflow’s CMS does not natively support an unspecified number of images tied to a single CMS item without workarounds like conditional visibility. The most robust solution is to create a related Images or Gallery collection and reference that dynamically using Collection Lists on your pages.