Does making adjustments to content in the CMS change the original publishing date in Webflow?
TL;DR
- Editing Webflow CMS content doesn't change the original publish date unless you manually update a custom Date field.
- Use custom date fields to control visible publish dates, and the "Updated On" field to show last content edits.
Editing content in the CMS does not automatically change the original publishing date in Webflow collections. However, there are some nuances to keep in mind.
1. Webflow's Built-in Date Behavior
- CMS items retain their original publish date, even if you update their content later.
- The "Created On" and "Updated On" timestamps tracked in collection settings reflect the original creation date and the last edit time, respectively.
- Webflow does not display a public "Publish Date" unless you specifically create a Date field for this purpose.
2. Custom Date Fields
- If you've added a custom Date field labeled something like “Publish Date” in your CMS collection, that field’s value will only change if you manually update it.
- This is the recommended method to display or track publishing dates on blog posts, news items, or events.
3. Effects of Republishing the Site
- Republishing your entire Webflow site using the Publish button does not affect individual collection item dates.
- The CMS item’s "Updated On" would only change if you make and save changes to that item.
4. Using "Updated On" for Display
- You can use Webflow’s "Updated On" system field to dynamically show when a post was last modified, if relevant.
- Keep in mind this reflects the last edit in the CMS, not just a re-publish through the Designer.
Summary
Editing CMS content in Webflow does not change the original publish date unless you've manually added and edited a custom date field. Use custom date fields for more control over publication dates shown to visitors.