Collections
TL;DR — A collection is the blueprint for your data. Define it once, create as many resources from it as you need.
What a collection defines
Every collection sets three things:
- Fields — what pieces of data make up one resource (name, image, color)
- Types — what kind of value each field accepts (text, image, color, nested collection)
- Relationships — how this collection links to others
Examples
A Player collection might have:
- Name (text)
- Role (text)
- Photo (image)
- Age (number — entered as text starting with a digit)
A Team collection might have:
- Team name (text)
- Logo (image)
- Primary color (color)
- Players (nested Player collection)
Nested collections
Collections can reference other collections. A Team holds Players. A Match holds two Teams. A Sponsor Block holds five Sponsors.
Build child collections first. A Team collection can't reference Players until the Player collection exists. If you build the parent first, the nested field will have nothing to pick from.
Why collections beat spreadsheets
- Consistency. Every Player has the same fields. No "did I forget the age column on this row?"
- Reuse. One Team collection serves every event you run. New tournament, new resources, same structure.
- Live binding. Collections plug into Smart Inputs without code. Spreadsheets don't.
Workflow
- Create the collection (
Caster,Map,Sponsor). - Add nested categories if you need hierarchy.
- Add the fields.
- Create resources from the collection.
- Connect to animations via Smart Inputs.