The Art of Customizing Your Scroll To Top Button: A Cozy Tale of CSS Curiosity

Oh, the scroll to top button—our unsung hero, quietly sitting in the corner of our online world, waiting to whisk us swiftly back to the beginning of our internet journey. It was a regular Tuesday evening; I remember the hum of my laptop and a cup of nearly lukewarm coffee by my side. As I scrolled endlessly through a blog about vintage teapots, I realized an unassuming button was the only way to escape this rabbit hole—a button I had seen a thousand times but never truly appreciated. This ignited a fervent curiosity: What makes a scroll to top button visually comforting and satisfying?

It turns out, our friend Tim on the Shopify forums has embarked on a similar quest. His scroll button desires a makeover—a glow-up, if you will—and today, we’re diving headfirst into the fun world of CSS to bring Tim’s vision to life. Let’s get those creative fingers tapping, shall we?

Crafting a Circular Sanctuary for the Scroll Button

So, we were sipping our hypothetical tea, and Tim requests a circle—a cocoon of design for his button to nestle in. A circle is harmonious, simple, endearing. The kind of space you'd frame a cherished memory in. Let’s take a peek at how we can make this dreamy button a glorious circle. Here’s where we start:

#scrollToTop button {
  background-color: #000;
  color: #fff;
  border: none;
  padding: 10px;
  border-radius: 50%;
  cursor: pointer;
  font-size: 15px; /* Making the arrow smaller */
}

We replaced border-radius: 50px; with border-radius: 50%;, which tells CSS to embrace our button into a perfect circle. Easy-peasy, right?

Shifting the Button Away from the Shadows

Picture this: you’re at a party, but you’re uncomfortably close to the speaker—loud, a bit too intense. That’s our button jammed in the corner. Let’s give it some breathing room, let it stretch out because it deserves better. We’ll offer it just that using some friendlier distances with Tim’s request in mind:

#scrollToTop {
  display: none;
  position: fixed;
  bottom: 30px; /* Increase distance from bottom */
  right: 30px; /* Increase distance from edge */
  z-index: 1000;
}

We nudged the bottom and right properties, giving it some space to breathe—like shifting your chair back from a chaotic family dinner, just enough to see the full scene.

The Subtle Elegance of Shrinking the Arrow

Tim wisely requested a smaller arrow, less in-your-face, more of a gentle hint. I once had a cat that learnt to nudge the treat jar softly instead of swatting it off the counter—the effectiveness of subtlety is not underestimated. Thus, we reduce the font-size:

#scrollToTop button {
  font-size: 15px; /* From 30 to 15px for a smaller arrow */
}

Half the size, twice the allure.

Stepping into the Realm of Greytones

The nightlife of black moves aside for the softer, misty tones of grey as Tim beckons color diversity. Imagine transforming a crisp black suit into a sleek, calm grey—no longer aggressive, but inviting. We alter the background color easily:

#scrollToTop button {
  background-color: #808080; /* Changed from black to grey */
}

And there you have it; greyscale elegance at your service.

Press Play on the Transformation

Picture the moment you culminate an art piece—stepping back, eyes brimming, noting every brush stroke’s purpose and plan; giving Tim’s scroll button that finesse is akin to finishing a mastery. Would you like to save this file as “perfect.scss”? Absolutely. Here’s the entire snippet:

#scrollToTop {
  display: none;
  position: fixed;
  bottom: 30px;
  right: 30px;
  z-index: 1000;
}

#scrollToTop button {
  background-color: #808080; /* Sophisticated grey */
  color: #fff;
  border: none;
  padding: 10px;
  border-radius: 50%; /* Circle of trust */
  cursor: pointer;
  font-size: 15px; /* Petite arrow dream */
}

As our narrative concludes, we are humbled by Tim’s simple yet impactful quest. Each element aligns harmoniously, narrating a tale of thoughtful design born from curiosity. Just like that, an evening with CSS becomes another charming story. Until next time, let’s keep our pixels pretty and our scroll to top buttons effortlessly transporting us in style.