How to Create “Next” and “Previous” Buttons With CSS

As a website or application developer, one of the essential elements of navigation is the “Next” and “Previous” buttons.

These buttons allow users to easily move from one page to another and are particularly useful for pagination or image sliders.

In this tutorial, we’ll take a look at how to create these buttons with CSS.


Step 1: Define the HTML Structure

The first step in creating the “Next” and “Previous” buttons is to define the HTML structure.

For this example, we’ll create a simple container element with two buttons inside.

<div class="container">
  <button class="previous">Previous</button>
  <button class="next">Next</button>
</div>

Step 2: Style the Buttons with CSS

Once the HTML structure is in place, we can style the buttons using CSS. In this example, we’ll use basic styles to define the size and color of the buttons.

.container {
display: flex;
justify-content: center;
}

.previous,
.next {
padding: 10px 20px;
background-color: #ddd;
color: #333;
border: none;
border-radius: 5px;
cursor: pointer;
}

Step 3: Add Interactivity with JavaScript

Now that the buttons have a basic appearance, we can add interactivity to them using JavaScript.

The JavaScript code will listen for a click event on each button and perform a specific action based on which button was clicked.

const previousButton = document.querySelector(".previous");
const nextButton = document.querySelector(".next");

previousButton.addEventListener("click", function() {
// perform action for previous button
});

nextButton.addEventListener("click", function() {
// perform action for next button
});

Step 4: Customize the Buttons

At this point, the “Next” and “Previous” buttons are functional, but they can be further customized to match the look and feel of your website or application.

This can include adding icons, changing the size, or applying different styles for hover and active states.

.previous:hover,
.next:hover {
background-color: #eee;
}

.previous:active,
.next:active {
background-color: #ccc;
}

Conclusion

In conclusion, creating “Next” and “Previous” buttons with CSS is a straightforward process that involves defining the HTML structure, styling the buttons with CSS, adding interactivity with JavaScript, and customizing the buttons to match your needs.