CSS only Carousel in Gatsby: Slider with Scroll Snap # CSS only Carousel in Gatsby: Slider with Scroll Snap #

🧱 What are we Building? #

We will use a carousel to showcase recent projects on the home page of an MDX photography blog. The smooth-sliding carousel serves up a hero image for each project. On hover (or tap for mobile), a nice flip animation reveals some project details. We do all of that in CSS, using gatsby-image-plugin for the responsive images. Here's a short video of our CSS only carousel in action:

🔧 What Tools are we Using #

• Gatsby v3 : to make the site blazing fast.
• gatsby-plugin-image   : optimal image sizing, plus automatically generated AVIF and WebP images.
• gatsby-starter-climate : this gives us a minimal Gatsby v3 MDX blog site to add the carousel to. It also saves us having to write a bit of boilerplate code.

🖥 CSS only Carousel in Gatsby: Let’s get Cracking #

To speed things up, we’ll use a Gatsby 3 MDX Blog starter . To begin, clone the repo from GitHub and fire up Gatsby from the terminal:

    
gatsby new css-only-carousel https://github.com/rodneylab/gatsby-starter-climate
cd css-only-carousel
cp .env.EXAMPLE .env.development
cp .env.EXAMPLE .env.production
gatsby develop

  

Have a quick look through the folders just to get used to the setup. Once you have a feel for it, we'll carry on. OK, let’s do this! We'll warm up with some Gatsby before getting into the CSS. Create a new Projects component in src/components/Projects.jsx:

    
1 import React from 'react';
2 import { GatsbyImage, getImage } from 'gatsby-plugin-image';
3 import { graphql } from 'gatsby';
4 import PropTypes from 'prop-types';
5   
6 import {
7   cardContainer,
8   cardContent,
9   detailText,
10   detailTextShort,
11   icon,
12   image,
13   overlayText,
14   slide,
15   slideContainer,
16   slideFront,
17   slideBack,
18   slideBackContent,
19   slider,
20   sliderShortcut,
21   sliderShortcutActive,
22   sliderShortcuts,
23   slides,
24 } from './Projects.module.scss';
25    
26 import { FilmIcon, SettingsIcon, ThermometerIcon } from './Icons';
27   
28 const imageAltText = [
29   'Photograph of analogue camera which is disassembled with its components arranged on a table.  There is a magnifying glass above the centre of the image',
30   'Photograph of a roll of 35mm camera film centred on a large yellow background',
31   'Photograph of an analogue film camera placed in front of an arrangement of film processing chemical bottles of different shapes and size as well as beakers, measuring cylinders and other photo lab equipment',
32 ];
33 const projectTitles = ['Classic Camera Repair', 'Film Exchange Programme', 'Film Lab'];
34   
35 const ProjectDetail = ({ index }) => {
36   if (index === 0) {
37     return (
38       <div className={slideBackContent}>
39         <h2>{projectTitles[0]}</h2>
40         <span className={icon}>
41           <SettingsIcon size="48" />
42         </span>
43         <p className={detailTextShort}>I rescue and repair unloved analogue cameras.</p>
44         <p className={detailText}>
45           I fix analogue film cameras whenever I find the time. Get in touch if you have an unloved
46           film camera, no matter what condition it is in. I can use the spare parts to get another
47           camera working.
48         </p>
49       </div>
50     );
51   }
52   if (index === 1) {
53     return (
54       <div className={slideBackContent}>
55         <h2>{projectTitles[1]}</h2>
56         <span className={icon}>
57           <FilmIcon size="48" />
58         </span>
59         <p className={detailTextShort}>
60           Find someone who has a film you want and exchange it for one they want.
61         </p>
62         <p className={detailText}>
63           Sometimes you want to try out a film but it&rsquo;s difficult to get hold of it where you
64           live. I can pair you up with someone in a another part of the world who either has or can
65           source the film for you. You just exchange it for film which they are looking for.
66         </p>
67       </div>
68     );
69   }
70   return (
71     <div className={slideBackContent}>
72       <h2>{projectTitles[2]}</h2>
73       <span className={icon}>
74         <ThermometerIcon size="48" />
75       </span>
76       <p className={detailTextShort}>
77         I&rsquo;m rediscovering a rare, forgotten photographic printing process every month.
78       </p>
79       <p className={detailText}>
80         I&rsquo;m trying out a different, forgotten film processing technique every month this year.
81         So far I have tried Kallitype, Platinum and Palladium printing, and the Wet-Plate Collodion
82         Process. What other rare processes should I try?
83       </p>
84     </div>
85   );
86 };
87  
88 ProjectDetail.propTypes = {
89   index: PropTypes.number.isRequired,
90 };
91   
92 const Projects = ({ carouselImages }) => (
93   <section>
94     <h2>My Latest Projects</h2>
95     {carouselImages.map((element, index) => (
96       <div key={element.id} id={`A;slide-${index}`A;}>
97         <GatsbyImage
98           className={image}
99           image={getImage(element)}
100           alt={imageAltText[index]}
101           width={672}
102           height={448}
103         />
104       </div>
105     ))}
106   </section>
107 );
108   
109 Projects.propTypes = {
110   carouselImages: PropTypes.arrayOf(
111     PropTypes.shape({
112       id: PropTypes.string,
113     }),
114   ).isRequired,
115 };
116   
117 export const carouselQuery = graphql`A;
118   fragment ProjectCarouselFragment on File {
119     id
120     childImageSharp {
121       gatsbyImageData(
122         width: 672
123         layout: CONSTRAINED
124         sizes: "(max-width: 672px) calc(100vw - 64px), 672px"
125       )
126     }
127   }
128 `A;;
129  
130 export const query = graphql`A;
131   fragment ProjectsFragment on Query {
132     projectImage1: file(relativePath: { eq: "camera-restoration-project.jpg" }) {
133       ...ProjectCarouselFragment
134     }
135     projectImage2: file(relativePath: { eq: "film-exchange-project.jpg" }) {
136       ...ProjectCarouselFragment
137     }
138     projectImage3: file(relativePath: { eq: "film-lab-project.jpg" }) {
139       ...ProjectCarouselFragment
140     }
141   }
142 `A;;
143  
144 export { Projects as default };

  

This is a basic shell for the component. We need to define a few bits and pieces before we wire it up. First, though, let's have a quick look at the GraphQL queries. In lines 98 – 110 we define a fragment which we can use on any page we place the component on. We'll see that later. You'll note it includes another fragment — the ProjectCarouselFragment — no fewer than three times! This illustrates one practical use of fragments. You can see that fragment's code above. Its body is eight lines long. Defining the fragment once and then referencing it when we need it saves us writing those eight lines over and over. On top, if we need to change anything in the query we just change it once, so the code is more robust using fragments. You can learn more about Gatsby GraphQL Fragments in the Gatsby docs .

Gatsby Plugin Image #

The ProjectCarouselFragment uses the new Gatsby Image Plugin API. This creates an image object from the file. In the component body (lines 97–103) we will render the image. Note the inclusion of width and height attributes. Generally this is best practice as it gives the user's browser an earlier indication of the image aspect ratio. Including these can help reduce cumulative layout shift  as the page loads. You will need to download three images (camera-restoration-project.jpg , film-lab-project.jpg  and film-exchange-project.jpg ) and save them to a new folder: src/images.

I downsized the images and optimized them locally before uploading, so they are ready for you to use. Even though gatsby-plugin-image can optimize images, it is best practice to do some work yourself. This reduces the size of your repo and also speeds up site build. The images are 1344 pixels wide, this is double the widest display width needed. I use double because of the way Retina works. Some stock images are huge, so be sure to downsize before using them.

There are some defaults for gatsby-pluin-image already set in gatsby-config.js (lines 92 – 113). This saves us having to repeat them in each GraphQL query.

Gatsby Config #

To be able to access the images in the GraphQL query, we need to update our gatsby-config.js file:

    
123 'gatsby-plugin-react-helmet',
124 {
125   resolve: 'gatsby-source-filesystem',
126   options: {
127     name: 'blog',
128     path: `${__dirname}/content/blog`,
129   },
130 },
131 {
132   resolve: 'gatsby-source-filesystem',
133   options: {
134     name: 'images',
135     path: `${__dirname}/src/images`,
136   },
137 },
138 {
139   resolve: 'gatsby-plugin-mdx',
140   // TRUNCATED...
141 }

  

Next, let’s start an SCSS file for the Project component:

    
    @import '../styles/styles.scss';

  

Extra Icons #

Then, finally, we add some missing icons to src/components/Icons.jsx. Add these to the existing icons:

    
export const FilmIcon = ({ size = '16' }) => (
  <span role="img" aria-label="film">
    <FeatherIcon icon="film" size={size} />
  </span>
);
 
export const SettingsIcon = ({ size = '16' }) => (
  <span role="img" aria-label="settings">
    <FeatherIcon icon="settings" size={size} />
  </span>
);
   
export const ThermometerIcon = ({ size = '16' }) => (
  <span role="img" aria-label="thermometer">
    <FeatherIcon icon="thermometer" size={size} />
  </span>
);

  

Fire it up #

We should now be able to get the component rendered to the home page, once we wire it up. Edit src/pages/index.jsx:

    
1 import React from 'react';
2 import { graphql } from 'gatsby';
3 import PropTypes from 'prop-types';
4  
5 import BlogRoll from '../components/BlogRoll';
6 import Card from '../components/Card';
7 import Projects from '../components/Projects';
8 import { PureLayout as Layout } from '../components/Layout';
9 import { PureSEO as SEO } from '../components/SEO';
10  
11 export default function Home({ data }) {
12   const { projectImage1, projectImage2, projectImage3 } = data;
13   const projectCarouselImages = [projectImage1, projectImage2, projectImage3];
14  
15   return (
16     <>
17       <SEO data={data} title="Home" />
18       <Layout data={data}>
19         <>
20           <header>
21             <h1>Climate &mdash; Gatsby 3 Starter</h1>
22             <h2>Gatsby 3 Starter for MDX Blog Sites</h2>
23           </header>
24           <Card>
25             <h2>About me</h2>
26             <p>
27               I live and breathe analogue photography. I show you my favourite analogue film cameras
28               on this site. Hopefully if you are not into analogue photography yet, some of my
29               enthusiasm will rub off onto you.
30             </p>
31           </Card>
32           <Projects carouselImages={projectCarouselImages} />
33           <BlogRoll />
34         </>
35       </Layout>
36     </>
37   );
38 }
39  
40 Home.propTypes = {
41   data: PropTypes.shape({
42     site: PropTypes.shape({
43       buildTime: PropTypes.string,
44     }),
45     projectImage1: PropTypes.shape.isRequired,
46     projectImage2: PropTypes.shape.isRequired,
47     projectImage3: PropTypes.shape.isRequired,
48   }).isRequired,
49 };
50  
51 export const query = graphql`A;
52   query Home {
53     site {
54       ...LayoutFragment
55       ...SEOFragment
56     }
57     ...BlogRollFragment
58     ...ProjectsFragment
59   }
60 `A;;

  

There's nothing fancy here, I think it's self-explanatory, but let me know if it is not. Just note, we have used the ProjectsFragment defined earlier. It was not at all necessary to use a fragment. I just wanted to show that fragments can be used outside the files they are defined in. As an aside, with Gatsby v3, you can now use fragments in GraphiQL.

If you have Gatsby running in develop mode, you should now have the component rendered on the home page. The images aren't in a carousel yet, but that will come next.

CSS only Carousel in Gatsby: Styling Time #

This is supposed to be a CSS only carousel in Gatsby, so let’s break out the CSS. Just before that, we will update the Projects component. We'll put all the CSS classes in now, so we can see the page blossom as we crank out the CSS.

    
1 import React from 'react';
2 import { GatsbyImage, getImage } from 'gatsby-plugin-image';
3 import { graphql } from 'gatsby';
4 import PropTypes from 'prop-types';
5  
6 import {
7   cardContainer,
8   cardContent,
9   detailText,
10   detailTextShort,
11   icon,
12   image,
13   overlayText,
14   slide,
15   slideContainer,
16   slideFront,
17   slideBack,
18   slideBackContent,
19   slider,
20   sliderShortcut,
21   sliderShortcutActive,
22   sliderShortcuts,
23   slides,
24 } from './Projects.module.scss';
25 import { isBrowser } from '../utilities/utilities';
26 import { FilmIcon, SettingsIcon, ThermometerIcon } from './Icons';
27  
28 const imageAltText = [
29   'Photograph of analogue camera which is disassembled with its components arranged on a table.  There is a magnifying glass above the centre of the image',
30   'Photograph of a roll of 35mm camera film centred on a large yellow background',
31   'Photograph of an analogue film camera placed in front of an arrangement of film processing chemical bottles of different shapes and size as well as beakers, measuring cylinders and other photo lab equipment',
32 ];
33 const projectTitles = ['Classic Camera Repair', 'Film Exchange Programme', 'Film Lab'];
34  
35 const ProjectDetail = ({ index }) => {
36   if (index === 0) {
37     return (
38       <div className={slideBackContent}>
39         <h2>{projectTitles[0]}</h2>
40         <span className={icon}>
41           <SettingsIcon size="48" />
42         </span>
43         <p className={detailTextShort}>I rescue and repair unloved analogue cameras.</p>
44         <p className={detailText}>
45           I fix analogue film cameras whenever I find the time. Get in touch if you have an unloved
46           film camera, no matter what condition it is in. I can use the spare parts to get another
47           camera working.
48         </p>
49       </div>
50     );
51   }
52   if (index === 1) {
53     return (
54       <div className={slideBackContent}>
55         <h2>{projectTitles[1]}</h2>
56         <span className={icon}>
57           <FilmIcon size="48" />
58         </span>
59         <p className={detailTextShort}>
60           Find someone who has a film you want and exchange it for one they want.
61         </p>
62         <p className={detailText}>
63           Sometimes you want to try out a film but it&rsquo;s difficult to get hold of it where you
64           live. I can pair you up with someone in a another part of the world who either has or can
65           source the film for you. You just exchange it for film which they are looking for.
66         </p>
67       </div>
68     );
69   }
70   return (
71     <div className={slideBackContent}>
72       <h2>{projectTitles[2]}</h2>
73       <span className={icon}>
74         <ThermometerIcon size="48" />
75       </span>
76       <p className={detailTextShort}>
77         I&rsquo;m rediscovering a rare, forgotten photographic printing process every month.
78       </p>
79       <p className={detailText}>
80         I&rsquo;m trying out a different, forgotten film processing technique every month this year.
81         So far I have tried Kallitype, Platinum and Palladium printing, and the Wet-Plate Collodion
82         Process. What other rare processes should I try?
83       </p>
84     </div>
85   );
86 };
87  
88 ProjectDetail.propTypes = {
89   index: PropTypes.number.isRequired,
90 };
91  
92 const Projects = ({ carouselImages }) => {
93   let currentCarouselIndex = 0;
94   if (isBrowser) {
95     const { hash } = window.location;
96     const regularExpression = /slide-\d/;
97     if (regularExpression.test(hash)) {
98       currentCarouselIndex = parseInt(hash.slice(7), 10);
99     }
100   }
101   
102   return (
103     <section>
104       <h2>My Latest Projects</h2>
105       <div className={cardContainer}>
106         <div className={cardContent}>
107           <div className={slider}>
108             {/* eslint-disable-next-line jsx-a11y/no-noninteractive-tabindex */}
109             <div className={slides} tabIndex="0">
110               {carouselImages.map((element, index) => (
111                 <div
112                   aria-selected={currentCarouselIndex === index}
113                   className={slideContainer}
114                   key={element.id}
115                   id={`A;slide-${index}`A;}
116                 >
117                   <div className={slide}>
118                     <div className={slideFront}>
119                       <GatsbyImage
120                         className={image}
121                         image={getImage(element)}
122                         alt={imageAltText[index]}
123                         width={672}
124                         height={448}
125                       />
126                       <div className={overlayText}>{projectTitles[index]}</div>
127                     </div>
128                     <div className={slideBack}>
129                       <ProjectDetail index={index} />
130                     </div>
131                   </div>
132                 </div>
133               ))}
134             </div>
135           </div>
136           <div className={sliderShortcuts}>
137             {carouselImages.map((element, index) => (
138               <a
139                 aria-label={`A;Skip to ${projectTitles[index]} project`A;}
140                 aria-current={currentCarouselIndex === index}
141                 className={`A;${sliderShortcut} ${
142                   currentCarouselIndex === index ? sliderShortcutActive : ''
143                 }`A;}
144                 href={`A;#slide-${index}`A;}
145                 key={`A;link-${element.id}`A;}
146               >
147                 <span className="screen-reader-text">{index + 1}</span>
148               </a>
149             ))}
150           </div>
151         </div>
152       </div>
153     </section>
154   );
155 };
156 // TRUNCATED...

  

I have added a bit of new code here, so let's run through the logic. I have based the implementation off a Chris Coyier post written to show how far HTML and CSS can take you . You might have noticed before that each of the images was given an id tag on their parent element. Interestingly, even if the images are in a carousel, we can jump to any image and have it show, front and centre in the carousel using default browser behaviour. See the post on using Scroll to Anchor for some background on how IDs and hashes work together.

The logic in lines 92 – 100 gets the current hash from the browser window location. We need this because we are not using React to track the carousel's state. We have a check that the code is running in a browser (and not on the server as it does during build). Without this check, we will run the site fine in develop mode, but get errors when we try to build. As this check is something that might be needed in other components, we will define it in a utilities file later.

Accessibility #

There are a few accessibility attributes to improve user experience. The tabIndex in line 109 allows users to focus the carousel by tabbing to it. Once focussed, users can scroll through carousel slides using the keyboard. I learned about aria-current (line 135) from the University of Twitter via a Wes Bos question answered by Scott Vinkle. It is used here on the dots below the carousel. There is a visual indication of which slide is selected (red, instead of blue dot), aria-current is used to communicate that message to assistive technology .

Just before we go on to flesh out the CSS, we should define our isBrowser utility function, which we mentioned previously. Create a new utilities folder in /src and add a utilities.js file to it:

    
1 export const isBrowser = typeof window !== 'undefined';

  

CSS only Carousel in Gatsby: CSS Time #

Finally, it's time to put the CSS into our CSS only carousel in Gatsby. We will do this in three phases:

1. carousel slider with animation;
2. flip animation; and
3. add responsive support.

If you are short on time, just paste the three main chunks of highlighted code below, one after the other, into your editor (ignore the short alternative implementation block).

CSS only Carousel in Gatsby: Carousel Slider and Animation #

Add the code below to src/components/Projects.module.scss to add the carousel animations.

src/components/Projects.module.scss

scss

    
1 @import '../styles/styles.scss';
2  
3 html {
4   scroll-behavior: smooth;
5   scroll-padding-top: $spacing-32;
6 }
7  
8 $image-width: calc(#{$desktop-breakpoint - (2 * $spacing-4)});
9 $image-height: calc(#{$image-width / 1.5});
10  
11 .card-container {
12   display: flex;
13   width: 100%;
14 }
15  
16 .card-content {
17   width: 100%;
18   border: $spacing-px-2 solid $color-theme-4;
19   background-color: $color-accent;
20   border-radius: $spacing-3;
21   margin: $spacing-6 auto;
22   padding: $spacing-4;
23    
24   h2 {
25     margin: $spacing-0 $spacing-2;
26   }
27   p {
28     font-size: $font-size-1;
29     margin: $spacing-2;
30   }
31 }
32  
33 .slider {
34   width: $image-width;
35   text-align: center;
36   overflow: hidden;
37 }
38  
39 .slides {
40   display: flex;
41   overflow-x: auto;
42   overflow-y: hidden;
43   scroll-snap-type: x mandatory;
44   scroll-behavior: smooth;
45   -webkit-overflow-scrolling: touch;
46  
47   background-color: $color-theme-4; // this is visible in space between slides on scroll
48   perspective: 1200;
49   border-radius: $spacing-1;
50 }
51  
52 .slides::-webkit-scrollbar {
53   width: $spacing-3;
54   height: $spacing-3;
55 }
56 .slides::-webkit-scrollbar-thumb {
57   background: $color-theme-4;
58   border-radius: $spacing-3;
59 }
60 .slides::-webkit-scrollbar-track {
61   background: $color-theme-3;
62 }
63  
64 .slide-container {
65   scroll-snap-align: start;
66   flex-shrink: 0;
67   width: $image-width;
68   height: $image-height;
69   margin-right: $spacing-16; // this is the space between slides (visible during scroll)
70   background: $color-theme-4;
71   transform-origin: center center;
72   transform: scale(1);
73   transition: transform 0.5s;
74   position: relative;
75  
76   display: flex;
77   justify-content: center;
78   align-items: center;
79   font-size: $spacing-24;
80 }
81  
82 .slider-shortcuts {
83   display: flex;
84   justify-content: center;
85 }
86  
87 .slider-shortcut {
88   display: inline-flex;
89   width: $spacing-6;
90   height: $spacing-6;
91   background: $color-theme-4;
92   text-decoration: none;
93   align-items: center;
94   justify-content: center;
95   border-radius: 50%;
96   margin: $spacing-2 $spacing-3 $spacing-0 $spacing-0;
97   position: relative;
98   font-weight: $font-weight-bold;
99 }
100  
101 .slider-shortcut-active {
102   background: $color-theme-1;
103 }
104  
105 .slider-shortcut:active {
106   top: 1px;
107   background-color: $color-theme-3;
108 }
109 .slider-shortcut:focus {
110   background: $color-theme-3;
111 }
112  
113 .image {
114   border-radius: $spacing-1;
115 }
116  
117 .overlay-text {
118   display: inline;
119   position: absolute;
120   top: $spacing-4;
121   left: $spacing-4;
122   background: rgba($color: $color-theme-4, $alpha: 0.6);
123   color: $color-accent;
124   padding: $spacing-0 $spacing-2;
125   font-size: $font-size-4;
126 }

  

Now you should have something which looks more like a carousel. If you click a blue dot below the image, you should trigger a slide transition. Look in your browser address bar, and you will see a hash has been tacked on the end of the address.

CSS only Carousel in Gatsby: What Have we Got Here? #

A few things to note in the CSS. We set smooth scrolling in line 3. This improves the UX. Motion is slow, so it’s probably not necessary to consider coding up a prefers-reduced-motion alternative. The scroll-padding-top setting in the next line helps make sure the entire slide is visible when the user clicks one of the dots. There is an alternative, which was not working in this case in Chrome or Safari, but did work in Firefox:

src/components/Projects.module.scss: alternative

scss

    
64 .slide-container {
65   scroll-margin-top: $spacing-32; // alternative implementation
66   scroll-snap-align: start;
67   flex-shrink: 0;
68   // TRUNCATED...
69 }

  

You might try it elsewhere, depending on your use case. It has the advantage of not having to apply the style to the entire HTML section of the DOM.

The scroll-snap-type: x mandatory in line 43 ensures the slider stops at discrete positions which line up with the slides. This is the behaviour in Chrome and Firefox. I would say the best way to understand what the other lines of CSS do is to play around with them. Much customisation is possible. When applying this code to your own site, be careful with the contrast levels of the overlay text against the background. To maintain accessibility, you might want to add a linear gradient over the image. I am playing around with some Rust code to check overlay text / image contrast  but this is still in its infancy.



If you’re ready, let’s move on to look at the flip animation.

CSS only Carousel in Gatsby: Slide Flip Animation #

Next, we add a flip animation to the carousel. Each project has a little summary detail, already included in the React component (but not yet visibly rendered). When we hover over a slide, it will flip, revealing the project details. Add the code below to the end of src/components/Projects.module.scss to add the carousel animations.

src/components/Projects.module.scss

scss

    
117 .overlay-text {
118   display: inline;
119   position: absolute;
120   top: $spacing-4;
121   left: $spacing-4;
122   background: rgba($color: $color-theme-4, $alpha: 0.6);
123   color: $color-accent;
124   padding: $spacing-0 $spacing-2;
125   font-size: $font-size-4;
126 }
127  
128 .slide {
129   width: $image-width;
130   height: $image-height;
131   transform-style: preserve-3d;
132   transition: all 0.4s ease;
133 }
134  
135 .slide:hover {
136   transform: rotateY(179.9deg);
137 }
138  
139 // disable transition for Safari
140 @media not all and (min-resolution: 0.001dpcm) {
141   .slide:hover {
142     transform: rotateY(0);
143   }
144 }
145  
146 .slide-front,
147 .slide-back {
148   color: #fff;
149   position: absolute;
150   backface-visibility: hidden;
151   transform-style: preserve-3d;
152 }
153  
154 .slide-back {
155   transform: rotateY(179.9deg);
156   border-radius: $spacing-1;
157 }
158  
159 .slide-back-content {
160   display: flex;
161   flex-direction: column;
162   background-color: $color-theme-4;
163   padding: $spacing-6 $spacing-8;
164   height: 100%;
165  
166   .detail-text-short {
167     display: none;
168   }
169  
170   h2,
171   p {
172     color: $color-theme-3;
173   }
174   h2 {
175     font-size: $font-size-5;
176     font-family: $font-body;
177     color: $color-theme-3;
178   }
179   p {
180     font-size: $font-size-2;
181     color: $color-accent;
182     text-align: left;
183   }
184  
185   .icon {
186     color: $color-theme-2;
187     font-size: $font-size-7;
188     padding: $spacing-8 $spacing-0 $spacing-6;
189   }
190 }
191  
192 @supports (scroll-snap-type) {
193   .slider-shortcut {
194     display: none;
195   }
196 }

  

Let me know if there is anything in there I should add an explanation for. This flip animation is not rendering correctly in Safari at the moment, so I have included some CSS to disable the flip on hover (lines 140 – 144), just for Safari. The block at the end is kind of related to the carousel styling, it hides the dots where scroll-snap-type is not supported.



CSS only Carousel in Gatsby: Mobile Friendly #

The last bit is probably the most important. We add a little CSS to make sure the code is responsive and mobile users have fantastic UX too. Update the code in src/components/Projects.module.scss to match this:

src/components/Projects.module.scss

scss

    
192 @supports (scroll-snap-type) {
193   .slider-shortcut {
194     display: none;
195   }
196 }
197  
198 @media screen and (max-width: $desktop-breakpoint) {
199   .slider {
200     margin-left: auto;
201     margin-right: auto;
202     width: 320px;
203   }
204  
205   .slide-container {
206     width: 320px;
207     height: 213px;
208   }
209  
210   .slide {
211     width: 320px;
212     height: 213px;
213   }
214  
215   .overlay-text {
216     font-size: $font-size-1;
217   }
218  
219   .slide-back-content {
220     padding: $spacing-4 $spacing-2;
221     h2,
222     .icon {
223       display: none;
224     }
225  
226     .detail-text {
227       display: none;
228     }
229  
230     .detail-text-short {
231       display: flex;
232     }
233   }
234 }
235  
236 @media screen and (max-width: $max-width-sm) {
237   .slider {
238     width: 256px;
239   }
240  
241   .slide-container {
242     width: 256px;
243     height: 170px;
244   }
245   
246   .slide {
247     width: 256px;
248     height: 170px;
249   }
250 }

  

Mission Accomplished! #

That's it! What do you think of the CSS only carousel in Gatsby? I think this is the first component I have coded where there are more lines of CSS code than JSX 😀. It started out as a much shorter post, but I wanted to flesh it out to a fully featured, real-world example, so it would have more practical use. Thanks for following all the way through to the end 🙏🏽.

Share your own CSS only carousel in Gatsby implementation on Twitter. Use the #askRodney hashtag, so you can find other coders' work too.

🙏🏽 Feedback #

How did you find this guide? What extensions do you want to implement on your CSS only carousel in Gatsby? Let me know if I should do a follow-up post on using React to mirror the carousel state. If you do this, you can synchronize elements outside the slider. As an example, scroll down to the bottom of this page to the “Similar Posts” block. You will see that if you scroll, the orange dot indicator tracks the current slide (this only works in reverse, i.e. click dot and slide changes in the CSS only version). On top, the post title shortcuts are synchronized. I will write a post on how to build that extra level of interaction if you are interested.

Have you found this post useful? I do hope it was easy enough to follow. Please let me know in any case. I would love to know your thoughts on the starter. Did it save you a bit of time by not having, firstly, to code a whole website from scratch to try out this code? Was it easy to download and start with Gatsby v3? Also, get in touch if you have ideas for posts showing other new Gatsby v3 features. If you have found this post useful and can afford even a small contribution, please consider supporting me through Buy me a Coffee.

Finally, feel free to share the post on your social media accounts for all your followers who will find it useful. You can get in touch via @askRodney on Twitter and also askRodney on Telegram . Also, see further ways to get in touch with Rodney Lab. We post regularly on online privacy and security, as well as Gatsby v3. Also, subscribe to the newsletter to keep up-to-date with our latest projects.