Troubleshooting Automatic Scrolling to Cal.com Inline Embed on Page Load

Key Questions about it

1. Why do all pages automatically scroll to the Cal.com inline embed upon loading?

2. What could be causing the page to scroll down when the Cal embed loads?

3. What steps can be taken to prevent the automatic scrolling to the embedded calendar?

4. Has anyone experienced issues with the Cal.com embed affecting page scrolling behavior?

5. What troubleshooting methods can be applied if placing the Cal embed inside a container with fixed dimensions does not resolve the scrolling issue?

As a frontend developer, I encountered a frustrating issue with the Cal.com inline embed in my Next.js project. Whenever a page loaded, it would automatically scroll down to the calendar embed, disrupting the user experience. After several attempts to troubleshoot the problem, I found an effective solution that I want to share with fellow developers.

The Problem

The automatic scrolling happened every time the page loaded, seemingly triggered by the Cal embed. Despite trying various approaches, such as placing the embed inside a container with fixed dimensions, nothing seemed to work. It was clear I needed a more reliable method to prevent this unwanted behavior.

The Solution

To address the issue, I utilized the Intersection Observer API to control when the calendar should load and display. Here’s how I implemented the solution in my CalComponent:

import { useEffect, useState } from "react";
import Cal, { getCalApi } from "@calcom/embed-react";

const CalComponent = () => {
    const [isVisible, setIsVisible] = useState(false);

    useEffect(() => {
        const observer = new IntersectionObserver(
            (entries) => {
                if (entries[0].isIntersecting) {
                    setIsVisible(true);
                    observer.disconnect();
                }
            },
            { threshold: 0.1 }
        );

        const section = document.getElementById("calForm");
        if (section) {
            observer.observe(section);
        }

        return () => {
            if (section) observer.disconnect();
        };
    }, []);

    useEffect(() => {
        const loadCalendar = async () => {
            if (isVisible) {
                const cal = await getCalApi({ namespace: "partnership-call" });
                cal("ui", {
                    styles: { branding: { brandColor: "#000000" } },
                    hideEventTypeDetails: false,
                    layout: "month_view",
                });
            }
        };
        loadCalendar();
    }, [isVisible]);

    return (
        <div id="calForm" style={{ width: "100%", height: "100%" }}>
            {isVisible ? (
                <Cal
                    namespace="partnership-call"
                    calLink="mohaimin/partnership-call"
                    style={{ width: "100%", height: "100%", overflow: "scroll" }}
                    config={{ layout: "month_view", "theme": "light" }}
                />
            ) : null // Don't render anything if not visible
            }
        </div>
    );
};

export default CalComponent;

Explanation of the Code

1. State Management: I used useState to create a state variable, isVisible, that tracks whether the calendar is visible in the viewport.

2. Intersection Observer: The first useEffect sets up an Intersection Observer to monitor the visibility of the section containing the calendar. It triggers when 10% of the section is visible, at which point isVisible is set to true.

3. Loading the Calendar: The second useEffect checks if isVisible is true and loads the calendar using the getCalApi function. This ensures that the calendar only initializes when it is about to be viewed, preventing the automatic scrolling issue.

4. Conditional Rendering: The calendar component is rendered only if isVisible is true. This approach improves performance by not loading the calendar until it is needed.

Conclusion

This solution not only resolved the automatic scrolling issue but also enhanced the overall performance and user experience of my application. If you're facing similar challenges with embedded content, I highly recommend using the Intersection Observer API for precise control over when components are loaded.

Feel free to share your thoughts or any similar experiences in the comments below!

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LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mohai/