How to Make Your Before & After Image Section Snap to Attention on Mobile

Once upon a time, in a world full of pixels and screen swipes, we were scrolling through our favorite Shopify stores, happily absorbed in the transformation magic of before-and-after shots. One moment, it was like a garden shed in spring—gray and uninspired; the next, a full bloom of vibrant colors and clarity. But then, just as we were about to tap our way to digital nirvana, we'd get lost. No smooth slide to guide us to the showcase. Madness! Like being in a canoe with no paddle, or worse, with no water underneath. We didn’t just want to experience this fix; we needed to, for the love of user experience.

There's an eager fellow named Tim who shares our plight—desperately trying to craft the ultimate before-and-after section on his Shopify store, yet needing an elegant scroll on mobile when tapping "BEFORE" or "AFTER." So, how do we save Tim and ourselves?

A Dance Between the Code and Us

First things first, we need to make our before-and-after heading functional, making sure it scrolls to the images. Remember those times when you finally figured out the right movie to watch on a Friday night after endless debates with friends? That’s the level of satisfaction we are aiming for here. So, let's break it down into digestible steps, like choosing toppings for the perfect sandwich.

Step 1: Identify the Targets

Before we even think about scrolling anywhere, we need to ensure our HTML structure is correctly laid out. We have the .before_badge and .after_badge class elements we’ll be working with. Here's a brief reminder:

<div class="before_badge" id="beforeBadge">BEFORE</div>
<div class="after_badge" id="afterBadge">AFTER</div>
<!-- ...
     your awesome before and after image slider ...
-->

Now, let’s blend these elements with a touch of JavaScript magic.

Step 2: Get Scrolling with JavaScript

We want the headers to scroll into view—swiftly and smoothly like a Sunday morning. Get cozy with your JavaScript editor because we're about to dive in. We've already got the JavaScript for interaction on the images, but we're going to add a glide effect for those taps.

Add this snippet after your existing code:

function scrollToImage(target) {
  const yOffset = -20 // Optional: Adjust according to your design preference
  const element = document.querySelector(target)
  const y = element.getBoundingClientRect().top + window.pageYOffset + yOffset

  window.scrollTo({ top: y, behavior: 'smooth' })
}

// Add event listeners for mobile only
if (isMobile) {
  beforeBadge.addEventListener('click', () => {
    scrollToImage('#imageBefore') // Use the ID or class you have for the before image
  })

  afterBadge.addEventListener('click', () => {
    scrollToImage('#imageAfter') // Use the ID or class you have for the after image
  })
}

Feel the code! This will attach an event to clicks on the before and after headers, moving the page gracefully to your glamorous images.

Step 3: CSS, The Unsung Hero

Our code won't work in isolation—it’s like a singer without their band. The CSS needs to support our JavaScript, and while we won't need drastic changes, a little CSS touch is essential. Ensure your badges and images have clear IDs or classes, and maybe even throw in some transitions for a little extra flair.

#beforeBadge,
#afterBadge {
  cursor: pointer;
  text-decoration: underline; /* Let's give users a hint that it's clickable */
}

.image-before,
.image-after {
  transition: width 0.3s ease;
}

Final Thoughts: Click and Enjoy

We all have those little things that bring us joy. A perfectly brewed cup of coffee, the smell of fresh-cut grass, or in this case, the satisfaction of smoothly navigating digital showcases. It’s an aesthetically pleasing experience for customers, and ultimately, a small victory in our ever-busy virtual lives.

Now, we can bid farewell to the inconvenient times of aimlessly fiddling on our phones. Whenever and wherever we tap the "BEFORE" or "AFTER" button, the page shall gracefully lead us to the visual feast below. Here's to the little things that make browsing a tad more delightful and as always, a nod to those like Tim who seek perfection in the world of Shopify. Cheers!