Creating Engaging Page Transitions with Gatsby.js
Written on
Chapter 1: Introduction to Gatsby.js
Gatsby.js is a powerful static site generator that leverages React. It allows developers to build static websites using data from various external sources. In this piece, we’ll explore how to implement page transitions within a Gatsby application.
To enhance the navigation experience, we can introduce transitions when moving from one page to another. This can be achieved by incorporating the GSAP library and the gatsby-plugin-transition-link.
To install these packages, run the following command:
npm install gsap gatsby-plugin-transition-link
Next, we need to configure the gatsby-config.js file as follows:
module.exports = {
plugins: [
gatsby-plugin-transition-link],
}
Now, let’s create our pages. In src/pages/index.js, we can set it up like this:
import React from "react";
import AniLink from "gatsby-plugin-transition-link/AniLink";
const IndexPage = () => {
return (
<>
Hello World
<AniLink to="/foo" paintDrip>Go to Foo</AniLink>
</>
);
};
export default IndexPage;
For our second page, src/pages/foo.js, the setup will be:
import React from "react";
import AniLink from "gatsby-plugin-transition-link/AniLink";
const FooPage = () => {
return (
<>
Hello World
<AniLink to="/">Go to Index</AniLink>
</>
);
};
export default FooPage;
The AniLink component allows us to create links that feature transition effects, such as the "paintDrip" effect, where a blue color flows down the screen.
Video Title: Smooth Layout Transitions with Framer Motion and Gatsby | AnimateSharedLayout
This video discusses how to implement smooth layout transitions using Framer Motion and Gatsby, enhancing the user experience with engaging animations.
Chapter 2: Custom Transitions
We can also define our own transition effects. First, we need to install the react-pose package:
npm install react-pose
Then, we can set up our component as follows:
import React from "react";
import { TransitionState } from "gatsby-plugin-transition-link";
import posed from 'react-pose';
const Box = posed.div({
hidden: { opacity: 0 },
visible: { opacity: 0.6 },
});
const IndexPage = () => {
return (
<TransitionState>
{({ transitionStatus, exit, entry, mount }) => {
console.log("Current transition status:", transitionStatus);
console.log("Exit object:", exit);
console.log("Entry object:", entry);
return (
<Box pose={mount ? 'visible' : 'hidden'}>
Hello World</Box>
);
}}
</TransitionState>
);
};
export default IndexPage;
In this example, we utilize the react-pose library to create a Box component that transitions in and out based on the animation status. The TransitionState component manages the transition state, allowing us to apply classes based on whether the page is mounted or not. At the end of the transition, the opacity will be set to 0.6.
Video Title: Gatsby Web Creators - Week 4 - Intro to CSS Animation, Transitions, and Media Queries
This video provides an introduction to CSS animations, transitions, and media queries, focusing on how to enhance web pages using these techniques.
Chapter 3: Excluding Elements from Transitions
Sometimes, you may want to exclude certain elements from page transitions. To do this, modify your configuration like so:
module.exports = {
plugins: [
{
resolve: "gatsby-plugin-transition-link",
options: {
layout: require.resolve(./src/components/Layout.js)}
}
]
};
With this setup, the src/components/Layout.js file will not be affected by any page transition effects.
Conclusion
With Gatsby, you can add visually appealing transition effects to your web pages, enhancing the overall user experience. If you found this article informative, consider subscribing to our YouTube channel for more content!