How can I set the active tab to the one that is populated when using Webflow for tabs populated by a single CMS element?

When using Webflow Tabs with dynamic CMS content, the default behavior may not automatically set the active tab to the one containing content. You can achieve this with custom JavaScript by detecting populated tabs and setting the first one as active.

1. Identify Your Tab Structure

• In Webflow, ensure each Tab Pane is connected to a CMS Collection List.
• Each Tab Link should correspond to a Tab Pane that may or may not have content.

2. Add a Custom JavaScript Embed

• Place this script inside a Page Settings > Custom Code > Before tag to ensure it runs after the page loads.
• The script finds the first non-empty tab and sets it as active.

3. Use JavaScript to Detect and Set the Active Tab

Add the following inline JavaScript within a <script> tag:

document.addEventListener("DOMContentLoaded", function () {    let tabs = document.querySelectorAll('.w-tab-link');    let panes = document.querySelectorAll('.w-tab-pane');        for (let i = 0; i < panes.length; i++) {        if (panes[i].textContent.trim() !== "") {              // Remove existing active classes            document.querySelector('.w-tab-link.w--current')?.classList.remove('w--current');            document.querySelector('.w-tab-pane.w--current')?.classList.remove('w--current');                        // Set first populated tab as active            tabs[i].classList.add('w--current');            panes[i].classList.add('w--current');            break;        }    }});

4. Explanation of the Code

• Loops through Tab Panes to check if they contain any content.
• Finds the first non-empty pane and activates the corresponding Tab Link.
• Removes the default active class from Webflow’s tab system if necessary.
• Prevents empty tabs from being selected by default.

Summary

To ensure Webflow’s Tabs open on the first populated CMS-generated content, use JavaScript to detect and activate the first non-empty tab pane dynamically. This guarantees a clean user experience, avoiding empty tabs being active by default.