Infinite scrolling refers to a common technique that allows users to load additional content as they scroll down through a webpage. Instead of having to click on separate pagination links, users instead have an uninterrupted experience of browsing content, which makes it well-suited for use on blogs, eCommerce stores, portfolios, and social media feeds.
This article discusses the implementation of infinite scrolling using Livewire in a Laravel application, which will automatically load additional records when the user scrolls down, without having to deal with AJAX manually.
Prerequisite:
- Composer (latest version)
- Laravel version 12
- Livewire installed
Steps to Implement Infinite Scroll in Laravel 12:
Here are the steps to follow:
Step 1: Create Posts Table
Step 2: Install Livewire
Step 3: Create Livewire Component
Step 4: Add Route and View
Step 5: Test Project
Now, let’s go into further detail on how to complete each step above.
Step 1: Create Posts Table
To implement infinite scrolling into the application, you need to have an easy way to create dummy data for your posts, which will allow the demonstration of the infinite scrolling capability of Laravel as an application. While the application is being scrolled to the bottom of the page, the additional data will be continuously displayed as it is created. There is also an option to seed the posts table so that sample records are available for testing.
Create a model with migration:
php artisan make:model Post -mUpdate migration file:
public function up(): void
{
Schema::create('posts', function (Blueprint $table) {
$table->id();
$table->string('title');
$table->text('description')->nullable();
$table->timestamps();
});
}Run migration:
php artisan migrateOptionally, you can Create a Seeder File:
php artisan make:seeder PostSeederBelow is an example of a seeder file:
use App\Models\Post;
public function run(): void
{
for ($i = 1; $i <= 100; $i++) {
Post::create([
'title' => 'Post Title '.$i,
'description' => 'This is description for post '.$i,
]);
}
}Run the Seeder File:
php artisan db:seedStep 2: Install Livewire
Here, we will install the Livewire package which will allow for creating dynamic interfaces within Laravel without having to manually create AJAX scripts and/or create complex javascript code. Also, the Livewire will provide the functionality of automatically creating an infinite loading feature.
Install Livewire:
composer require livewire/livewireOptionally publish Livewire assets:
php artisan livewire:publish --assetsStep 3: Create Livewire Component
We will now create a Livewire component that will manage how many records are displayed and when to load more data; this component is the core of the infinite scrolling functionality.
Creating component:
php artisan make:livewire InfiniteScrollOpen: app/Livewire/InfiniteScroll.php
<?php
namespace App\Livewire;
use Livewire\Component;
use App\Models\Post;
class InfiniteScroll extends Component
{
public $perPage = 10;
public function loadMore()
{
$this->perPage += 10;
}
public function render()
{
$posts = Post::latest()
->take($this->perPage)
->get();
return view('livewire.infinite-scroll', compact('posts'));
}
}Step 4: Add Route and View
This step will include registering a simple route and also loading our Livewire component into the welcome blade. We’ll also add Alpine.js to track when the user reaches the end of the page.
Open routes/web.php
use Illuminate\Support\Facades\Route;
Route::get('/', function () {
return view('welcome');
});
Update resources/views/welcome.blade.php
<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
<head>
<title>Laravel Livewire Infinite Scroll</title>
<link href="https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/npm/bootstrap@5.0.2/dist/css/bootstrap.min.css" rel="stylesheet">
@livewireStyles
</head>
<body class="bg-light">
<div class="py-5"> <livewire:infinite-scroll /> </div>
@livewireScripts
<script defer src="https://unpkg.com/alpinejs@3.x.x/dist/cdn.min.js"></script>
<script defer src="https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/npm/alpinejs@3.x.x/dist/cdn.min.js"></script>
</body>
</html>Now create blade:
resources/views/livewire/infinite-scroll.blade.php
<div>
<div class="container mt-4">
<h3 class="mb-4">Laravel 12 Livewire Infinite Scroll</h3>
@foreach($posts as $post)
<div class="card mb-3">
<div class="card-body">
<h5>{{ $post->title }}</h5>
<p>{{ $post->description }}</p>
</div>
</div>
@endforeach
<div
x-data
x-intersect="$wire.loadMore()"
class="text-center py-4"
>
<button class="btn btn-primary">
Loading more...
</button>
</div>
</div>
</div>Step 5: Test Project
Testing our Laravel application will be done in this step to verify that infinite scrolling works as expected; new records will be loaded upon scrolling down without reloading the page.
Run the project:
php artisan serveNow, go to your web browser, type the given URL, and view the app output:
Conclusion:
Implementing Infinite Scroll in Laravel 12 is simple using Livewire. It enhances user experience, reduces page reloads, and keeps users engaged longer. Whether you’re building a blog, product listing, or social platform, infinite scroll is a powerful addition to modern web applications.
FAQ
1. Is infinite scrolling better than pagination?
The answer varies depending on how you intend to use the application. Infinite scrolling allows for increased engagement, while traditional pagination offers advantages in terms of SEO and structure/navigation.
2. Does infinite scroll affect SEO?
Yes. If you’re using infinite scrolling on your site or application, it’s necessary to implement pagination correctly through the URL so that search engines can crawl pages of posts using pagination.
3. Can I implement infinite scroll without jQuery?
Yes. It is possible to create an infinite scrolling experience without jQuery by using the following:
- Vanilla JavaScript
- Intersection Observer API
- Vue.js
- React
- Laravel Livewire
4. How many records should I load per request?
The number of records that you should load will depend upon your application’s site performance; a common example is typically around 10 to 20 records per request.
5. How to stop infinite scroll after the last page?
Once you have reached the last page of records, you will be checking for an empty response (not found). When you find an empty response, remove the listener for the infinite scroll, or display a ‘No more records’ message.
6. Can I use infinite scroll with Laravel Livewire?
Yes! You can implement Livewire’s infinite scrolling capability by utilizing Livewire’s pagination features with a few modifications to the pagination function.
