A Beginner's Guide to Creating an Anchor Scrolling System with Webflow’s F and Suite CMS Library

In this tutorial, we’ll walk you through the process of creating an anchor scrolling system using Webflow's F and Suite CMS library. Anchor scrolling systems are a popular way to enable smooth navigation through different sections of a webpage. By leveraging the power of Webflow and the F and Suite CMS library, you can achieve this functionality with just one dynamic list.

Understanding the Anchor Scrolling Setup

The anchor scrolling system we are going to create involves using a CMS dynamic list to generate an interactive sidebar with links that smoothly scroll to specific sections on a webpage. This is achieved by applying classes to different elements and leveraging the capabilities of the F and Suite CMS library to handle the dynamic content and anchor scrolling functionality.

Applying Classes in Webflow Designer

To begin, we'll start by setting up classes on various elements in Webflow Designer. Let’s take a look at the key classes required for our anchor scrolling setup:

1. Collection List Element Class:

• Apply the class anchor-data-feed to the collection list element. This class is crucial for targeting the dynamic content with the F and Suite CMS library instance.

1. Anchor Link Button Class:

• Inside the dynamic list, each button should have the class anchor-link-button. These buttons serve as the official triggers for scrolling to specific sections, and they are linked to unique text for each button.

1. Anchor URL and Section ID Class:

• This class not only serves as the href for the button but also acts as the section ID for the corresponding section. Ensure that the text of this class is structured like a section ID to enable seamless anchor scrolling.

1. Anchor Put Links in Here Class:

• This class represents the container where the anchor link buttons will be placed. It can be positioned anywhere on the page and should be hidden in the live site.

These classes play a crucial role in setting up the necessary structure for the anchor scrolling system within Webflow Designer.

Custom Code Integration in Webflow

Moving on to the integration of custom code, we’ll explore how to bring it all together using the F and Suite CMS library and JavaScript. Here’s how you can integrate the required script in Webflow:

1. Hosted Library Script:

• Add the hosted library script file to your Webflow project. This script is provided for free and is essential for leveraging the capabilities of the F and Suite CMS library.

1. Script Specific to the Page:

• Inside the page settings, incorporate the script specific to the anchor scrolling setup. This script initiates the creation of a new instance of the F and Suite CMS library targeted at the anchor-data-feed class.

1. Function Execution:

• Within the script, a function is executed to create a new variable (fs-anchor) that holds the instance of the F and Suite CMS library targeted at the anchor-data-feed class.

1. Running Anchor Component:

• Further in the script, the anchor component is run on the fs-anchor instance, with various options defined based on the classes applied to different elements.

1. Optional Add-On for Cleaner URLs:

• An optional add-on script is available to remove the hash and the associated section ID from the URL, resulting in cleaner and more user-friendly links when anchor scrolling through different sections.

Implementing the Optional Add-On for Cleaner URLs

The optional add-on script provides a cleaner look for the URLs when navigating through different sections using anchor scrolling. By removing the hash and associated section ID from the URL, it ensures that the links remain tidy and presentable. This add-on script can be seamlessly implemented by following a few simple steps.

1. Integration of the Add-On Script:

• Additionally, interested users can integrate the add-on script to ensure a more polished user experience while navigating through the anchored sections of the webpage.

Conclusion

In conclusion, creating an anchor scrolling system in Webflow using the F and Suite CMS library is a powerful and efficient way to enhance user experience and navigation on your website. By following the steps outlined in this tutorial, you can harness the capabilities of Webflow, the F and Suite CMS library, and JavaScript to seamlessly implement this interactive feature with just one dynamic list. Plus, with the optional add-on for cleaner URLs, you can ensure that your website's navigation remains clean and user-friendly.

By utilizing the flexibility and functionality offered by Webflow and the F and Suite CMS library, you can elevate the navigation experience for your website visitors, making it easy and delightful for them to explore different sections of your web content.

Overall, this tutorial provides a beginner-friendly guide to creating an anchor scrolling system, leveraging the power of Webflow and the F and Suite CMS library, and enhancing the user experience through smooth and interactive navigation.