How to Create Horizontal Scrolling Effect in Webflow: A Step-by-Step Guide

How to Create Horizontal Scrolling in Webflow

Have you ever come across a website that allows you to scroll horizontally instead of the traditional vertical scrolling? It's a unique and engaging way to present content on a webpage, and in this tutorial, we'll explore how to build a horizontal scrolling effect in Webflow. This advanced interaction fully engages users and provides a memorable experience. However, the secret is that it's not actual horizontal scrolling. Instead, it involves vertical scrolling with a specific animation or interaction that moves content in the viewport as the user scrolls.

We'll break down the process into five detailed steps:

1. Create the Track:
   The track serves as the container that holds everything together. To create the track, navigate to the Add panel and select a Section to drop it between the existing sections in the Navigator. Assign a name to the section and set its height to 400vw. The use of vw (viewport width) is crucial because the scrolling will be horizontal across four elements.

2. Create the Camera Element:
   The camera element sticks to the viewport as users scroll through the project. From the Add panel, drag a Div block into the track. Assign a class name to the element, for example, "Camera," and set its dimensions to match the viewport by giving it a width of 100vw and a height of 100vh. Additionally, make its position sticky and ensure it sticks to the top of the track.

3. Create the Frame Element:
   The frame will horizontally align everything inside. Simply drag a div block into the camera and name it "Frame." Ensure that its display property is set to Flexbox to achieve horizontal alignment, and set its height to 100% so that it takes up the entire space within the camera.

4. Create the Scrollable Content:
   Within the frame, add the items that users will scroll through. This may include text, images, or any desired content. Make sure each item fills the viewport by setting its width to 100vw and height to 100vh.

5. Create the Interaction:
   To initiate the horizontal scrolling effect, an interaction needs to be configured. With the track selected in the Navigator, navigate to the Interactions panel. Set up an animation that moves the frame element as the track is scrolled into view. To ensure the animation starts and ends at the right time, adjust the animation boundaries and offsets.

Optimizing for Different Devices:
It's important to note that the horizontal scrolling experience may not be ideal for mobile and tablet users. To address this, you can customize the layout for different device types. By deselecting specific devices within the scroll interaction settings, you can prevent the horizontal scrolling effect from occurring on mobile and tablet devices. Additionally, adjustments to the layout and properties of the track, camera, and frame elements can be made to accommodate vertical scrolling on smaller screens.

Conclusion:
In conclusion, creating a horizontal scrolling effect in Webflow involves setting up the track, camera, frame, scrollable content, and the interaction. By following these steps and making suitable device-specific optimizations, you can build an engaging horizontal scrolling experience for desktop users, while ensuring a smooth vertical scrolling experience for mobile and tablet users.