When design a web page, it is important to know the different alternatives and tools available for intuitive and fluid navigation. One of those tools is the dynamic slider and learning how to create it is easy and very useful to display information in an attractive and organized way.
Dynamic sliders add interactivity to the website, allowing the user to explore different pieces of content and images intuitively and saving time. They can be created in different ways depending on the language used, from JavaScript to CSS or HTML. To learn how to create a dynamic slider, just a few practical examples are enough and you can even combine the three web design technologies and achieve functional and very aesthetically attractive options.
What is the HTML structure like when creating a dynamic slider?
Any dynamic slider you are going to create first has a solid and well-organized HTML structure, otherwise the result can be catastrophic. The structure allows you to easily accommodate and display in order the images that are part of our website.
The HTML of a dynamic slider must be semantically correct and have a structure that facilitates accessibility. You can use HTML5 tags to always keep both the structure and semantics of the code clear.
With the SECTION tag you can encapsulate the slider to give it containment. Use the gallery-container div to house all the elements that will be in the slider, and wrap each photo with FIGURE along with the optional FIGCAPTION tag to include a description. Many sliders use the NAV tag to include buttons and thus give the user interaction options.
Create a dynamic slider with CSS
To give your dynamic slider a more careful and detailed style, you can use CSS (Cascading Style Sheets). Using its options you can define the layout, color palette, transition effects and other purely aesthetic and functional options of the slider. The key when using CSS is to know its scope and limitations, always thinking about the purely aesthetic and style sections for the slider in question.
- You will be able to define the width and margin for the slider section on your page. A good option is to center it to avoid overflowing any image.
- With DISPLAY and FLEX in the gallery-container section you can organize the elements in a row. With the TRANSITION property, a smooth effect is applied when moving from one image to another. Using TRANSFORM you can modify characteristics of this transition, making it faster, slower or with effects.
- Select the minimum width MIN-WIDTH, box size for the slider BOX-SIZING and BORDER-BOX and this way you will make the most of the space, without surprises.
- The DISPLAY, FLEX and JUSTIFY CONTENT, SPACE-BETWEEN options select the location of the interactive buttons. You can position them at opposite ends so the user can go from one side to the other intuitively in the gallery.
Interaction aspects with JavaScript
The third technology that you have to know to design a dynamic slider It's JavaScript. In this case it deals with the sections related to interaction from the web interface. You can use Java to make the slider more friendly and interactive, adding functions that will be modified directly with the user's intervention.
- Some practical examples of dynamic sliders with JavaScript include the currentIndex variable. This keeps track of the current image displayed in the slider.
- With EVENT LISTENERS you can activate the NAVIGATE function with direction -1 (previous) or 1 (next) and go from one image to another according to your own interests.
- The NAVIGATE function also allows you to calculate the necessary displacement from one photo to another (OFFSET) and thus display the desired image when you press the button.
- With TRANSFORM, TRANSLATEX you can finish configuring the slider so that when it moves to the indicated position, it shows the photo in question.
The JavaScript lines They can be used to add basic functionality to the slider navigation. The user will be able to move between the different files contained in the gallery in question in an intuitive and simple way.
Autoplay function in dynamic slider
There are some dynamic sliders that automatically and rotatingly display the images within the gallery. These sliders have an active autoplay function. Autoplay scrolls the images automatically from time to time. Functionality can be easily added by using the JavaScript language.
- There are different variables that must be considered for autoplay to be effective. First, the AUTOPLAYINTERVAL option. Defines the identifier for the automatic transition interval.
- STARTAUTOPLAY takes the time interval as a reference (calculated in milliseconds). Stops any previous autoplay so as not to generate incompatibilities, and starts a new interval to call the NAVIGATE function and navigate.
- With STOPAUTOPLAY you can stop autoplay. You can use it to stop automatic navigation if the user manually interacts with the slider.
- AUTOPLAY is normally stopped when the user interacts with the manual navigation buttons.
The uses of a dynamic slider
The web pages use the dynamic sliders to generate much more visual and attractive navigation between multimedia elements. They are normally used for both still images and videos. You can configure them with different features and action buttons through the use of the main languages, CSS, HTML and JavaScript.
When designing your website and incorporate dynamic sliders, it is important to know and modify the variables coherently. Otherwise, you may end up generating display or navigation problems due to syntax errors.
The process is learned, first with theory and knowledge of the different alternatives available. And secondly with the practical application of the different tools to finish testing their effects. It is an interesting practice for the web designer to learn to master the different technologies, their scope and limitations so that you can have these elements on your website in an intuitive and efficient way. Without complications and at all times.