How Do I Customize a Slide NAV in Webflow?

In this tutorial, you will learn how to customize a slide navigation (slide NAV) in Webflow. Slide NAVs are a popular navigation style that allows visitors to easily navigate through different sections of a webpage by sliding horizontally. By customizing the slide NAV, you can ensure it matches the design and layout of your website.

Step 1: Setting up the HTML structure

Before customizing the slide NAV, you need to set up the HTML structure. Start by creating a <nav> element with a unique class or ID that will be used for styling later.

<nav class="slide-nav">
    <ul>
        <li><a href="#home">Home</a></li>
        <li><a href="#about">About</a></li>
        <li><a href="#services">Services</a></li>
        <li><a href="#portfolio">Portfolio</a></li>
        <li><a href="#contact">Contact</a></li>
    </ul>
</nav>

Step 2: Styling the slide NAV

To style the slide NAV, you can use CSS. In Webflow, you can either add custom CSS code or use the built-in designer interface to style elements.

To make the slide NAV horizontal and display each link as a slide, add the following CSS code:

.slide-nav {
    display: flex;
    flex-direction: row;
    overflow-x: auto;
    scroll-snap-type: x mandatory;
}slide-nav ul {
    display: flex;
    list-style-type: none;
    padding: 0;
}slide-nav li {
    flex: 0 0 auto;
    scroll-snap-align: center;
}slide-nav a {
    display: block;
}

The above code sets the slide NAV to have a horizontal layout using flexbox. It also enables horizontal scrolling and snap behavior for each slide. The .slide-nav ul and .slide-nav li styles define the layout of the navigation items, while .slide-nav a styles the link itself.

Step 3: Adding interactivity with JavaScript

To make the slide NAV interactive, you can use JavaScript. Webflow provides an easy way to add custom code to your project.

First, make sure you have jQuery loaded in your project by adding the following code to your HTML file:

<script src="https://ajax.googleapis.com/ajax/libs/jquery/3.5.1/jquery.min.js"></script>

Next, add the following JavaScript code to your project:

<script>
$(document).ready(function() {
    $('.slide-nav a').click(function(e) {
        e.preventDefault();
        
        var sectionId = $(this).attr('href');
        
        $('html, body').animate({
            scrollLeft: $(sectionId).offset().left
        }, 500);
    });
});
</script>

This code adds a click event listener to each link within the slide NAV. When a link is clicked, it prevents the default behavior of jumping to the linked section and instead animates the horizontal scrolling to the Target section using the scrollLeft() method.

Step 4: Testing and refining

After setting up the HTML structure, styling, and interactivity, it’s time to test and refine your slide NAV. Preview your website in a browser and ensure that the slide NAV scrolls smoothly between sections. Make any necessary adjustments to the CSS or JavaScript code to achieve the desired result.

Conclusion

Congratulations! You have successfully customized a slide NAV in Webflow.

By following these steps, you can create a visually engaging navigation system that enhances user experience on your website. Experiment with different styles, animations, and effects to make your slide NAV truly unique.