Building a Horizontal Scroll using Webflow Interactions

Have you ever wanted to add a horizontal scroll to your website without delving into complex code? With Webflow, you can achieve a smooth and responsive horizontal scroll using native Webflow interactions. In this tutorial, we will walk through the step-by-step process of creating a horizontal scroll that seamlessly works across different sections on a single page, regardless of the number of items and their widths or unit types.

Getting Started

To begin building a horizontal scroll in Webflow, follow these easy steps:

Step 1: Create the Section Wrapper

Start by adding a div to your page and giving it the class of "section-wrapper." This div will serve as the container for the entire horizontal scrolling section. Set its width to 100%.

Step 2: Define the Section Height

Within the section wrapper div, add another div and assign it the class of "section-height." This will be the element that we scroll past. Set this element to be 100% in width and, for the height, let's initially set it to 500 viewport width.

Step 3: Adding the Sticky Element

Inside the "section-height" div, create another div and give it the class of "sticky-element." This element needs to remain fixed while scrolling. Set its position as "sticky" with a distance of zero pixels from the top, a width of 100%, and a height of 100vh to occupy the full height of the screen.

Step 4: Implement the Track

Within the "sticky-element" div, add another div and label it as "track." This track element will be the one we move with an interaction while scrolling past the section height. Make its height 100% of its parent.

Step 5: Utilize Flexbox

Now, inside the "track" div, create another div and apply the class of "track-flex." To this element, we'll apply flexbox, justify it to the start, and set its height to be 100% of its parent.

Step 6: Adding the Panels

Inside the "track-flex" div, you can add the individual panels. In case you were using a collection, this structure would represent the wrapper, list, and item. Apply classes such as "panel-one," "panel-two," and so on to each panel. The width of these panels can vary and can be set using different unit types.

Step 7: Handling Scroll Overflow

After setting up the structure, you might notice unwanted horizontal scrolling. To prevent this, select the "sticky-element" and set its overflow to hidden. If you need to rearrange or test the items, you can temporarily set the "sticky-element" to overflow scroll for adjustments.

Setting Up Interactions

Now that the structural setup is complete, it's time to add the interactions for the horizontal scroll.

Step 1: Adjusting the Track Width

To ensure that the track extends as wide as all the items inside it, select the "sticky-element" and apply flex that justifies to the start, and set the track to not shrink or grow.

Step 2: Creating the Horizontal Scroll Interaction

With the setup in place, let's create the actual horizontal scroll interaction:

• Select the "section-height" element.
• Apply an element trigger while scrolling in view and create a class-based animation called "horizontal-scroll."
• Select the track element and add a move action to it.
• Set the initial position to 0% and the final position to -100%.

Fine-tuning the Interaction

Although the basic interaction is set up, you may notice that the starting and ending points of the scroll need adjustments.

Setting Animation Boundaries

To ensure that the interaction starts and ends at the right points, adjust the animation boundaries by:

• Changing the animation boundaries to start when the element is fully visible.
• Tweaking the end point to align with the bottom of the screen, ensuring a smooth transition to the next section.

Handling Sticky Element Overlap

To avoid the sticky element overlapping the next section, add a negative 100vh bottom margin to the sticky element. Counter this by giving the section wrapper a positive 100vh bottom padding.

Testing and Enhancements

With the interactions in place, preview the scroll to ensure it functions seamlessly. As you scroll past the section height, the interaction should play until it reaches the end, unlocking as you continue to scroll. You can also add multiple sections on the same page and observe how the horizontal scroll seamlessly transitions across them.

Addressing Scroll Speed Discrepancy

If you notice variations in scroll speed due to differing numbers or widths of items, you can address this dynamically. Introduce a snippet of jQuery to calculate the width of the track and sync it with the section height to maintain consistent scroll speed across sections and breakpoints.

By incorporating this jQuery snippet, the scroll experience becomes more uniform and natural, regardless of the content variations.

Conclusion

With these step-by-step instructions, you have successfully built a horizontal scroll using native Webflow interactions. Whether you're working with a single section or multiple sections with varying content, the horizontal scroll seamlessly adapts to the dimensions and offers a smooth user experience.

Experiment with different content layouts, item sizes, and breakpoints to see the horizontal scroll in action and enjoy a fluid and engaging browsing experience on your website.