What can I do to fix the issue with the Barba transition in my Webflow project where it requires two clicks to work properly, resulting in a buggy and messy layout on the first click?

Your Barba.js page transition may be requiring two clicks due to improper initialization timing, Webflow interactions not resetting, or duplicated event bindings.

1. Fix Double Initialization of Barba or Custom Code

• Ensure Barba.js is initialized only once and outside the scope of any callbacks that might run on every page load or within barba.init() itself.
• Avoid placing barba.init() inside Webflow’s Webflow.push(function() {...}) unless you’re handling reinit after each transition.

2. Re-initialize Webflow Components After Transition

• Use Barba’s afterEnter hook to re-run Webflow’s interaction scripts.
• Add the following inside afterEnter: Webflow.require("ix2").init(); followed by Webflow.ready();.
• This ensures Webflow interactions (e.g., scroll effects, page animations) are reattached after new content is loaded.

3. Prevent Event Listeners From Doubling

• Avoid placing event listener code (like document.querySelectorAll(...).forEach(...)) inside Barba’s lifecycle hooks without removing previous listeners.
• Use delegated events or ensure cleanup before re-attaching.

4. Check for data-barba="container" and data-barba="wrapper"

• Every page section to be swapped must have data-barba="container", and your global wrapper element must have data-barba="wrapper".
• Incorrect containers can cause unpredictable behavior like duplicated rendering or layout shifting.

5. Add Page Reset Styles or Scripts

• Sometimes, the first load after Barba’s transition can carry over inactive classes or modified CSS.
• Reset any critical layout styles manually in afterEnter (e.g., scroll position, visibility).

6. Disable or Adjust Webflow Page Loader

• If you have a Webflow page loader or interactions tied to Page Load, they may not rerun correctly on the first transition.
• Move those animations into a reusable function and run it inside Barba’s afterEnter lifecycle method.

Summary

To fix your Barba transition requiring two clicks, ensure proper Barba initialization, re-trigger Webflow interactions in afterEnter, and prevent duplicate event bindings. Pay attention to your data-barba attributes and ensure layout resets to avoid messy transitions.