Tabs

The Tabs component organizes content into switchable panels, allowing users to view one section at a time. Built on Radix UI Tabs, it provides full keyboard navigation and ARIA support. It uses a compound component pattern with TabsList, TabsTrigger, and TabsContent sub-components.

Import

import { Tabs, TabsList, TabsTrigger, TabsContent } from '@nim-ui/components';

Basic Usage

Content for Tab 1. This is the first panel.

Code

<Tabs defaultValue="tab1">
  <TabsList>
    <TabsTrigger value="tab1">Tab 1</TabsTrigger>
    <TabsTrigger value="tab2">Tab 2</TabsTrigger>
    <TabsTrigger value="tab3">Tab 3</TabsTrigger>
  </TabsList>
  <TabsContent value="tab1">
    <p>Content for Tab 1.</p>
  </TabsContent>
  <TabsContent value="tab2">
    <p>Content for Tab 2.</p>
  </TabsContent>
  <TabsContent value="tab3">
    <p>Content for Tab 3.</p>
  </TabsContent>
</Tabs>

With Rich Content

Product Overview

A comprehensive solution for modern web development. Built with performance and developer experience in mind.

Code

<Tabs defaultValue="overview">
  <TabsList>
    <TabsTrigger value="overview">Overview</TabsTrigger>
    <TabsTrigger value="features">Features</TabsTrigger>
    <TabsTrigger value="pricing">Pricing</TabsTrigger>
  </TabsList>
  <TabsContent value="overview">
    <h3>Product Overview</h3>
    <p>A comprehensive solution for modern web development.</p>
  </TabsContent>
  <TabsContent value="features">
    <h3>Key Features</h3>
    <ul>
      <li>TypeScript support</li>
      <li>Accessible by default</li>
      <li>Dark mode built-in</li>
      <li>Responsive design</li>
    </ul>
  </TabsContent>
  <TabsContent value="pricing">
    <h3>Pricing Plans</h3>
    <p>Free for open source. Enterprise plans available.</p>
  </TabsContent>
</Tabs>

Disabled Tab

Individual tabs can be disabled to prevent selection.

This tab is active.

Code

<Tabs defaultValue="active">
  <TabsList>
    <TabsTrigger value="active">Active</TabsTrigger>
    <TabsTrigger value="disabled" disabled>Disabled</TabsTrigger>
    <TabsTrigger value="another">Another</TabsTrigger>
  </TabsList>
  <TabsContent value="active">This tab is active.</TabsContent>
  <TabsContent value="another">This tab is also available.</TabsContent>
</Tabs>

Controlled Tabs

Control the active tab externally using React state.

function ControlledTabs() {
  const [activeTab, setActiveTab] = useState('tab1');

  return (
    <div>
      <p>Current tab: {activeTab}</p>
      <Tabs value={activeTab} onValueChange={setActiveTab}>
        <TabsList>
          <TabsTrigger value="tab1">Tab 1</TabsTrigger>
          <TabsTrigger value="tab2">Tab 2</TabsTrigger>
          <TabsTrigger value="tab3">Tab 3</TabsTrigger>
        </TabsList>
        <TabsContent value="tab1">Content 1</TabsContent>
        <TabsContent value="tab2">Content 2</TabsContent>
        <TabsContent value="tab3">Content 3</TabsContent>
      </Tabs>
      <Button onClick={() => setActiveTab('tab2')}>
        Go to Tab 2
      </Button>
    </div>
  );
}

Component Architecture

Component	Description
`Tabs`	Root component that manages active tab state (Radix Tabs.Root)
`TabsList`	Container for tab triggers, styled as a pill bar
`TabsTrigger`	Clickable tab button that activates a panel (Radix Tabs.Trigger)
`TabsContent`	Panel content shown when its corresponding trigger is active (Radix Tabs.Content)

Props

Tabs (Root)

Name	Type	Default	Description
`defaultValue`	`string`	-	The value of the tab to select by default (uncontrolled)
`value`	`string`	-	The controlled active tab value
`onValueChange`	`(value: string) => void`	-	Callback when the active tab changes
`orientation`	`'horizontal' \| 'vertical'`	`'horizontal'`	Orientation of the tab list for keyboard navigation
`dir`	`'ltr' \| 'rtl'`	-	Reading direction for keyboard navigation
`activationMode`	`'automatic' \| 'manual'`	`'automatic'`	Whether tabs activate on focus (automatic) or on click (manual)
`className`	`string`	-	Additional CSS classes to apply to the root
`children*`	`ReactNode`	-	TabsList and TabsContent components

TabsList

Name	Type	Default	Description
`className`	`string`	-	Additional CSS classes to apply to the tab list container
`children*`	`ReactNode`	-	TabsTrigger components

TabsTrigger

Name	Type	Default	Description
`value*`	`string`	-	Unique value that links this trigger to its corresponding TabsContent
`disabled`	`boolean`	`false`	Whether the tab trigger is disabled
`className`	`string`	-	Additional CSS classes to apply
`children*`	`ReactNode`	-	Tab label content

TabsContent

Name	Type	Default	Description
`value*`	`string`	-	Value that links this content panel to its corresponding TabsTrigger
`forceMount`	`boolean`	-	Force the content to mount even when inactive (useful for animations)
`className`	`string`	-	Additional CSS classes to apply
`children*`	`ReactNode`	-	Tab panel content

Usage Examples

Settings Page

function SettingsPage() {
  return (
    <Container maxWidth="lg">
      <h1 className="text-2xl font-bold mb-6">Settings</h1>
      <Tabs defaultValue="profile">
        <TabsList>
          <TabsTrigger value="profile">Profile</TabsTrigger>
          <TabsTrigger value="account">Account</TabsTrigger>
          <TabsTrigger value="notifications">Notifications</TabsTrigger>
          <TabsTrigger value="billing">Billing</TabsTrigger>
        </TabsList>
        <TabsContent value="profile">
          <Card>
            <CardHeader>
              <h2 className="text-lg font-semibold">Profile Settings</h2>
            </CardHeader>
            <CardContent>
              <Stack spacing="md">
                <Input label="Display Name" />
                <Textarea label="Bio" rows={3} />
                <Button variant="primary">Save Profile</Button>
              </Stack>
            </CardContent>
          </Card>
        </TabsContent>
        <TabsContent value="account">
          <Card>
            <CardContent>Account settings content</CardContent>
          </Card>
        </TabsContent>
        <TabsContent value="notifications">
          <Card>
            <CardContent>Notification preferences</CardContent>
          </Card>
        </TabsContent>
        <TabsContent value="billing">
          <Card>
            <CardContent>Billing information</CardContent>
          </Card>
        </TabsContent>
      </Tabs>
    </Container>
  );
}

Product Details

function ProductDetails({ product }) {
  return (
    <Tabs defaultValue="description">
      <TabsList>
        <TabsTrigger value="description">Description</TabsTrigger>
        <TabsTrigger value="specs">Specifications</TabsTrigger>
        <TabsTrigger value="reviews">
          Reviews ({product.reviewCount})
        </TabsTrigger>
      </TabsList>
      <TabsContent value="description">
        <div className="prose">
          <p>{product.description}</p>
        </div>
      </TabsContent>
      <TabsContent value="specs">
        <Table
          data={product.specs}
          columns={[
            { key: 'name', label: 'Specification' },
            { key: 'value', label: 'Value' },
          ]}
        />
      </TabsContent>
      <TabsContent value="reviews">
        <Stack spacing="md">
          {product.reviews.map((review) => (
            <Card key={review.id}>
              <CardContent>
                <p className="font-semibold">{review.author}</p>
                <p>{review.text}</p>
              </CardContent>
            </Card>
          ))}
        </Stack>
      </TabsContent>
    </Tabs>
  );
}

Dashboard with Tabs

function DashboardTabs() {
  return (
    <Tabs defaultValue="analytics">
      <Flex justify="between" align="center">
        <TabsList>
          <TabsTrigger value="analytics">Analytics</TabsTrigger>
          <TabsTrigger value="reports">Reports</TabsTrigger>
          <TabsTrigger value="logs">Logs</TabsTrigger>
        </TabsList>
        <Button variant="outline" size="sm">Export</Button>
      </Flex>
      <TabsContent value="analytics">
        <Grid cols={3} gap="md">
          <Card><CardContent>Chart 1</CardContent></Card>
          <Card><CardContent>Chart 2</CardContent></Card>
          <Card><CardContent>Chart 3</CardContent></Card>
        </Grid>
      </TabsContent>
      <TabsContent value="reports">
        <p>Reports content here</p>
      </TabsContent>
      <TabsContent value="logs">
        <p>System logs here</p>
      </TabsContent>
    </Tabs>
  );
}

Accessibility

The Tabs component is built on Radix UI Tabs and follows the WAI-ARIA Tabs Pattern:

ARIA roles: Automatically applies role="tablist", role="tab", and role="tabpanel"
ARIA attributes: Sets aria-selected, aria-controls, and aria-labelledby on the appropriate elements
Focus management: Focus moves between tabs using arrow keys within the tab list
Activation modes: Supports both automatic (activate on focus) and manual (activate on Enter/Space) modes

Keyboard Support

Key	Action
Arrow Right	Move focus to next tab (horizontal orientation)
Arrow Left	Move focus to previous tab (horizontal orientation)
Arrow Down	Move focus to next tab (vertical orientation)
Arrow Up	Move focus to previous tab (vertical orientation)
Home	Move focus to first tab
End	Move focus to last tab
Enter / Space	Activate the focused tab (manual activation mode)
Tab	Move focus into the active tab panel

Best Practices

Use descriptive tab labels that clearly indicate the panel content
Keep the number of tabs reasonable (typically 2-7 tabs)
Ensure tab content is logically grouped
Consider activationMode="manual" when tab switching triggers expensive operations

Card - Content container commonly used within tab panels
Modal - Dialog overlay for focused interactions
Container - Responsive layout wrapper

Product Overview

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