Lookup Tables

"Why can't I do this? It's simple, I just want to search through a Webflow CMS Collection and get an item based on a specific field value."

It’s a common issue 😡

The limitation with the Webflow CMS is you cannot search fields. You can only get an Item based upon the Item ID.

That’s it. That’s all they allow. Nothing else 🤬

But if you don’t know the CMS Collection Item ID in the first place, how are you supposed to get it?

🤔hmmmm…

I use MemberStack a lot, and I can get the MemberStack Member ID on any page a logged in member is on.

This is great 🙂

My trick is to add the MemberStack member id into a hidden form field so I have access to it within Zapier/Integromat.

Then I can submit my form and Integromat has the MemberStack Member ID included.

Problem

But now I hit my problem. I submitted this form from a Static Webflow Page and I don’t have the Webflow CMS Item ID.

How do I update the CMS Item for this specific MemberStack Member ID?

Solution: Lookup Tables!

A Lookup Table is simply a database that has a row with the ID that you know, and within the same row, the ID that you don’t know.

Now…armed with the ID you do know, you can get the ID you don’t know 😎

Here’s an Integromat Lookup table that I used.

It stores the MemberStack Member ID and also the Webflow CMS Item ID for this member.

You can read about why I prefer the speed of using the Integromat Datastore for my Lookup Table versus other solutions like Airtable.

Here’s how this get’s populated:

1. When a new Webflow CMS Item is created (via a native Webflow form)
2. The MemberStack Member ID is added to a hidden form field
3. Integromat has the MemberStack Member ID passed to it
4. Integromat creates the Live Webflow CMS Item
5. Webflow returns the newly created Item ID

Integromat creates a Lookup Table entry with both the Webflow Item ID and the MemberStack Member ID.

The screenshot above is how it now looks.

Now…we allow the member to update an Item within the Webflow CMS Collection.

When Integromat is triggered, it’s passed the MemberStack Member ID in a hidden form field.

We can now “lookup” the Webflow CMS Item ID based upon this.

The Lookup record was found.

Now the Webflow module can update this CMS Item.

Here’s the entire Integromat Scenario…

Boom! 🤯

You have a fancy lookup table 😏

This was just one, small, very simple way to use Lookup Tables. You are in no way limited to only Webflow & MemberStack.

The possibilities are endless.

This technique is a major powerhouse 💪 when you need to associate 2 or more separate platforms together.