# How do you show one category’s images in an Adalo list?

Model Categories and Images once, connect them with a one-to-many relationship, and show only the current category’s related images in one reusable list.

- Canonical URL: https://adalocado.com/answers/show-one-category-images-in-adalo-list
- Verification: Documented from current sources
- Topic: Database and Relationships
- Skill level: Beginner
- Last reviewed: 2026-08-16
- Index status: index-now

## Short answer

Create one Categories collection and one Images collection, relate each Image to one Category, then set the image list to Current Category > Images or filter Images by Current Category.

Use the data model to solve this problem, not additional screens or duplicate collections. A category is one reusable parent record; every image stores the category it belongs to. Once the selected category reaches the image-list screen, Adalo can read that record’s related Images directly or apply an equivalent relationship filter.

The most common failure is missing record context. If Current Category is not available, return to the category list’s Link action and pass the tapped record forward. If the context is correct but the list is empty, inspect the saved Image records: an unpopulated relationship cannot be recovered from matching text labels.

This structure also makes the create flow predictable. Save Category when the Image record is created, then test two populated categories, one empty category, and one unassigned image before replacing any older per-category collections.

## Intended outcome

One image list can display the records for whichever category the reader selects, without creating a separate image collection and list for every category.

## Requirements

- A Categories collection with one record per category
- An Images collection with an Image property and a Category relationship
- A category list or detail screen that provides Current Category
- Test records that include at least two categories, assigned images, and one unassigned image

## Step by step

1. **Use two reusable collections**

   Keep category records in Categories and all image records in Images. Do not create a separate image collection for every category.

2. **Add the relationship on Images**

   Create a Category relationship property on Images. Choose the one-to-many shape in which one Category has many Images and each Image belongs to one Category.

3. **Create the category records**

   Add each category once in Categories. Give it a stable name and any display image or sort value the category list needs.

4. **Assign existing images**

   Open each existing Image record and set its Category. Records with an empty Category cannot appear through Current Category > Images.

5. **Save the category on new images**

   When the app creates an Image, include the Category relationship in the form or Create action and set it from Current Category or the user’s explicit selection.

6. **Pass the selected category**

   Link from the category list to the screen containing the image list so that the selected record is available there as Current Category.

7. **Connect the image list**

   Set the list to the selected category’s related Images. If that related-list option is not available in the current screen context, list Images and add a filter where Image > Category is Current Category.

8. **Bind and verify the row**

   Bind the image component to Current Image > Image, add a deliberate empty state, and verify that switching categories changes only the records returned by the list.

## Why it works

- Category is the parent record and Image is the child record. The relationship stores the category once on each image instead of spreading one concept across several collections.
- Current Category must be available on the image-list screen before Adalo can traverse Current Category > Images or compare Image > Category with it.
- A related list and an equivalent relationship filter express the same reader goal: return Images connected to the selected Category.
- Backfilling the relationship on old records is part of the migration; changing the schema alone does not categorize existing images.

## Data model

| Collection | Properties | Relationships |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Categories | Name (Text); optional Display Image and Sort Order | One Category has many Images |
| Images | Name or Caption (Text); Image (Image); optional Sort Order | Each Image belongs to one Category |

## Common failures

### Current Category is unavailable in Magic Text

Check the link into the screen. Start from a category list item or another screen that already has the category record, and pass that record through the Link action.

### The list is empty for a category that should have images

Inspect the Image records and confirm their Category relationship is populated with that exact Category record, not merely matching category-name text.

### The list shows images from every category

Confirm the list source is Current Category > Images or that the custom filter compares Image > Category with Current Category.

### New images disappear after submission

Add the Category relationship to the creation flow and verify the saved Image record has Category populated before debugging the list.

### The wrong category’s images appear

Display Current Category > Name temporarily on the list screen to verify the screen received the category the user tapped.

### An image needs to belong to several categories

Do not force the one-to-many model. That requirement needs a many-to-many relationship or join collection and different filtering and performance tests.

## Testing checklist

- [ ] Open Category A with two related images and confirm the list shows exactly those two records.
- [ ] Open Category B with a different image and confirm no Category A image remains in the list.
- [ ] Move one Image from Category A to Category B and confirm both lists change after refreshing their data.
- [ ] Create a new Image from Category A and confirm its saved Category relationship and list placement.
- [ ] Open a Category with no Images and confirm the empty state appears without records from another category.
- [ ] Leave one Image unassigned and confirm it does not appear in any category-specific list.
- [ ] Categories and Images are separate reusable collections
- [ ] Each single-category Image record has its Category relationship populated
- [ ] The link into the image screen provides Current Category
- [ ] The image list uses the relationship or an equivalent relationship filter
- [ ] The create-image flow saves Category
- [ ] An empty category produces an intentional empty state

## Limitations

- The accepted answer was posted in May 2022, but the original author immediately reported that the category-and-image relationship worked.
- Current Adalo documentation corroborates one-to-many relationships and list filters; Adalocado has not reproduced this exact project hands-on.
- Editor labels can vary by app type and builder revision, so follow the relationship direction rather than relying only on option numbering.
- This one-to-many model assumes each Image belongs to at most one Category.
- Existing records must be assigned a Category; adding the relationship property does not backfill them automatically.
- The later replies in the source topic discuss unrelated scrolling, video, and real-estate questions and are not evidence for this workflow.

## Community evidence

### [Lien entre un composant et plusieurs collection](https://forum.adalo.com/t/lien-entre-un-composant-et-plusieurs-collection/27426/4)

Use one Categories collection and one Images collection, connect them one-to-many, assign Category on each Image, and show Current Category > Images. The author replied that it worked very well. Boundary: The source later accumulated unrelated follow-up questions; only posts 1–5 support this answer.

## Sources

- [Adalo Forum: accepted category-and-images solution](https://forum.adalo.com/t/lien-entre-un-composant-et-plusieurs-collection/27426/4)
- [Adalo Help: One-to-Many vs. Many-to-One](https://help.adalo.com/database/relationships/one-to-many-vs.-many-to-one)
- [Adalo Help: Sorting and Filtering Lists](https://help.adalo.com/component-basics/connecting-lists-and-forms-to-a-database/applying-filters-to-lists)

Markdown version: https://adalocado.com/answers/show-one-category-images-in-adalo-list.md