Creating Next and Previous Links for Collection Pages in Webflow

In this tutorial, we will learn how to create next and previous links for our collection pages in Webflow using the CMS Next Prev Powerup. This tutorial is ideal for beginners who want to add navigation functionality to their collection pages. We will start by setting up the CMS Next Prev Powerup and then customize it to create the desired navigation for our collection pages.

1. Setting Up CMS Next Prev Powerup
   To begin, we need to obtain the CMS Next Prev Powerup code. You can find the link to it in the description of the tutorial video. After obtaining the code, we will navigate to our Webflow template page and paste the code in the "before closing body tag" section. The code should be placed before the closing body tag to ensure proper functionality.

2. Defining the Component
   The next step involves defining the component that will hold our collection list and an optional no results div. We will specify a div as our component and name it "component". This div should contain the collection list and the no results div if needed. By defining the component, we establish the structure that will be used for displaying the next and previous items.

3. Setting Up the Next Item Navigation
   For the next item navigation, we need to ensure that there is a link block inside our CMS items, and the link is set to go to the collection page for that item. This allows us to navigate to the next item in the list when the next link is clicked. Additionally, we can set an optional no results message to be displayed if there is no next item in the list.

To set up the optional no results message, we give the corresponding div the attribute name "no-result". By default, this div should be set to display none, and it will only be shown if there is no next item available.

1. Customizing the Navigation Component
   The CMS Next Prev Powerup offers customization options, one of which is setting the loop to true. When the loop is set to true, the first item in the list will be displayed again instead of showing a "journey complete" message when reaching the end of the collection pages.

To enable the loop, we select our component and add an optional setting, then set the loop attribute to true. This allows for seamless navigation between the first and last items in the collection pages.

1. Adding Previous Links
   In addition to the next item navigation, we can also add previous links to navigate to the preceding items in the collection. To do this, we'll create another collection list and set the link to pull from the collection page. We then define the component, which can be any parent of the collection list.

To show the previous item instead of the next item, we add an optional setting to the component and set "showprev" to true. This enables the display of the previous item when navigating through the collection pages.

1. Enhancing the Navigation Component
   We can further enhance the navigation component by adding the "hide empty" setting. This setting allows us to remove the component entirely when there are no items to display. By setting "hide empty" to true, the component will be removed when there's no previous item, and it will be added back when there is a previous item.

Additionally, we can apply the loop attribute to the component for the previous item navigation, similar to how we did for the next item navigation. This ensures continuous navigation between the items in the collection.

1. Customizing the Navigation Display
   To customize the display of the next and previous items, we can use combo classes to style them differently. We can apply combo classes such as "is prev," "is current," and "is next" to the items, and then style them accordingly.

For example, we can set all the items to display none except the next, current, and previous items. We can also show individual elements inside these next and previous items, such as forward or backward arrows. By applying custom styling, we can create a visually appealing navigation display for our collection pages.

Conclusion

In conclusion, we have learned how to create next and previous links for collection pages in Webflow using the CMS Next Prev Powerup. By following these steps, you can easily add navigation functionality to your collection pages, allowing users to seamlessly navigate through the items in the collection. Customize the navigation component to match the design and layout of your website, and enhance the user experience by providing intuitive navigation for your collection pages.

By utilizing the CMS Next Prev Powerup and understanding its various settings, you can create a smooth and intuitive navigation system for your Webflow collection pages. Experiment with different customization options to achieve the desired navigation display and further enhance the user experience on your website.