Slick Slider Angular: A Comprehensive Guide

Slick Slider Angular incorporates an Angular directive that functions with a Slick jQuery carousel, enabling you to construct interactive and appealing carousels in your web application. The slider is well-known for its smooth transitions and user-friendly interface. It’s not just about the slide show; it’s about creating a visually appealing experience for your audience. To see the capabilities and functionalities of this slider, check out the demo.

Steps to Use Angular-Slick

To begin with Angular-Slick, follow the steps below:

ion: Insert the slick element in your HTML.

Once these steps are followed, your Slick Slider is ready to be deployed.

Integrating Slick Slider via CDN for Rapid Deployment

To incorporate Slick Slider into your project, follow these steps:

Insert the following lines within the <head> section of your HTML document to include Slick’s core and optional default theme stylesheets:

<link rel="stylesheet" type="text/css" href="//cdn.jsdelivr.net/jquery.slick/1.5.9/slick.css"/>

<!-- For the Slick default theme -->

<link rel="stylesheet" type="text/css" href="//cdn.jsdelivr.net/jquery.slick/1.5.9/slick-theme.css"/>

To enable Slick Slider functionality, include its JavaScript file before the closing <body> tag by adding:

<script type="text/javascript" src="//cdn.jsdelivr.net/jquery.slick/1.5.9/slick.min.js"></script>

This method leverages a Content Delivery Network (CDN) to ensure fast and efficient loading, making it an ideal approach for quick setup and scalability.

Utilizing Package Managers to Install Slick Carousel

A hooded hacker typing on a laptop with binary code flowing out

To integrate the Slick Carousel into your project, you can use one of the following package managers:

Bower: Use the command below to add Slick Carousel to your project with Bower. This command not only installs the package but also saves it as a dependency in your project’s bower.json file.

bower install --save slick-carousel

NPM (Node Package Manager): To install Slick Carousel using NPM, the most widely used package manager that accompanies Node.js, execute the following command. It installs the carousel and adds it as a dependency to your package.json file, ensuring it’s managed along with your project’s other dependencies.

npm install slick-carousel

Contributing to the Project

Before you contribute to the Slick Carousel project—whether it’s through requesting a feature, submitting a pull request, or reporting an issue—please ensure you have thoroughly reviewed the CONTRIBUTING.markdown document. This document outlines the project’s contribution guidelines and ensures that all contributions are consistent with the project’s standards and objectives.

Utilizing Data Attribute Configuration in Slick 1.5

With the introduction of Slick 1.5, configuring settings has become even more convenient through the utilization of the data-slick attribute. However, it’s important to note that initialization still requires invoking $(element).slick() on the designated element.

Example:

<div data-slick='{"slidesToShow": 4, "slidesToScroll": 4}'>

  <div><h3>1</h3></div>

  <div><h3>2</h3></div>

  <div><h3>3</h3></div>

  <div><h3>4</h3></div>

  <div><h3>5</h3></div>

  <div><h3>6</h3></div>

</div>

Settings

Option	Type	Default	Description
accessibility	boolean	true	Enables tabbing and arrow key navigation.
adaptiveHeight	boolean	false	Adapts slider height to the current slide.
autoplay	boolean	false	Enables auto play of slides.
autoplaySpeed	int	3000	Auto play change interval.
centerMode	boolean	false	Enables centered view with partial prev/next slides. Use with odd numbered slidesToShow counts.
centerPadding	string	’50px’	Side padding when in center mode. (px or %)
cssEase	string	‘ease’	CSS3 easing.
customPaging	function	n/a	Custom paging templates. See source for use example.
dots	boolean	false	Current slide indicator dots.
dotsClass	string	‘slick-dots’	Class for slide indicator dots container.
draggable	boolean	true	Enables desktop dragging.
easing	string	‘linear’	animate() fallback easing.
edgeFriction	integer	0.15	Resistance when swiping edges of non-infinite carousels.
fade	boolean	false	Enables fade.
arrows	boolean	true	Enable Next/Prev arrows.
appendArrows	string	$(element)	Change where the navigation arrows are attached. (Selector, htmlString, Array, Element, jQuery object)
appendDots	string	$(element)	Change where the navigation dots are attached. (Selector, htmlString, Array, Element, jQuery object)
mobileFirst	boolean	false	Responsive settings use mobile first calculation.
prevArrow	string/object	‘<button type=”button” class=”slick-prev”>Previous</button>’	Allows you to select a node or customize the HTML for the “Previous” arrow.
nextArrow	string/object	‘<button type=”button” class=”slick-next”>Next</button>’	Allows you to select a node or customize the HTML for the “Next” arrow.
infinite	boolean	true	Infinite looping.
initialSlide	integer	0	Slide to start on.
lazyLoad	string	‘ondemand’	Accepts ‘ondemand’ or ‘progressive’ for lazy load technique.
pauseOnFocus	boolean	true	Pauses autoplay when slider is focused.
pauseOnHover	boolean	true	Pauses autoplay on hover.
pauseOnDotsHover	boolean	false	Pauses autoplay when a dot is hovered.
respondTo	string	‘window’	Width that responsive object responds to. Can be ‘window’, ‘slider’ or ‘min’.
responsive	array	null	Array of objects containing breakpoints and settings objects. Enables settings at given breakpoint. Set settings to “unslick” instead of an object to disable slick at a given breakpoint.
rows	int	1	Setting this to more than 1 initializes grid mode. Use slidesPerRow to set how many slides should be in each row.
slide	string	”	Slide element query.
slidesPerRow	int	1	With grid mode initialized via the rows option, this sets how many slides are in each grid row.
slidesToShow	int	1	Number of slides to show at a time.
slidesToScroll	int	1	Number of slides to scroll at a time.
speed	int	300	Transition speed.
swipe	boolean	true	Enables touch swipe.
swipeToSlide	boolean	false	Swipe to slide irrespective of slidesToScroll.
touchMove	boolean	true	Enables slide moving with touch.
touchThreshold	int	5	To advance slides, the user must swipe a length of (1/touchThreshold) * the width of the slider.
useCSS	boolean	true	Enable/Disable CSS Transitions.
useTransform	boolean	true	Enable/Disable CSS Transforms.
variableWidth	boolean	false	Disables automatic slide width calculation.
vertical	boolean	false	Vertical slide direction.
verticalSwiping	boolean	false	Changes swipe direction to vertical.
rtl	boolean	false	Change the slider’s direction to become right-to-left.
waitForAnimate	boolean	true	Ignores requests to advance the slide while animating.
zIndex	number	1000	Set the zIndex values for slides, useful for IE9 and lower.

Responsive Options: A Practical Example

The responsive option within Slick is a versatile and potent tool. It allows for dynamic adjustments based on breakpoints, making your slider adaptable across various screen sizes. Here’s an example of how you can utilize it effectively:

$(".slider").slick({

  // normal options...

  infinite: false,

  // the magic

  responsive: [{

      breakpoint: 1024,

      settings: {

        slidesToShow: 3,

        infinite: true

      }

    }, {

      breakpoint: 600,

      settings: {

        slidesToShow: 2,

        dots: true

      }

    }, {

      breakpoint: 300,

      settings: "unslick" // destroys slick

    }]

});

A developer gestures at floating icons around a large desktop monitor

Events in Slick 1.4

In Slick 1.4, the traditional callback methods have been deprecated in favor of events. It’s essential to incorporate these events before initializing Slick, as demonstrated below:

// On swipe event

$('.your-element').on('swipe', function(event, slick, direction){

  console.log(direction);

  // left

});

// On edge hit

$('.your-element').on('edge', function(event, slick, direction){

  console.log('edge was hit')

});

// On before slide change

$('.your-element').on('beforeChange', function(event, slick, currentSlide, nextSlide){

  console.log(nextSlide);

});

Event	Params	Description
afterChange	event, slick, currentSlide	Callback after a slide change
beforeChange	event, slick, currentSlide, nextSlide	Callback before a slide change
breakpoint	event, slick, breakpoint	Triggered after hitting a breakpoint
destroy	event, slick	Triggered when the slider is destroyed or unslicked
edge	event, slick, direction	Fires when an edge is overscrolled in non-infinite mode
init	event, slick	Callback when Slick initializes for the first time
reInit	event, slick	Callback every time Slick (re-)initializes
setPosition	event, slick	Fired every time Slick recalculates position
swipe	event, slick, direction	Triggered after a swipe/drag event
lazyLoaded	event, slick, image, imageSource	Fired after lazy-loaded image loads
lazyLoadError	event, slick, image, imageSource	Fired after lazy-loaded image fails to load

Using Slick Methods in Version 1.4

In version 1.4, you can invoke Slick methods directly on Slick instances by using the slick method. The syntax is straightforward and allows for various operations, as illustrated below:

// To add a new slide

$('.your-element').slick('slickAdd', "<div></div>");

// To retrieve the index of the currently active slide

var currentSlide = $('.your-element').slick('slickCurrentSlide');

You can also access other internal Slick functionalities in a similar manner:

// To manually update the slide positions

$('.your-element').slick('setPosition');

Method	Arguments	Description
slick	options: object	Initializes Slick with the provided options.
unslick	None	Destroys the Slick instance, removing all associated functionality.
slickNext	None	Moves the slider to the next slide.
slickPrev	None	Moves the slider to the previous slide.
slickPause	None	Pauses autoplay.
slickPlay	None	Starts autoplay and sets the autoplay option to true.
slickGoTo	index: int, dontAnimate: bool	Navigates to a specific slide by index. If dontAnimate is true, skips the slide transition animation.
slickCurrentSlide	None	Returns the index of the currently active slide.
slickAdd	element: html or DOM object, index: int, addBefore: bool	Adds a slide. If an index is specified, adds at that position or before if addBefore is true. If no index is provided, adds to the end or beginning if addBefore is true.
slickRemove	index: int, removeBefore: bool	Removes a slide by index. If removeBefore is true, removes the slide preceding the index, or the first slide if no index is provided. Otherwise, removes the slide following the index or the last slide.
slickFilter	filter: selector or function	Filters slides using jQuery .filter syntax.
slickUnfilter	None	Removes any applied filters.
slickGetOption	option: string(option name)	Retrieves the value of a specified option.
slickSetOption	option, value, refresh	Changes a single option to the given value; refresh is optional and determines whether to update UI changes immediately.
	“responsive”, [{ breakpoint: n, settings: {} }, …], refresh	Changes or adds sets of responsive options.
	{ option: value, option: value, … }, refresh	Changes multiple options to their corresponding values; refresh determines immediate UI updates.

Slick Slider Configuration Examples

To set up your slider, use the following initialization code:

$(element).slick({

  dots: true,

  speed: 500

});

If you need to adjust the speed later, you can update the setting like this:

$(element).slick('slickSetOption', 'speed', 5000, true);

To remove the Slick functionality entirely from your element, use this command:

$(element).slick('unslick');

Sass Variables

These variables enable customization of various aspects of the slick carousel component. Here’s a breakdown of each variable:

Variable	Type	Default	Description
$slick-font-path	string	“./fonts/”	Directory path for the slick icon font
$slick-font-family	string	“slick”	Font-family for slick icon font
$slick-loader-path	string	“./”	Directory path for the loader image
$slick-arrow-color	color	white	Color of the left/right arrow icons
$slick-dot-color	color	black	Color of the navigation dots
$slick-dot-color-active	color	$slick-dot-color	Color of the active navigation dot
$slick-prev-character	string	‘\2190’	Unicode character code for the previous arrow icon
$slick-next-character	string	‘\2192’	Unicode character code for the next arrow icon
$slick-dot-character	string	‘\2022’	Unicode character code for the navigation dot icon
$slick-dot-size	pixels	6px	Size of the navigation dots

Compatibility with Browsers

Slick is compatible with IE8+ as well as other modern browsers including Chrome, Firefox, and Safari.

Conclusion

Slick Slider Angular serves as a robust and versatile tool for creating dynamic and interactive web applications. It offers an array of customization options, ensuring a high degree of adaptability to the specific needs of your project. With its easy integration, responsive design, and broad browser compatibility, Slick Slider Angular is undeniably a valuable addition to any web developer’s toolkit.