Adding Horizontal Scroll to Your Shopify Collection List in Dawn 12.0

The other evening, as I was sipping my steaming cup of chamomile tea and combing through the tangled web of Shopify forums, I stumbled across a curious question: someone wanting to give their Shopify store the stylish flair of a horizontal sliding collection list. My heart leapt just a bit. I remember the time when we tried to add similar pizzazz to our own little online corner. It was both hilariously disastrous and delightfully rewarding. Let’s dive in together and unearth how we can make that sleek horizontal slide dance gracefully across your Shopify site.

A Glimpse into the Horizontal Realm

The genesis of horizontal scroll magic isn't exactly like brewing a potion, more like assembling a sandwich with care, precision, a bit of trial, and a sprinkling of creativity. I remember when we first embarked on this - our homepage looked more like a digital jigsaw puzzle gone awry, with product images stubbornly refusing to slide. We felt a bit like digital artisans on a mission. And trust me, there's something about watching those collections glide across the screen that feels like pulling off a magic trick.

Now, envision your visitors gazing wide-eyed at your store, entranced by the smooth, tantalizing motion of a horizontal scroll. Yes, my friends, you too can weave this enchantment for your online domain.

Crafting the Scroll

First things first, let's dive into the mechanics of making this happen. Dawn 12.0, the canvas for our masterpiece, is your playground. Here’s how we do it—step by step, with a touch of flair. Channel your inner digital artist here.

Step 1: Create the Setting

We need to open up the theme editor. Navigate to Online Store > Themes, and then click ‘Customize’ for the Dawn theme. This will open the door to where all magic happens — the theme customizer.

Step 2: Prepare Your Collections

Create or identify the collection list you want to feature in a horizontal scroll. Ever try selecting which cookies to bake on a lazy Sunday? It’s kind of like that—choosing the gems you want to present with a gentle scroll.

Step 3: Add a Custom Section

Next, we’ll add a custom section to host our scrolling marvel. Go to Sections > Add a new section. Let's name it something whimsical—like horizontal-slider. This will create a liquid file that's a blank canvas for our next ingenious steps.

Step 4: Stir in the Liquid

Here’s where we start tinkering with code. Don’t worry, it’s like following a recipe — and creativity is our secret ingredient. In your new section (horizontal-slider.liquid), you’re going to input HTML along with some delightful sprinkles of CSS and JavaScript:

<div class="horizontal-slider">
  <div class="slider-frame">
    {% for collection in collections %}
    <div class="slide">
      <a href="{{ collection.url }}">
        <img src="{{ collection.image | img_url: '300x300' }}" alt="{{ collection.title }}" />
        <p>{{ collection.title }}</p>
      </a>
    </div>
    {% endfor %}
  </div>
</div>

Step 5: Style It With CSS

Now, we add the charm. With a little CSS, we smooth out the rough edges and bring our slider to life:

.horizontal-slider {
  overflow-x: auto;
  white-space: nowrap;
  scroll-behavior: smooth;
}

.slider-frame {
  display: inline-block;
}

.slide {
  display: inline-block;
  margin-right: 15px;
}

.slide img {
  border-radius: 10px;
}

Step 6: Animate with JavaScript

A little sprinkle of JavaScript will set our scroll in motion—automatically. We’re adding a bit of zest to our concoction.

let slider = document.querySelector('.slider-frame')
let interval = setInterval(() => {
  slider.scrollBy({ left: 300, behavior: 'smooth' })
}, 3000)

Step 7: Marvel at Your Masterpiece

Save, preview, and bask in the joyous harmony of motion. Suddenly, that digital jigsaw of old transforms into a cascade of elegance and charm. Your collections are now ready to waltz across the screen—and we are the proud orchestrators of such visual poetry.

Because We Need to Celebrate the Small Wins

Looking back, implementing that horizontal scroll was like solving a delightful puzzle—albeit with a few wrong turns and comical blunders along the way. I fondly recall the first time our own collections glided into place; it felt like the confetti shower of a store owner's dreams.

For those embarking on this journey, remember: every tweak, every dash of code, is a step towards crafting the perfect digital space. We're all in this together, striding (or scrolling) towards a vibrant, engaging online storefront. Happy scrolling, friends! May your collections glide as smoothly as your morning coffee.