Using CSS to Build a Step Progress Bar

A step progress bar is a visual indicator used to display the progress of a multi-step process in a clear and organized manner. By utilizing Cascading Style Sheets (CSS), developers can easily customize and enhance the appearance of a step progress bar to align with the overall design of a website or application. In this guide, we will explore how to use CSS to build a step progress bar that is both functional and visually appealing.

In this tutorial, we will learn how to build a step progress bar using CSS. Step progress bars are a great way to showcase the progress made in a multi-step process, such as form completion or a tutorial. By the end of this tutorial, you will have a fully functional step progress bar that you can implement in your own projects.

Step 1: Set Up HTML Structure

Let’s start by setting up the HTML structure for our step progress bar. We will need an outer container and multiple steps. Each step will contain a label and a progress indicator. Here’s an example:

<div class="progress-bar">
    <div class="step active">
        <div class="label">Step 1</div>
        <div class="indicator"></div>
    </div>
    <div class="step">
        <div class="label">Step 2</div>
        <div class="indicator"></div>
    </div>
    <div class="step">
        <div class="label">Step 3</div>
        <div class="indicator"></div>
    </div>
</div>

In the example above, we have a <div> with a class of “progress-bar”, which acts as the outer container. Inside the container, we have three steps, each represented by a <div> with the class “step”. Each step has a label and an indicator, represented by <div> elements with classes “label” and “indicator” respectively.

Step 2: Style the Step Progress Bar

Now that we have set up the HTML structure, let’s move on to styling our step progress bar using CSS. We will use CSS flexbox to position the steps horizontally and distribute them evenly within the container. Here’s the CSS code:

.progress-bar {
    display: flex;
    justify-content: space-between;
}

.step {
    flex: 1;
    display: flex;
    align-items: center;
    justify-content: center;
}

.label {
    font-weight: bold;
}

.indicator {
    width: 20px;
    height: 20px;
    border-radius: 50%;
    background-color: gray;
}

In the CSS code above, we set the display property of the progress-bar element to flex, which allows us to use flexbox properties. We then use justify-content: space-between to evenly distribute the steps within the container.

Each step has a flex property of 1, which allows them to take up equal space. They are also centered vertically and horizontally within each step using the align-items and justify-content properties.

The label element is styled with a bold font-weight.

The indicator element is a circle with a width and height of 20 pixels, and a gray background color. You can customize the size and color of the indicator based on your design preferences.

Step 3: Update the Progress

Now that we have styled the step progress bar, let’s make it interactive by updating the progress based on the user’s actions. We can achieve this using JavaScript or jQuery, but for the purpose of this tutorial, let’s keep it simple and use CSS classes to update the progress.

First, let’s add some JavaScript code to listen for click events on the steps and update the progress accordingly:

var steps = document.getElementsByClassName("step");

for (var i = 0; i < steps.length; i++) {
    steps[i].addEventListener("click", function() {
        // Remove active class from all steps
        for (var j = 0; j < steps.length; j++) {
            steps[j].classList.remove("active");
        }
        
        // Add active class to clicked step and all previous steps
        for (var j = 0; j <= i; j++) {
            steps[j].classList.add("active");
        }
    });
}

In the JavaScript code above, we get all the elements with the class "step" and add a click event listener to each of them. When a step is clicked, we remove the "active" class from all steps and add the "active" class to the clicked step and all previous steps.

Finally, let's update our CSS to visually indicate the progress. Add the following code to highlight the active steps:

.step.active .indicator {
    background-color: green;
}

In the CSS code above, we use the .step.active selector to target the indicator element of the active step. We then update the background-color to green. You can change the color to match your design preferences.

Congratulations! You have successfully built a step progress bar using CSS. By following this tutorial, you have learned how to set up the HTML structure, style the progress bar, and update the progress using CSS classes.

Step progress bars are a visually appealing way to showcase progress in multi-step processes, such as form completion or tutorials. Use this tutorial as a foundation and customize the styles to match your project requirements.

Remember to experiment and explore different possibilities to create unique and engaging step progress bars. Happy coding!

Utilizing CSS to build a step progress bar provides a visually appealing and interactive way to guide users through a process or workflow. By customizing the design and animations with CSS properties, developers can create an intuitive and engaging user experience. Additionally, CSS offers flexibility in adapting the progress bar to various screen sizes and devices, making it a valuable tool for enhancing website usability and aesthetics.