> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.buildbetter.ai/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Collections Overview

> Organize your content with flexible collections for easy access and sharing

Collections provide a simple yet powerful way to organize your BuildBetter content. Unlike AI-powered clustering, collections are manually curated folders where you can group related recordings, documents, signals, and more according to your team's needs.

## Understanding Collections

Collections are user-created organizational containers:

<CardGroup cols={2}>
  <Card title="Manual Organization" icon="folder">
    You decide what goes where—perfect for project-specific groupings or custom categorization
  </Card>

  <Card title="Mixed Content Types" icon="layer-group">
    Combine recordings, documents, signals, and other content types in one place
  </Card>

  <Card title="Team Collaboration" icon="users">
    Share collections with teammates for aligned access to important content
  </Card>

  <Card title="Flexible Structure" icon="sitemap">
    Create nested collections or flat structures based on your workflow
  </Card>
</CardGroup>

## Collections vs. Clustering

Understanding when to use each feature:

<Table>
  <TableHeader>
    <TableRow>
      <TableCell>Aspect</TableCell>
      <TableCell>Collections</TableCell>
      <TableCell>Clustering</TableCell>
    </TableRow>
  </TableHeader>

  <TableBody>
    <TableRow>
      <TableCell>**Creation**</TableCell>
      <TableCell>Manual, user-defined</TableCell>
      <TableCell>Automatic, AI-powered</TableCell>
    </TableRow>

    <TableRow>
      <TableCell>**Content**</TableCell>
      <TableCell>Any content type</TableCell>
      <TableCell>Signals only</TableCell>
    </TableRow>

    <TableRow>
      <TableCell>**Organization**</TableCell>
      <TableCell>Your custom structure</TableCell>
      <TableCell>Semantic similarity</TableCell>
    </TableRow>

    <TableRow>
      <TableCell>**Updates**</TableCell>
      <TableCell>Manual additions</TableCell>
      <TableCell>Dynamic, real-time</TableCell>
    </TableRow>

    <TableRow>
      <TableCell>**Analytics**</TableCell>
      <TableCell>Basic viewing</TableCell>
      <TableCell>Rich dashboards</TableCell>
    </TableRow>

    <TableRow>
      <TableCell>**Best For**</TableCell>
      <TableCell>Project organization</TableCell>
      <TableCell>Pattern discovery</TableCell>
    </TableRow>
  </TableBody>
</Table>

## Creating Collections

<Steps>
  <Step title="Navigate to Collections">
    Access Collections from the main navigation menu
  </Step>

  <Step title="Create New Collection">
    Click "New Collection" and provide:

    * Collection name
    * Optional description
    * Privacy settings
  </Step>

  <Step title="Add Content">
    Add items using:

    * Drag and drop from other views
    * "Add to Collection" from item menus
    * Bulk selection tools
  </Step>

  <Step title="Organize">
    Arrange content within your collection:

    * Sort by date, name, or type
    * Create sub-collections if needed
    * Add notes or descriptions
  </Step>
</Steps>

## Managing Collection Content

### Adding Items

Multiple ways to populate your collections:

<Tabs>
  <Tab title="From Item Menus">
    On any recording, document, or signal:

    1. Click the action menu (three dots)
    2. Select "Add to Collection"
    3. Choose your target collection
    4. Item is instantly added
  </Tab>

  <Tab title="Bulk Operations">
    Select multiple items:

    1. Use checkboxes to select items
    2. Click "Add to Collection" in bulk menu
    3. Choose one or more collections
    4. All items added at once
  </Tab>

  <Tab title="Drag and Drop">
    Visual organization:

    1. Open your collection
    2. Drag items from search results or lists
    3. Drop into the collection
    4. Reorder as needed
  </Tab>
</Tabs>

### Viewing Collection Contents

Collections display all content types in a unified view:

* **Recordings**: With thumbnails and duration
* **Documents**: With titles and preview text
* **Signals**: With summary and sentiment
* **Other Collections**: For nested organization

<Note>
  Each item shows its original location and metadata, making it easy to understand context even when viewing mixed content types.
</Note>

## Use Cases for Collections

### Project Management

Create collections for specific initiatives:

* **Feature Launch**: All related research, meetings, and feedback
* **Customer Onboarding**: Training materials and success calls
* **Quarterly Planning**: Strategy sessions and planning docs
* **Bug Investigation**: Related calls and technical discussions

### Customer Organization

Group content by account:

* **Key Accounts**: All interactions with important customers
* **Renewal Discussions**: Calls and documents for renewal prep
* **Support Escalations**: Difficult cases and resolutions
* **Success Stories**: Positive feedback and case studies

### Team Resources

Build shared knowledge bases:

* **Onboarding Materials**: Resources for new team members
* **Best Practices**: Exemplary calls and documents
* **Competitive Intel**: Market research and comparisons
* **Training Library**: Educational content and examples

### Research Projects

Organize research materials:

* **User Interviews**: Group sessions by research topic
* **Market Analysis**: Competitive calls and industry research
* **Feature Research**: All feedback on specific features
* **Persona Studies**: Content organized by user type

## Sharing and Permissions

### Collection Privacy

Control who can access your collections:

<AccordionGroup>
  <Accordion title="Private Collections" icon="lock">
    * Only you can view and edit
    * Perfect for personal organization
    * Can be shared later if needed
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Team Collections" icon="users">
    * All workspace members can access
    * Collaborative curation
    * Shared organizational structure
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Shared Collections" icon="share">
    * Specific people granted access
    * Granular permission control
    * Mix of internal and external users
  </Accordion>
</AccordionGroup>

### Managing Permissions

* **View Only**: Users can see content but not modify
* **Edit Access**: Users can add/remove items
* **Admin Rights**: Full control including deletion

## Best Practices

<Check>
  **Use descriptive names**: "Q4 2024 Product Research" is clearer than "Research Folder"
</Check>

<Check>
  **Add descriptions**: Help others understand the collection's purpose and contents
</Check>

<Check>
  **Regular maintenance**: Remove outdated items and reorganize as projects evolve
</Check>

<Check>
  **Combine with clustering**: Use collections for manual organization and clustering for pattern discovery
</Check>

<Check>
  **Create templates**: Build standard collection structures for recurring projects
</Check>

## Collection Actions

### Quick Actions

Available from any collection:

* **Share**: Generate shareable links or invite users
* **Export**: Download collection metadata
* **Duplicate**: Copy structure for similar projects
* **Archive**: Hide without deleting
* **Delete**: Remove with confirmation

### Bulk Management

Work with multiple items efficiently:

* Select all items in a collection
* Move between collections
* Remove multiple items at once
* Apply bulk tags or properties

## Integration with Other Features

### Search Integration

* Search within specific collections
* Collections appear in global search results
* Filter search results by collection membership

### Chat Integration

* Reference entire collections in AI chat
* Ask questions about collection contents
* Generate summaries from collection items

### Workflow Integration

Automate your collection organization with workflows:

* **Trigger on additions**: Run workflows when items are added to a collection
* **Auto-routing**: Use workflows to automatically add content to collections based on rules
* **Recording to Collection by Title**: Match title patterns to route recordings automatically
* **Recording to Collection**: Use AI-powered conditions to organize content
* **Export collections**: Send collection contents to external tools via workflows

<Tip>
  Create workflows at Actions > Workflows to automatically add recordings to collections based on title patterns or AI-powered conditions. See [Workflow Automation](/pages/Workflows/workflow-automation) for details.
</Tip>

<Tip>
  Collections are perfect for organizing content YOU define, while clustering excels at discovering patterns you might not expect. Use both together for comprehensive organization.
</Tip>

## Troubleshooting

<AccordionGroup>
  <Accordion title="Access Issues">
    * **Permission errors**: Check that you have the correct role for the collection
    * **Can't see a collection**: Verify the collection owner has shared it with you
    * **Can't edit**: You may have View Only access—contact the collection owner
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Organization Problems">
    * **Duplicate items**: Items can exist in multiple collections—this is expected
    * **Missing items**: Check if items were moved or deleted from the source
    * **Workflow not adding items**: Verify workflow conditions match your content
  </Accordion>
</AccordionGroup>

## Limitations

<Warning>
  **Current Limitations**:

  * No automated addition rules (use workflows instead)
  * Maximum 1000 items per collection
  * Limited to workspace content only
  * No cross-workspace collections
</Warning>

Collections provide the manual organization flexibility that complements BuildBetter's AI-powered features, ensuring you can structure your content exactly how your team works best.

<Note>
  **Note**: Collections were previously called "Folders" in earlier versions of BuildBetter. The functionality remains the same.
</Note>