Choosing the right Pagination type: A guide to features, limits, and use case

Pagination is a way of splitting the site content into separate pages instead of loading everything at once. It improves performance, user experience, and loading speed.

With Envira you can make use of the Pagination Addon that break large galleries or album into different pages. You can learn more on using the using it here, Envira Pagination Addon.

With Envira Gallery, there are different pagination types available, such as:

• Previous/Next + Numbered -It shows both Previous / Next buttons and page number like 1,2,3.
• Numbered pagination – It shows page numbers like 1, 2, 3.
• Previous/Next – It shows Previous and Next buttons to move through pages one by one.

How the Next Page loads

It refers to the way how new images show up in the gallery when you go to the next page. On Envira Gallery, there are four ways this can happen:

1. On Pagination Click, Reloading Page

When you click on the Previous/Next button or Number 1,2,3…the whole page reloads to show new images.

2. On Scroll (Lazy Loading)

As you scrolls down the pages, more gallery images load automatically.

3. On Pagination, Click (AJAX)

When you click on the Previous/Next button or Number 1,2,3…the image changes without the page reload.

4. On Button Click (AJAX)

A Load More button appears below the images. When you click the Load More button, a new image will appear.

Each of this type has its own benefits and works better in different situations. It all depends on your website and how you want visitors to use it.

For example – If you have a simple gallery on its own page, you can use any type of pagination you like.

But if you want to add multiple galleries on the same page, it’s better to use On Pagination, Click (AJAX). Doing so, only one gallery changes at a time without reloading the whole page or making you scroll back to the gallery.

Using “On Pagination Click, Reloading Page” can cause problems if your page has 3 or more galleries. The page reloads, but the pagination might not work correctly. Also, if the galleries have different numbers of images, one gallery might run out of pages before another, causing errors.

Best Use Cases for Each Pagination Type

Different types of pagination work best in different situations. It depends on your website and how you want your visitors to use it. Here are some use case when you can use the pagination type:

1. On Pagination Click, Reloading Page – It is best for simple galleries with fewer images or when you want to reload the page. It’s easy to set up and works well on standalone gallery pages.
2. On Scroll (Lazy Loading) – It works well when you want to keep browsing the page smoothly without clicking anything. This is great for galleries with lots of images.
3. On Pagination Click (AJAX) – It is perfect for pages with multiple galleries or when you want smooth loading experience without page reloads.
4. On Button Click (AJAX) – This comes in useful where you want to control when to load more images by clicking a button. It keeps the page neat and doesn’t show too many pictures at once.