Bootstrap accordion, scroll to top of active (open) accordion on click?

Update 2021

As of Bootstrap 5, jQuery is no longer required. Here is a vanilla JavaScript solution of scrolling to the top of the open accordion item...

const accordionItems = document.querySelectorAll('.accordion-collapse')
const acc = document.getElementById('accordionExample')

accordionItems.forEach((el)=>{
    el.addEventListener('shown.bs.collapse',(e)=>{
        var scrollOffset = acc.scrollTop + el.parentNode.offsetTop
        acc.scroll({
            top: scrollOffset,
            left: 0, 
            behavior: 'smooth'
        })
    })
})

Demo

You can animate the scroll by getting the top of the 'target element' and then calling animate on the body..

$('html, body').animate({
    scrollTop: $("#target-element").offset().top
}, 1000);

modifying it to be something like this will help you achieve what you are after

$('.panel-collapse').on('shown.bs.collapse', function (e) {
    var $panel = $(this).closest('.panel');
    $('html,body').animate({
        scrollTop: $panel.offset().top
    }, 500); 
}); 

source: http://www.abeautifulsite.net/smoothly-scroll-to-an-element-without-a-jquery-plugin-2/

complementary fiddle: https://jsfiddle.net/hjugdwbp/

---

Edit: 2018-05-25

Bootstrap 4 Example

Using the accordion example at: https://getbootstrap.com/docs/4.0/components/collapse/#accordion-example I have modified the code to support cards.

$('.collapse').on('shown.bs.collapse', function(e) {
  var $card = $(this).closest('.card');
  $('html,body').animate({
    scrollTop: $card.offset().top
  }, 500);
});

Fiddle: https://jsfiddle.net/agpkc4v2/1/

---

Edit: 2019-07-18

I made it 'prettier'...

Bootstrap 3

https://jsfiddle.net/erutfgvn/

$('.panel-collapse').on('show.bs.collapse', function(e) {
  var $panel = $(this).closest('.panel');
  var $open = $(this).closest('.panel-group').find('.panel-collapse.in');
  
  var additionalOffset = 0;
  if($panel.prevAll().filter($open.closest('.panel')).length !== 0)
  {
        additionalOffset =  $open.height();
  }
  $('html,body').animate({
    scrollTop: $panel.offset().top - additionalOffset
  }, 500);
});

Bootstrap 4

https://jsfiddle.net/9p7f0hut/

$('.collapse').on('show.bs.collapse', function(e) {
  var $card = $(this).closest('.card');
  var $open = $($(this).data('parent')).find('.collapse.show');
  
  var additionalOffset = 0;
  if($card.prevAll().filter($open.closest('.card')).length !== 0)
  {
        additionalOffset =  $open.height();
  }
  $('html,body').animate({
    scrollTop: $card.offset().top - additionalOffset
  }, 500);
});

---

Edit: 2021-04-20

Bootstrap 5

https://jsfiddle.net/hLzg0n2y/2/

$('.collapse').on('shown.bs.collapse', function(e) {
  var $card = $(this).closest('.accordion-item');
  var $open = $($(this).data('parent')).find('.collapse.show');
  
  var additionalOffset = 0;
  if($card.prevAll().filter($open.closest('.accordion-item')).length !== 0)
  {
        additionalOffset =  $open.height();
  }
  $('html,body').animate({
    scrollTop: $card.offset().top - additionalOffset
  }, 500);
});

I am working on a project that needed the same functionality. Came up with the following code. I added the variables for clarification:

$('#accordion').on('shown.bs.collapse', function (e) {

var panelHeadingHeight = $('.panel-heading').height();
var animationSpeed = 500; // animation speed in milliseconds
var currentScrollbarPosition = $(document).scrollTop();
var topOfPanelContent = $(e.target).offset().top;

if ( currentScrollbarPosition >  topOfPanelContent - panelHeadingHeight) {
    $("html, body").animate({ scrollTop: topOfPanelContent - panelHeadingHeight }, animationSpeed);
}});