dashboard-tab-ui

name	dashboard-tab-ui
description	Create or modify tabbed workflows in admin or vendor dashboards in the Mercur basic starter using stable tab structure, validation scope, and i18n-aware wizard conventions.

Dashboard Tab UI

Use this skill when:

• adding a custom tab to a tabbed flow in admin or vendor
• extending a multi-step wizard
• reviewing tab layout, validation scope, or navigation behavior

Applies equally to admin and vendor dashboards.

Before introducing custom interactive UI inside a tab, apply medusa-ui-conformance.

Required component

Always use TabbedForm from @mercurjs/dashboard-shared — do NOT build custom tab navigation with ProgressTabs from @medusajs/ui directly.

TabbedForm API

TabbedForm handles internally: RouteFocusModal.Form, ProgressTabs in the header navbar, KeyboundForm, and a default footer with Cancel/Continue/Save.

Props

• form — UseFormReturn from react-hook-form
• onSubmit — submit handler from form.handleSubmit()
• isLoading (optional) — disables submit button
• footer (optional) — custom footer render prop; omit to use the default

TabbedForm.Tab props

• id (string, required) — unique tab identifier
• label (string, required) — display label in the tab bar
• validationFields (FieldPath[], optional) — fields to validate on this tab
• isVisible ((form) => boolean, optional) — dynamic tab visibility

Page structure

The create page wraps RouteFocusModal around the form component:

const CreatePage = () => (
  <RouteFocusModal>
    <CreateForm />
  </RouteFocusModal>
);
export default CreatePage;

The form component renders TabbedForm directly — do NOT nest it inside another RouteFocusModal.Form:

const CreateForm = () => {
  const { handleSuccess } = useRouteModal();
  const form = useForm({ resolver: zodResolver(schema), defaultValues: { ... } });
  const handleSubmit = form.handleSubmit(async (data) => {
    handleSuccess("/entity-route");
  });

  return (
    <TabbedForm form={form} onSubmit={handleSubmit}>
      <TabbedForm.Tab id="general" label="General">
        <div className="flex flex-col gap-y-4 p-8">
          {/* Form.Field components */}
        </div>
      </TabbedForm.Tab>
    </TabbedForm>
  );
};

Known issue: validation blocks Continue

TabbedForm's internal onNext calls form.trigger() without arguments, which validates the entire form — not just the active tab's fields. Required fields on later tabs will prevent Continue from working.

Workaround: Only mark fields as required (.min(1)) if they are on the first tab. Use .optional() for fields on later tabs and validate at submit time if needed.

Hard rules

1. Do not hardcode tab labels; use i18n-aware metadata.
2. Do not put all fields into one flat tab without section structure.
3. Do not build custom tab UI with ProgressTabs directly — use TabbedForm.
4. Do not wrap TabbedForm in RouteFocusModal.Form — it does this internally.
5. Do not provide a custom footer unless you need to change button labels — the default footer handles Cancel/Continue/Save correctly.
6. Do not add required zod validation to fields on tabs beyond the first (see known issue above).
7. Do not break keyboard or submit behavior when adding a tab.
8. Do not assume tabs are static if visibility depends on form state.

Preferred patterns

• Give each tab a single clear purpose.
• Keep a visible header (Heading level="h2") and grouped sections inside each tab body.
• Add className="p-8" to the wrapping div inside each TabbedForm.Tab for consistent spacing.
• Use Form.Field / Form.Item / Form.Label / Form.Control / Form.ErrorMessage from @mercurjs/dashboard-shared.
• Use zodResolver with react-hook-form for schema validation.

When to switch skills

• Page shell work -> dashboard-page-ui
• Form field work without wizard concerns -> dashboard-form-ui

Verification

• confirm Continue navigates to the next tab (check that later-tab fields are not required in zod schema)
• confirm tab labels and content are translation-ready
• confirm dynamic visibility does not leave the flow in an invalid state
• run app build or lint after non-trivial tab work