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metafizzy/infinite-scroll

7,492HTMLAudience · developerComplexity · 2/5LicenseSetup · easy

TLDR

A JavaScript library that automatically loads and appends the next page of content as the user scrolls down, replacing the need for a Next Page button.

Mindmap

mindmap
  root((Infinite Scroll))
    What it does
      Auto-loads next page content
      Appends items on scroll
    Setup
      Container element target
      Next-page URL pattern
      Element selector to append
    Modes
      Auto-scroll mode
      Button click mode
      Prefill on startup
    Optional features
      Browser history update
      Masonry and Isotope support
      Dynamic URL via function
    Audience
      Web developers
      Frontend engineers
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Code map

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Things people build with this

USE CASE 1

Add infinite scrolling to a blog so new posts load automatically as readers reach the bottom of the page.

USE CASE 2

Turn a paginated product listing page into an endless scroll experience without a Next Page button.

USE CASE 3

Combine Infinite Scroll with a Masonry grid so dynamically loaded images slot correctly into the layout.

USE CASE 4

Add a Load More button that fetches the next page only when clicked, instead of loading on scroll.

Tech stack

JavaScriptHTML

Getting it running

Difficulty · easy Time to first run · 30min

Install via npm or load from CDN, requires identifying the next-page link selector or URL pattern in your existing HTML.

Use freely for any purpose including commercial projects, MIT License.

In plain English

Infinite Scroll is a JavaScript library for web pages that automatically loads and appends the next page of content as the user scrolls down, without the user needing to click a Next Page button. You attach it to any container element on your page, tell it where to find the URL for the next page, and tell it which elements from those pages to add to the container. From that point on, new content keeps appearing as the visitor scrolls. Setting it up requires two pieces of information at minimum: the path pattern for subsequent pages and a selector that identifies which elements to append. The path can be specified as a URL template with a page number placeholder, as a CSS selector pointing to a next-page link already on the page, or as a JavaScript function that returns the URL dynamically. The library detects when there are no more pages by checking whether the next-page link still exists. The library includes a number of optional behaviors. A prefill mode loads additional pages on startup until the page is long enough to fill the screen. A history mode updates the browser address bar as the user scrolls through pages, either replacing the current URL or adding new entries to the browser history. A button mode disables auto-loading and instead waits for the user to click a specific button before fetching the next page. There is also integration support for layout libraries like Masonry and Isotope so that newly appended items are placed correctly in grid layouts. Infinite Scroll version 5 is released under the MIT License and is free to use in commercial and closed-source projects. It works in Chrome 60 and later, Edge 79 and later, Firefox 55 and later, and Safari 11 and later. It can be installed via npm or yarn, or loaded directly from a CDN with a script tag.

Copy-paste prompts

Prompt 1
Show me how to set up Infinite Scroll on a blog page so new posts load automatically as the user scrolls to the bottom.
Prompt 2
How do I configure Infinite Scroll to update the browser URL bar as the user scrolls through pages?
Prompt 3
Write the JavaScript to add a Load More button using Infinite Scroll that fetches the next page only when clicked.
Prompt 4
How do I integrate Infinite Scroll with a Masonry grid layout so newly loaded items are placed correctly?
Prompt 5
How does Infinite Scroll detect when there are no more pages to load, and how do I handle that end state?
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