How to Create Previous and Next Items on Your Webflow CMS Template Page

If you're looking to improve the navigation experience for visitors on your Webflow CMS template page, creating previous and next items for seamless transitions is crucial. With the help of the Effin Suite CMS library, you can easily implement this feature without complex coding. In this article, we'll guide you through the process step by step, from setting up the CMS library to identifying previous and next items on your webflow CMS template page.

Getting Started with Effin Suite CMS Library

The Effin Suite CMS library is a JavaScript-based library that seamlessly integrates with Webflow, allowing you to enhance the functionality of your CMS template pages. Before diving into the implementation, you'll need to add the CMS library to your page. Here's how to do it:

1. Open your Webflow project and navigate to the page where you want to implement the previous and next items feature.
2. Access the page settings and insert the script for the Effin Suite CMS library into the body of the page.

By adding the library script to your page, you'll gain access to the powerful functionalities provided by Effin Suite for managing dynamic content within your Webflow project.

Identifying Previous and Next Items

Once the CMS library is in place, the next step is to identify the previous and next items within your CMS dynamic list. This involves setting up the custom JavaScript code that interacts with the CMS library to extract the relevant data and present it to the user.

Establishing the CMS Library Instance

To begin, you'll need to create a new instance of the Effin Suite CMS library and target the CMS dynamic list that contains the items you want to navigate through. Here's how to establish the instance:

// Create a variable for the CMS library instancevar fsPreviousNext = new EffinSuiteCMSLibrary('post-list-hidden');

In this example, 'post-list-hidden' is the class assigned to the hidden CMS dynamic list. This hidden list will be used to pull out the previous and next items for navigation purposes.

Setting Up Previous and Next Targets

The previous and next targets represent the placeholders on your page where the previous and next items will be displayed. These targets are typically represented by div elements with specific classes applied to them. Here's how to define the previous and next targets:

// Define the previous and next targetsfsPreviousNext.prevNext({  nextTarget: '.post-next-target',  prevTarget: '.post-prev-target'});

In this code snippet, '.post-next-target' and '.post-prev-target' are the classes assigned to the divs that act as placeholders for the next and previous items, respectively.

Matching Content IDs

To accurately determine the previous and next items, you need to establish a matching content ID between the visible template page content and the hidden CMS dynamic list. This matching content ID serves as the basis for identifying the relationships between the items. Here's how to set it up:

// Set the content ID for matchingfsPreviousNext.contentID('.post-content-id');

In this example, '.post-content-id' is the class representing the content ID, and it should be present both in the visible content on the template page and in the hidden CMS dynamic list.

Optimizing Image Loading

Effin Suite CMS library provides a feature called 'load images' that optimizes page loading by selectively loading background images. When implementing the previous and next items feature, you can utilize this functionality to ensure a smooth and efficient user experience, especially when dealing with content-heavy pages. Here's how to apply the 'load images' feature:

// Apply the 'load images' class for improved page loadingfsPreviousNext.loadImages('.bg-image');

In this code snippet, '.bg-image' represents the class applied to background images within the previous and next items. By utilizing this feature, you can prevent unnecessary loading of images from the hidden list, thus improving overall page performance.

Visual Representation

To aid in understanding the setup process, the Effin Suite CMS library documentation provides a visual representation of the classes and elements involved in creating the previous and next items. This visual guide showcases the data flow and the interactions between different components, making it easier to grasp the implementation details.

Conclusion

Implementing previous and next items on your Webflow CMS template page using the Effin Suite CMS library can significantly enhance the user experience and navigation flow. By following the step-by-step guide provided in this article, you can seamlessly integrate this feature into your Webflow project without complex coding requirements. If you encounter any challenges during the implementation process, don't hesitate to explore the detailed walkthroughs and cloneable resources provided by Effin Suite CMS library to further refine your understanding and achieve your desired navigation functionality.