How can I use Webflow's membership beta to create accounts for projects, allowing users to sign in, access a dashboard, and modify their assigned CMS items?
TL;DR
- Enable Memberships, set up login/dashboard pages, and assign users to CMS items using a unique field like email.
- Use conditional visibility to show user-specific CMS content and external tools (Forms + Logic + Make/Zapier) for user-initiated edits.
To use Webflow’s Memberships (beta) feature for user accounts, dashboards, and CMS item editing, you need to combine User Authentication, Conditional Visibility, and CMS Logic carefully. Here's how to set it up:
1. Enable Memberships in Your Webflow Project
- Go to Project Settings > Memberships and enable the User Accounts feature.
- Choose the appropriate user access level (e.g. Free, Logged-in only, or Paid).
- Optionally connect to Logic and Forms for workflows like new user handling and email notifications.
2. Create Pages for Sign Up, Login, and Dashboard
- Use Webflow's built-in Sign Up and Login Forms from the Users components.
- Design a protected page (e.g.,
/dashboard) where only authenticated users can enter. - Set Page Access to “Logged-in members only” in Page Settings.
3. Assign Users to Specific CMS Items
Webflow doesn’t natively allow user-specific CMS relationships, so here’s the recommended workaround:
- Add a "User Email" (or similar unique identifier) field to your CMS item.
- When creating or assigning CMS items to users, store their email or User ID in the CMS item.
4. Use Conditional Visibility to Display Assigned CMS Items
- In your user’s dashboard, add a Collection List of CMS items.
- Filter the Collection List: Where CMS 'User Email' field equals
Current User Email. - This condition ensures a user only sees CMS entries assigned to them.
5. Allow Users to Modify Their CMS Items (Workaround)
Webflow doesn't currently support direct CMS editing by users. You can use external workarounds:
- Use Forms + Logic + Make (Integromat) or Zapier:
- On the dashboard, display a form pre-filled with data (you’ll need Logic for dynamic data).
- Submit the form to update the CMS item via Webflow’s CMS API using an automation tool (like Make).
- Alternatively, offer a “Request Edit” button, starting a logic workflow to notify an admin or trigger a CMS update through backend tools.
Summary
To create user accounts with CMS item access in Webflow Memberships (beta), enable the Users feature, set up login and dashboard pages, and use conditional visibility to show assigned items filtered by user email. For editing, use forms + Logic + third-party tools like Make to update CMS content securely.