> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.synclify.cloud/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.
# Field mapping
> Match source columns to Webflow fields, set the identity field, and control per-field direction.
Mapping tells Synclify which Airtable column feeds which Webflow field. Get it right here and syncs are boring, which is what you want.
## Auto-mapping
When you land on the mapping step, Synclify matches source columns to Webflow fields by name and known aliases. It takes a second or two.
Auto-mapping is a starting point, not an answer. Always review it. It matches on names, so two similarly-named fields can get crossed.
## The ID field
Exactly one mapped pair must be marked **Use as ID field**. Synclify uses it to decide whether an Airtable row and a Webflow item are the same record.
Synclify preselects `slug`, `name`, or `title` when one exists.
Without it you cannot continue: *"Identity strategy is required — Map at least one matching field, such as slug or name, before creating the connection."*
Pick a column that is unique per row and doesn't get rewritten. Changing an identity value in the source makes Synclify treat the row as a new record — it loses track of the existing Webflow item.
Identity-mapped fields have their direction locked.
## Type compatibility
Synclify sorts field types into four families and refuses to map across them:
| Family | Examples |
| ------------- | --------------------------------------------------- |
| **text** | single line, long text, rich text, email, URL, slug |
| **number** | integer, decimal, currency |
| **boolean** | checkbox, switch |
| **date/time** | date, datetime |
Mapping a text column into a number field blocks **Continue**.
This check is stricter than the backend's, deliberately. The backend only warns — so without this guard the connection would be created, then fail on every sync when Webflow rejects the value. Better to be stopped now.
Fix a mismatch by remapping to a compatible field, or by changing the column type in Airtable.
The full table of which Airtable columns map to each Webflow field type — plus images, references, and columns that don't map.
## Adding and removing fields
Add a mapping for any source column that auto-mapping missed. Remove any mapping you don't want synced — an internal Airtable column, a formula field, a notes column.
**Required Webflow fields cannot be removed.** Webflow rejects items missing them, so the mapping stays. If you see *"Required field cannot be removed"*, map something into it — or make the field optional in Webflow.
## Per-field direction (two-way only)
On a two-way connection, each mapped field has its own direction. Click the toggle beside a field to cycle through:
Source writes, Webflow doesn't. Webflow edits to this field are discarded on the next sync.
Webflow writes, source doesn't. The column is read but never applied.
Either side writes. Simultaneous edits to the same record raise a [conflict](/syncing/conflicts).
Two exceptions, both enforced:
* **`slug` is always *Airtable owns*.** Webflow derives and validates slugs; two writers means broken URLs.
* **The identity field's direction cannot be changed.** A record renamed on both sides can't be matched.
A good default for two-way: everything *Airtable owns* except the handful of fields designers actually touch in Webflow — hero image, SEO title, a layout flag. You keep one-way discipline on copy without locking anyone out.
## Changing a mapping later
Mappings are fixed once the connection is live. Add a column to Airtable and it will not appear in an active connection.
To change one, [create an editable draft](/connections/edit-a-connection), adjust the mapping, then review and approve. Synclify re-runs validation and shows a preview before anything changes.