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Components

Components are the building blocks of the ttoss design system. They are reusable UI elements that consume design tokens and themes to create consistent, accessible interfaces.

What is a Component?​

A component in our design system is a reusable piece of UI that combines:

  • Visual styling from design tokens
  • Interaction behavior through props and state
  • Accessibility features built-in by default
  • Theme integration for consistent appearance

Component Architecture​

Foundation Components​

Purpose: Basic building blocks for interfaces

Examples: Button, Input, Text, Box, Flex

// Simple foundation component
import { Button } from '@ttoss/ui';

<Button variant="primary">Click me</Button>;

Pattern Components​

Purpose: Complex compositions combining multiple foundation components

Examples: Card, Modal, Drawer, Table

// Pattern component combining multiple elements
import { Card } from '@ttoss/ui';

<Card>
  <Card.Title>Card Header</Card.Title>
  <Card.Body>Main content goes here</Card.Body>
  <Card.Footer>Actions or metadata</Card.Footer>
</Card>;

How Components Use Tokens​

Semantic Token Integration​

Components consume semantic tokens through theme variants:

// Component variants defined in theme
export const BruttalTheme: Theme = {
  buttons: {
    primary: {
      backgroundColor: 'action.background.primary.default',
      color: 'action.text.secondary.default',
      ':hover': {
        backgroundColor: 'action.background.primary.active',
      },
    },
  },
};

// Component automatically applies variant styles
<Button variant="primary">Primary Button</Button>;

Direct Token Access​

Components can also access tokens directly through the sx prop:

<Box
  sx={{
    backgroundColor: 'display.background.secondary.default',
    color: 'display.text.primary.default',
    padding: 'lg',
    borderRadius: 'md',
  }}
>
  Custom styled content
</Box>

Component Types​

Basic Components​

Single-purpose elements with straightforward APIs:

// Text component
<Text variant="body">Simple text content</Text>

// Input component
<Input
  placeholder="Enter text..."
  leadingIcon="search"
  trailingIcon="close"
/>

Compound Components​

Components that provide multiple related sub-components:

// Card compound component
<Card>
  <Card.Title>Project Overview</Card.Title>
  <Card.Body>
    <Text>Project details and statistics</Text>
  </Card.Body>
  <Card.Footer>
    <Button variant="primary">View Details</Button>
  </Card.Footer>
</Card>

// Layout compound component
<Layout>
  <Layout.Header>
    <Text variant="heading">App Title</Text>
  </Layout.Header>
  <Layout.Sidebar>
    <Navigation />
  </Layout.Sidebar>
  <Layout.Main>
    <MainContent />
  </Layout.Main>
</Layout>

Higher-Order Components​

Components that wrap and enhance other components:

// FormField wraps input components with labels and validation
<FormField name="email" label="Email Address">
  <Input type="email" />
</FormField>

// Modal wraps content with overlay and positioning
<Modal isOpen={isOpen} onClose={handleClose}>
  <ModalContent />
</Modal>

Component Implementation Patterns​

Theme-Aware Styling​

All components use the Theme UI sx prop for styling:

export const Button = ({ variant = 'primary', ...props }) => {
  return (
    <button
      {...props}
      sx={{
        // Maps to theme.buttons[variant]
        variant: `buttons.${variant}`,
        cursor: 'pointer',
        ':disabled': {
          cursor: 'not-allowed',
        },
        ...props.sx, // Allow style overrides
      }}
    />
  );
};

Responsive Design​

Components support responsive values through arrays:

<Box
  sx={{
    padding: ['sm', 'md', 'lg'], // Responsive padding
    fontSize: ['md', 'lg', 'xl'], // Responsive font size
    flexDirection: ['column', 'row'], // Responsive layout
  }}
>
  Responsive content
</Box>

Accessibility Built-In​

Components include accessibility features by default:

export const IconButton = ({ 'aria-label': ariaLabel, ...props }) => {
  return (
    <button
      {...props}
      type="button"
      aria-label={ariaLabel}
      sx={{
        cursor: 'pointer',
        ':focus': {
          outline: '2px solid',
          outlineColor: 'action.border.accent.default',
        },
      }}
    />
  );
};

Using Components​

Installation and Setup​

npm install @ttoss/ui @ttoss/theme
import { ThemeProvider } from '@ttoss/ui';
import { BruttalTheme } from '@ttoss/theme/Bruttal';

export const App = () => (
  <ThemeProvider theme={BruttalTheme}>
    <YourApplication />
  </ThemeProvider>
);

Basic Usage​

import { Button, Box, Text, Flex } from '@ttoss/ui';

export const Example = () => (
  <Box sx={{ padding: 'lg' }}>
    <Text variant="heading">Welcome</Text>
    <Flex sx={{ gap: 'md', marginTop: 'md' }}>
      <Button variant="primary">Get Started</Button>
      <Button variant="secondary">Learn More</Button>
    </Flex>
  </Box>
);

Advanced Patterns​

import { Card, Badge, Input, Select } from '@ttoss/ui';

export const UserProfile = () => (
  <Card>
    <Card.Title>
      <Flex sx={{ alignItems: 'center', justifyContent: 'space-between' }}>
        <Text>User Profile</Text>
        <Badge variant="positive">Active</Badge>
      </Flex>
    </Card.Title>
    <Card.Body>
      <Flex sx={{ flexDirection: 'column', gap: 'md' }}>
        <Input label="Full Name" placeholder="Enter your name" />
        <Select
          label="Role"
          options={[
            { label: 'Admin', value: 'admin' },
            { label: 'User', value: 'user' },
          ]}
        />
      </Flex>
    </Card.Body>
    <Card.Footer>
      <Flex sx={{ gap: 'sm', justifyContent: 'flex-end' }}>
        <Button variant="secondary">Cancel</Button>
        <Button variant="primary">Save Changes</Button>
      </Flex>
    </Card.Footer>
  </Card>
);

Component Categories​

Layout Components​

  • Box: Basic container with styling capabilities
  • Flex: Flexbox container for flexible layouts
  • Grid: CSS Grid container for complex layouts
  • Container: Centered container with max-width

Form Components​

  • Input: Text input with icons and validation states
  • Select: Dropdown selection with search capabilities
  • Button: Interactive buttons with multiple variants
  • Checkbox, Radio: Selection controls
  • Switch: Toggle switch for boolean values

Data Display​

  • Text: Typography with semantic variants
  • Heading: Heading hierarchy (h1-h6)
  • Badge: Status indicators and labels
  • Card: Content containers with header/body/footer
  • Table: Data tables with sorting and filtering

Feedback Components​

  • Spinner: Loading indicators
  • Toast: Temporary notifications
  • Modal: Overlay dialogs
  • Tooltip: Contextual help information

Best Practices​

Component Usage​

  • Use semantic variants instead of custom styling when possible
  • Leverage compound components for complex UI patterns
  • Apply responsive design through token arrays
  • Maintain accessibility by providing proper labels and ARIA attributes

Styling Guidelines​

// ✅ Good: Use semantic tokens and variants
<Button variant="primary">Submit</Button>

<Box sx={{
  backgroundColor: 'display.background.secondary.default',
  padding: 'lg'
}}>
  Content
</Box>

// ❌ Avoid: Direct CSS values
<Button style={{ backgroundColor: '#0066cc' }}>Submit</Button>

Accessibility Considerations​

  • Always provide meaningful labels for interactive elements
  • Use proper heading hierarchy
  • Ensure sufficient color contrast
  • Test with keyboard navigation
  • Include screen reader support

Next Steps​

Resources​