Create Command Palettes UI using React and Tailwind CSS

Last Updated : 26 Sep, 2024

This article shows you how to create a Command Palette UI using React and Tailwind CSS. A command palette lets users easily search for and run commands within an app, making navigation faster and more efficient. We’ll walk you through building a simple and intuitive interface where users can type, search, and execute commands quickly. By using React for functionality and Tailwind CSS for styling, you'll learn how to add a smooth and responsive command palette to enhance the user experience of your app

Prerequisites

Approach

To build the command palette, we start by creating a React component that manages its visibility and user input with useState. We filter a predefined list of commands based on the user's query and display the results in a styled dropdown using Tailwind CSS. The component also allows navigation through the command list with arrow keys and executes the selected command upon pressing "Enter." This interactive interface enhances user engagement by providing an efficient way to access application functionalities.

Steps to Create & Configure the Project

Here we will create a sample React JS project then we will install Tailwind CSS once it is completed we will start development for Command Palettes UI using React and Tailwind CSS. Below are the steps to create and configure the project

Step 1: Set up a React Application

First create a sample React JS application by using the mentioned command then navigate to the project folder

npx create-react-app react-app
cd react-app

Project Structure:

Screenshot-2024-09-12-114329 — Project Structure

Updated Dependencies:

"dependencies": {
    "@testing-library/jest-dom": "^5.17.0",
    "@testing-library/react": "^13.4.0",
    "@testing-library/user-event": "^13.5.0",
    "react": "^18.3.1",
    "react-dom": "^18.3.1",
    "react-icons": "^5.3.0",
    "react-scripts": "5.0.1",
    "web-vitals": "^2.1.4"
  }

Step 2: Install and Configure Tailwind CSS

Once Project is created successfully Now install and configure the Tailwind css by using below commands in your project.

npm install -D tailwindcss postcss autoprefixer
npx tailwindcss init -p

Step 3: Develop Business logic

Once Tailwind css installation and configuration is completed. Now we need to develop user interface for Command Palettes UI using tailwind CSS and for making it responsive we will use App.js and App.css files.

App.js ( src\App.js )
index.css ( src\index.js )
tailwind.config.js ( tailwind.config.js )

Example: This demonstrates the creation of Command Palettes UI using React and Tailwind CSS:

CSS

/*src/index.css*/ @tailwind base; @tailwind components; @tailwind utilities;  body {     background-color: green;     overflow: hidden;     margin: 0;     font-family: -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, 'Segoe UI', 'Roboto', 'Oxygen',         'Ubuntu', 'Cantarell', 'Fira Sans', 'Droid Sans', 'Helvetica Neue',         sans-serif;     -webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;     -moz-osx-font-smoothing: grayscale; }  code {     font-family: source-code-pro, Menlo, Monaco, Consolas, 'Courier New',         monospace; }

JavaScript

//App.js import React, { useState } from 'react'; import { FaSearch, FaTimes } from 'react-icons/fa';  const commands = [     { name: 'New File', description: 'Create a new file' },     { name: 'Open File', description: 'Open an existing file' },     { name: 'Save', description: 'Save the current file' },     { name: 'Close', description: 'Close the application' }, ];  function App() {     const [isOpen, setIsOpen] = useState(false);     const [query, setQuery] = useState('');     const [activeIndex, setActiveIndex] = useState(0);      const filteredCommands = commands.filter(command =>         command.name.toLowerCase().includes(query.toLowerCase())     );      const handleKeyDown = (e) => {         if (e.key === 'ArrowDown') {             setActiveIndex((prevIndex) => (prevIndex + 1) % filteredCommands.length);         } else if (e.key === 'ArrowUp') {             setActiveIndex((prevIndex) => (prevIndex - 1 + filteredCommands.length) % filteredCommands.length);         } else if (e.key === 'Enter') {             if (filteredCommands.length > 0) {                 alert(`Executing: ${filteredCommands[activeIndex]?.name}`);                 setQuery('');                 setIsOpen(false);             }         }     };      return (         <div className="min-h-screen flex                          items-center justify-center                         bg-gray-100">             <button onClick={() => setIsOpen(true)} className="p-2 bg-blue-500                                                                text-white rounded">                 Open Command Palette             </button>              {isOpen && (                 <div className="absolute top-1/4                                 left-1/2 transform -translate-x-1/2                                 w-1/3 bg-white shadow-lg rounded-lg p-4 z-50">                     <div className="flex items-center">                         <FaSearch className="text-gray-400 mr-2" />                         <input                             type="text"                             placeholder="Type a command..."                             value={query}                             onChange={(e) => setQuery(e.target.value)}                             onKeyDown={handleKeyDown}                             className="flex-1 border                                        border-gray-300                                        rounded p-2"                         />                         <button onClick={() => setIsOpen(false)} className="ml-2">                             <FaTimes className="text-gray-500" />                         </button>                     </div>                      <ul className="mt-2 max-h-60                                    overflow-y-auto">                         {filteredCommands.map((command, index) => (                             <li                                 key={command.name}                                 className={`p-2 rounded                                             cursor-pointer ${index === activeIndex ? 'bg-blue-100' : 'hover:bg-gray-100'}`}                                 onMouseEnter={() => setActiveIndex(index)}                                 onClick={() => {                                     alert(`Executing: ${command.name}`);                                     setQuery('');                                     setIsOpen(false);                                 }}                             >                                 <div className="font-bold">{command.name}</div>                                 <div className="text-gray-500">{command.description}</div>                             </li>                         ))}                     </ul>                 </div>             )}         </div>     ); }  export default App;

JavaScript

/*src/tailwind.congif.js*/ /** @type {import('tailwindcss').Config} */ module.exports = {     content: [         "./src/**/*.{js,jsx,ts,tsx}",     ],     theme: {         extend: {},     },     plugins: [], }

Step 4: Run the Application

Once Development is completed Now we need run the react js application by using below command. By default the react js application run on port number 3000.

npm start

Output: Once Project is successfully running then open the below URL to test the output.

http://localhost:3000/

Conclusion

This Command Palette UI provides a quick and efficient way for users to access functionalities within an application. By leveraging React and Tailwind CSS you can create an intuitive and visually appealing interface. This can be further enhanced with additional features such as command history and customizable shortcuts or theming options. Feel free to expand on this basic structure to suit your specific application needs.

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