@material/tab-indicator

What is @material/tab-indicator?

@material/tab-indicator is a package from Material Design Components (MDC) that provides a visual indicator for tabs. It is used to highlight the active tab in a tab bar, enhancing the user experience by clearly showing which tab is currently selected.

What are @material/tab-indicator's main functionalities?

Basic Tab Indicator

This code snippet demonstrates how to create a basic tab indicator with an underline style. The `mdc-tab-indicator` class is used to define the tab indicator, and the `mdc-tab-indicator__content` class with the `mdc-tab-indicator__content--underline` modifier is used to style the indicator as an underline.

```html
<div class="mdc-tab-indicator">
  <span class="mdc-tab-indicator__content mdc-tab-indicator__content--underline"></span>
</div>
```

Icon Tab Indicator

This code snippet shows how to create a tab indicator with an icon. The `mdc-tab-indicator__content--icon` modifier is used to style the indicator with an icon, and the `material-icons` class is used to specify the icon.

```html
<div class="mdc-tab-indicator">
  <span class="mdc-tab-indicator__content mdc-tab-indicator__content--icon">
    <i class="material-icons">star</i>
  </span>
</div>
```

Sliding Tab Indicator

This code snippet demonstrates how to create a sliding tab indicator. The `mdc-tab-indicator--active` class is used to activate the sliding animation for the tab indicator.

```html
<div class="mdc-tab-indicator mdc-tab-indicator--active">
  <span class="mdc-tab-indicator__content mdc-tab-indicator__content--underline"></span>
</div>
```

Other packages similar to @material/tab-indicator

react-tabs

react-tabs is a package for creating accessible and customizable tab components in React. It provides a simple API for creating tabbed interfaces and includes features like keyboard navigation and ARIA attributes. Compared to @material/tab-indicator, react-tabs is more focused on accessibility and React integration.

bootstrap

Bootstrap is a popular front-end framework that includes a wide range of components, including tabs. Bootstrap's tab component provides a simple way to create tabbed interfaces with various styles and animations. While @material/tab-indicator is specifically for Material Design, Bootstrap offers a more general-purpose solution with a different design aesthetic.

semantic-ui-react

semantic-ui-react is the official React integration for Semantic UI, a UI framework that provides a variety of components, including tabs. The tab component in semantic-ui-react is highly customizable and integrates well with React applications. Compared to @material/tab-indicator, semantic-ui-react offers a broader range of UI components and a different design philosophy.

README

Tab Indicator

A Tab Indicator is a visual guide that shows which Tab is active.

Design & API Documentation

• Material Design guidelines: Anatomy of Tabs
• Demo

Installation

npm install @material/tab-indicator

Basic Usage

HTML Structure

<span class="mdc-tab-indicator">
  <span class="mdc-tab-indicator__content"></span>
</span>

Styles

@use "@material/tab-indicator/mdc-tab-indicator";

JavaScript Instantiation

import {MDCTabIndicator} from '@material/tab-indicator';

const tabIndicator = new MDCTabIndicator(document.querySelector('.mdc-tab-indicator'));

See Importing the JS component for more information on how to import JavaScript.

Variants

Active Indicator

Add the mdc-tab-indicator--active class to the mdc-tab-indicator element to make the Tab Indicator active.

Indicator Types and Transitions

The Tab Indicator may be represented in one of two ways:

• Underline, indicated by the mdc-tab-indicator__content--underline class
• Icon, indicated by the mdc-tab-indicator__content--icon class

NOTE: One of these classes must be applied to the Tab Indicator's content element.

The Tab Indicator may transition in one of two ways:

• Slide, the default behavior
• Fade, indicated by the mdc-tab-indicator--fade class

Sliding Underline Indicator

<span class="mdc-tab-indicator">
  <span class="mdc-tab-indicator__content mdc-tab-indicator__content--underline"></span>
</span>

Icon Indicators

We recommend using Material Icons from Google Fonts:

<head>
  <link rel="stylesheet" href="https://fonts.googleapis.com/icon?family=Material+Icons">
</head>

However, you can also use SVG, Font Awesome, or any other icon library you wish.

Remember to include aria-hidden="true", since the active indicator is already signified via the aria-selected attribute on the tab.

Fading Icon Indicator

<span class="mdc-tab-indicator mdc-tab-indicator--fade">
  <span class="mdc-tab-indicator__content mdc-tab-indicator__content--icon material-icons" aria-hidden="true">star</span>
</span>

Sliding Icon Indicator

<span class="mdc-tab-indicator">
  <span class="mdc-tab-indicator__content mdc-tab-indicator__content--icon material-icons" aria-hidden="true">star</span>
</span>

Style Customization

CSS Classes

CSS Class	Description
mdc-tab-indicator	Mandatory. Contains the tab indicator content.
mdc-tab-indicator__content	Mandatory. Denotes the tab indicator content.
mdc-tab-indicator--active	Optional. Visually activates the indicator.
mdc-tab-indicator--fade	Optional. Sets up the tab indicator to fade in on activation and fade out on deactivation.
mdc-tab-indicator__content--underline	Optional. Denotes an underline tab indicator.
mdc-tab-indicator__content--icon	Optional. Denotes an icon tab indicator.

NOTE: Exactly one of the --underline or --icon content modifier classes should be present.

Sass Mixins

To customize the tab indicator, use the following mixins.

Mixin	Description
surface	Mandatory. Must be applied to the parent element of the mdc-tab-indicator.
underline-color($color)	Customizes the color of the underline.
icon-color($color)	Customizes the color of the icon subelement.
underline-height($height)	Customizes the height of the underline.
icon-height($height)	Customizes the height of the icon subelement.
underline-top-corner-radius($radius)	Customizes the top left and top right border radius of the underline child element.

MDCTabIndicator Methods

Method Signature	Description
activate(previousIndicatorClientRect?: ClientRect) => void	Activates the tab indicator.
deactivate() => void	Deactivates the tab indicator.
computeContentClientRect() => ClientRect	Returns the content element bounding client rect.

Usage within Web Frameworks

If you are using a JavaScript framework, such as React or Angular, you can create a Tab Indicator for your framework. Depending on your needs, you can use the Simple Approach: Wrapping MDC Web Vanilla Components, or the Advanced Approach: Using Foundations and Adapters. Please follow the instructions here.

MDCTabIndicatorAdapter

Method Signature	Description
addClass(className: string) => void	Adds a class to the root element.
removeClass(className: string) => void	Removes a class from the root element.
setContentStyleProperty(property: string, value: string) => void	Sets the style property of the content element.
computeContentClientRect() => ClientRect	Returns the content element's bounding client rect.

MDCTabIndicatorFoundation

Method Signature	Description
handleTransitionEnd(evt: Event) => void	Handles the logic for the "transitionend" event on the root element.
activate(previousIndicatorClientRect?: ClientRect) => void	Activates the tab indicator.
deactivate() => void	Deactivates the tab indicator.
computeContentClientRect() => ClientRect	Returns the content element's bounding client rect.