ui-components

name

ui-components

description

Vue 3 component architecture with shadcn-vue, Reka UI, Tailwind CSS, and design system conventions. Use when building new UI components, modifying existing views, working with the design system, fixing layout/styling issues, or implementing responsive designs. Covers component structure, slot patterns, Tailwind utilities, animation conventions, and accessibility. Do NOT use for state management logic (use state-management skill) or server API routes (use api-server skill).

UI Components

Vue 3 component library built on Reka UI headless primitives with Tailwind CSS styling and a minimalist, monochrome design system.

Stack

• Framework: Vue 3 + Nuxt 3 (auto-imports for composables, components, utilities)
• Headless primitives: Reka UI (reka-ui) -- all overlay/menu/label components wrap Reka UI
• Styling: Tailwind CSS 3 with tailwindcss-animate, @tailwindcss/forms, @tailwindcss/typography, @tailwindcss/aspect-ratio
• Variants: class-variance-authority (CVA) for component variant definitions
• Class merging: cn() from ~/utils/classnames (clsx + tailwind-merge)
• Icons: @nuxt/icon with Lucide icons (lucide:icon-name) + custom AOX collection (aox:icon-name)
• Color mode: @nuxtjs/color-mode with darkMode: 'class', storage key aox-color-mode
• Rich text: TipTap via nuxt-tiptap-editor (StarterKit + TaskList + TaskItem)
• Animations: GSAP (lazy-loaded chunk), tailwindcss-animate, CSS keyframes
• Font: Selecta (custom, WOFF2) as primary sans-serif
• Native app: Capacitor platform variants (native:, native-ios:, native-android:)

Component Directory Map

components/
  common/              Shared UI primitives (70+ components)
    action-button/     ActionButton
    animated-logo/     AnimatedLogo
    avatar/            Avatar, AvatarFallback, AvatarImage (CVA: size, shape)
    bar-diagram/       BarDiagram
    card/              Card, CardContent, CardDescription, CardFooter, CardHeader, CardTitle
    chat-bubble/       ChatBubble (CVA: spark | user variants)
    chat-view/         ChatView
    content-layout/    ContentLayout
    dropdown-menu/     Full Reka UI DropdownMenu compound component (14 parts)
    empty-state/       EmptyState
    extended-container/ ExtendedContainer
    foldout-button/    FoldoutButton (CVA: inactive | active, with sub-options)
    generate-button/   GenerateButton
    header-input/      HeaderInput
    headline/          Headline
    hover-action-bar/  HoverActionBar
    icon-button/       IconButton (outline | ghost, shared sizing from sizes.ts)
    input/             MessageInput (main dual-textarea wrapper), MessageInputTextArea (auto-resize + voice overlay),
                       MessageInputButton (send button with two-stage animation), MessageInputSuggestions (horizontal carousel),
                       MessageInputAttachment (scrollable file/link/keyword container), Input (legacy with mentions, tags, toolbar),
                       InputFieldSimplified, InputSource, InputTag
    input-field/       InputField (CVA: inactive | active)
    label/             Label (wraps Reka UI Label)
    list-item/         ListItem, ListItemSimplified (CVA)
    navigation-button/ NavigationButton
    navigation-tabs/   NavigationTab, NavigationTabs
    progress-bar/      ProgressBar
    progress-line/     ProgressLine
    save-generate-button/ SaveGenerateButton
    section-label/     SectionLabel
    simple-button/     SimpleButton (CVA: inactive|active|plain|danger|mobileButton, size: default|xl|icon|chevron-icon)
    simple-card/       SimpleCard (CVA, with slots: header-right, floating)
    skeleton/          Skeleton (animate-pulse)
    spark-card-horizontal/ SparkCardHorizontal
    status-indicator/  StatusIndicator
    switcher-button/   SwitcherButton (CVA: inactive|active|plain)
    text-reveal/       TextReveal (animated placeholder cycling)
    textarea/          TextArea (CVA: inactive|active|plain, auto-resize)
    texteditor/        RichTextEditor (TipTap wrapper)
    toolbar/           Toolbar
    -- standalone files --
    AnimatedMessage.vue, BrandLoader.vue, ChatInput.vue, ContentPage.vue,
    CookieConsent.vue, DemoContent.vue, DocsViewer.vue, DropdownBackdrop.vue,
    DropdownHeader.vue, FeedbackButton.vue, GlobalTooltip.vue, GradientBackground.vue,
    Logo.vue, Modal.vue, ProfileAvatarStack.vue, ScrollMaskedContainer.vue,
    SeoContentPage.vue, SeoJsonLd.vue, SlideInActionButtons.vue, SparkAvatar.vue,
    SubInformation.vue, TalkToSection.vue, TiptapToolbar.vue, UpgradePromptBanner.vue
    -- shared config --
    index.ts           Barrel exports for frequently used components
    types.ts           Shared types (SidebarState, SlideInState, SparkItem, FlowItem, etc.)
    sizes.ts           ComponentSize system (xs|sm|base|lg) with COMPONENT_SIZES map

  workspace/           Main app workspace
    Workspace.vue      Root workspace layout (sidebar + chat + panels)
    WorkspaceSidebar.vue, WorkspaceChatView.vue, WorkspaceSlideIns.vue, WorkspaceLeftSlideIns.vue
    board/             ConceptBoard, IdeaCard, IdeaDetailPanel, ImageStickyNote, items/
    chat/              MessageStream
    panels/            SlideIn, SlideInWrapper, SlideInSettings, SlideInSparkInfo, SlideInShare, SlideInUserAccess, etc.
    sidebar/           SidebarContent, SidebarFlows, SidebarSparks, SidebarToolbar, etc.
    voice/             VoiceWaveform
    VoiceMode.vue      Voice mode (workspace root level)

  spark/               SparkCard, SparkGenerationLoader, SparkSettings, SparkToolbar, edit/
  flow/                FlowSettings, SparkProcess, SparkSelection, 3d/ (ContextNode, NodeWrapper, OptionsBar), sections/
  navigation/          Header, PublicHeader, ProfileDropdown, SettingsDropdown, MobileMenu, FooterLinks
  auth/                LoginDialog, RegisterDialog, MobileAuthDialog, NativeAuthContent
  settings/            analytics.vue, general.vue, preferences.vue, subscription.vue, team.vue, etc.
  graphs/              SphereGraph (Three.js/D3)
  public/landing/      LandingIntro, LandingPricing, LandingThinkingModel, LogoMarquee, etc.
  survey/              SurveyGraph, SurveySphere

Design System

Color Palette (HSL CSS Variables)

All semantic colors use HSL CSS variables defined in assets/css/main.css. Tailwind maps them via tailwind.config.js.

Token	Light	Dark	Usage
--background	0 0% 100% (white)	0 0% 0% (black)	Page background
--foreground	0 0% 3.9%	0 0% 98%	Primary text
--primary	0 0% 76%	0 0% 76%	Brand primary (grey)
--secondary	0 0% 96.1%	0 0% 14.9%	Secondary surfaces
--muted	0 0% 90%	0 0% 14.9%	Muted backgrounds
--accent	0 0% 96.1%	0 0% 14.9%	Accent backgrounds
--destructive	0 84.2% 60.2%	0 62.8% 30.6%	Error/danger
--border	0 0% 89.8%	0 0% 14.9%	Default borders
--border-subtle	0 0% 38.4%	0 0% 30%	Subtle borders
--active	0 0% 0% (black)	0 0% 30%	Active state
--border-grey	#000	#fff	High contrast border
--border-grey-light	#000	#fff	Light contrast border

Additional utility colors: success (green), warning (amber), error (red), discipline-yellow, discipline-blue, text-grey (#807F7F).

Dynamic colors via composables/ui/useDynamicColors.ts: generates random primary/secondary RGB colors with brightness constraints. Exports reactive primaryColor and secondaryColor refs.

Typography

Font family: Selecta (400, 700, italic variants) loaded from assets/css/font/.

Key font sizes defined in tailwind.config.js with mobile overrides in main.css:

Class	Desktop	Mobile (<768px)
text-xs	12.5px / 15.6px	11px / 13.2px
text-sm	18px / 23.4px	15px / 18px
text-sm-uppercase	15.5px / 21.45px	13px / 18.2px
text-lg	28px / 28px	22px / 22px
text-5xl	3.3rem / 0.9	2.2rem / 1

Convention: use text-mobile-sm md:text-sm for responsive text, and text-mobile-sm-uppercase md:text-sm-uppercase uppercase for label/button text.

Spacing and Sizing

• Global UI spacing: --simplified-ui-spacing: 15px
• Workspace padding: p-[15px] on all sides
• Custom spacing values: 13 (50.2px), 15 (60.8px), 18 (4.5rem), 88 (22rem), 128 (32rem)
• Border radius: lg = 1.5rem, xl = 2rem, 2xl = 2.5rem (larger than default Tailwind)
• Shared component sizes via components/common/sizes.ts:
  • xs: 36px container, 14px icon
  • sm: 32px mobile / 44px desktop, 14px icon
  • base: 48px container, 16px icon
  • lg: 52px mobile / 60px desktop, 20px icon

Dark Mode

Uses class-based dark mode (darkMode: 'class' in Tailwind). The .dark class on <html> toggles all dark: variants. GradientBackground component provides the page background with distinct light/dark gradients.

Pattern: Always provide both light and dark variants:

<div class="bg-white/60 dark:bg-black/60 text-black dark:text-white">

CVA Variant Pattern

Every component with visual variants uses CVA. The index.ts barrel file defines variants and exports both the component and the variant function.

// components/common/simple-button/index.ts
import type { VariantProps } from "class-variance-authority"
import { cva } from "class-variance-authority"

export { default as SimpleButton } from "./SimpleButton.vue"

export const simpleButtonVariants = cva(
  "inline-flex items-center justify-center px-6 md:px-7 py-4 md:py-5 rounded-xl transition-all duration-300 ease-in-out whitespace-nowrap",
  {
    variants: {
      variant: {
        inactive: "font-normal hover:font-bold shadow-[inset_0_0_0_1px_#626262] bg-white/60 dark:bg-black/60 backdrop-blur-md text-black dark:text-white",
        active: "font-bold shadow-[inset_0_0_0_2px_black] dark:shadow-[inset_0_0_0_2px_white] bg-white/60 dark:bg-black/60 backdrop-blur-md text-black dark:text-white",
      },
      size: { default: "", xl: "px-8 md:px-10 py-5 md:py-6", icon: "!p-0 h-13 md:h-15 w-13 md:w-15 rounded-full" },
    },
    compoundVariants: [
      { variant: "inactive", size: "icon", class: "[&_svg]:stroke-[0.1] hover:[&_svg]:stroke-[0.6]" },
    ],
    defaultVariants: { variant: "inactive", size: "default" },
  },
)
export type SimpleButtonVariants = VariantProps<typeof simpleButtonVariants>

Usage in component:

<Primitive :class="cn(simpleButtonVariants({ variant, size }), props.class)">

Design language: Components use shadow-[inset_0_0_0_1px_#626262] for inactive borders, shadow-[inset_0_0_0_2px_black] dark:shadow-[inset_0_0_0_2px_white] for active borders, and bg-white/60 dark:bg-black/60 backdrop-blur-md for glassmorphism surfaces.

Component Patterns

Props, Emits, Slots

<script setup lang="ts">
import type { HTMLAttributes } from "vue"
import { cn } from "~/utils/classnames"

interface Props {
  variant?: 'inactive' | 'active'
  size?: ComponentSize
  class?: HTMLAttributes["class"]       // Accept class prop for cn() merging
}
const props = withDefaults(defineProps<Props>(), {
  variant: 'inactive',
  size: 'sm',
})

const emit = defineEmits<{
  close: []                              // Tuple syntax preferred
  'update:modelValue': [value: string]
}>()
</script>

Reka UI Wrappers (Dropdown, Label, etc.)

Components in common/dropdown-menu/ wrap Reka UI primitives with styled defaults:

<script setup lang="ts">
import type { DropdownMenuContentProps } from "reka-ui"
import { DropdownMenuContent, DropdownMenuPortal, useForwardPropsEmits } from "reka-ui"
import { cn } from "~/utils/classnames"

const props = withDefaults(defineProps<DropdownMenuContentProps & { class?: HTMLAttributes["class"] }>(), {
  sideOffset: 4,
  align: "start",
})
const forwarded = useForwardPropsEmits(reactiveOmit(props, "class"), emits)
</script>
<template>
  <DropdownMenuPortal>
    <DropdownMenuContent v-bind="forwarded" :class="cn('z-50 rounded-xl border border-border-subtle backdrop-blur-xl bg-background/80 ...', props.class)">
      <slot />
    </DropdownMenuContent>
  </DropdownMenuPortal>
</template>

Modal / Dialog Pattern

The app uses a custom Modal.vue component (not Reka UI Dialog):

<Modal title="Edit Spark" max-width="lg" @close="showModal = false">
  <template #headerActions>...</template>
  <!-- Body content -->
  <template #actions>
    <SimpleButton @click="save">Save</SimpleButton>
  </template>
</Modal>

Auth dialogs (LoginDialog, RegisterDialog) use Teleport to body with custom backdrop and transitions. They can also be embedded inline within SlideInUserAccess for the workspace user access panel.

SlideInUserAccess Panel

SlideInUserAccess.vue embeds LoginDialog/RegisterDialog inline as a left slide-in panel with login/register tab navigation. Displays an optional contextual message from panelsStore.userAccessMessage. Managed via panelsStore.openUserAccess(message?) / panelsStore.closeUserAccess().

UpgradePromptBanner

UpgradePromptBanner.vue displays a contextual upgrade message using SubInformation with variant="gradient" (orange-to-green gradient text). Shown in SlideInSettings on the subscription tab when upgradePromptMessage (from useUpgradePrompt) is set. Used for plan limit alerts and milestone-based nudges.

SubInformation Variants

SubInformation.vue supports four variants: default (grey text), warning (red), plain (foreground), gradient (orange-to-green gradient via CSS background-clip: text).

SlideIn Panel Pattern

Workspace panels use SlideIn.vue + SlideInWrapper.vue:

• SlideIn: Handles animation, positioning (left/right), mobile fullscreen
• SlideInWrapper: Provides standard panel layout (header with avatar, close button, navigation slot, content, footer)

<SlideIn :is-visible="isOpen" direction="right" :width="450" panel-id="spark-info">
  <SlideInWrapper title="Spark Info" show-close @close="close">
    <template #navigation>...</template>
    <!-- Content -->
  </SlideInWrapper>
</SlideIn>

Icon System

Two icon sources available via @nuxt/icon (inline SVG mode):

1. Lucide icons: <Icon name="lucide:arrow-right" class="size-4" />
2. Custom AOX icons: <Icon name="aox:chat" class="size-4" /> -- SVGs in assets/icons/

Available AOX icons: at, board, chat, chats, close, connect, file, filter, keyword, keywords, link, logout, mail, minds, multiselect, new, plus, publish, search, share, trash, whatsapp.

Icon stroke styling (from main.css): SVG strokes default to 1px, increase to 1.5px on hover. Global --icon-stroke-width: 1.5px CSS variable.

Animation Patterns

CSS Transitions (primary approach)

Most components use Tailwind transition utilities:

<div class="transition-all duration-300 ease-in-out">

Standard durations: duration-short (300ms), duration-medium (500ms), duration-long (600ms), duration-x-long (1000ms). Easing: ease-smooth = cubic-bezier(0.4, 0, 0.2, 1).

CSS Keyframes

SimpleButton has animated-button keyframe (scale 0.7 to 1, 600ms). Card has cardFade pulse. Skeleton uses Tailwind animate-pulse. SparkAvatar uses rotate-gradient for animated border.

GSAP (landing page only)

Used in LandingThinkingModel.vue for complex timeline animations. GSAP is chunk-split for lazy loading. Not used in workspace UI.

Vue Transitions

Auth dialogs use <Transition name="backdrop"> and <Transition name="dialog"> with fade/slide effects.

TipTap Rich Text Editor

components/common/texteditor/RichTextEditor.vue wraps TipTap with:

• StarterKit (headings h1-h3, lists, code blocks)
• TaskList + TaskItem extensions
• Custom ProseMirror-to-Markdown serializer
• TiptapToolbar.vue for formatting controls
• v-model via update:modelValue emitting Markdown strings
• Prose styling via @tailwindcss/typography with dark mode overrides

i18n in Components

useI18n() is auto-imported by Nuxt. Use $t() in templates or t() in script:

<script setup lang="ts">
const { t } = useI18n()
</script>
<template>
  <span>{{ $t('chat.inputPlaceholder') }}</span>
</template>

Locale files: locales/de.json, locales/en.json, locales/es.json, locales/fr.json, locales/zh.json. When adding keys, update ALL five files.

Responsive Design

Mobile breakpoint: 768px (md). Detected via composables/ui/useMobile.ts (isMobile ref) and Tailwind md: prefix.

Patterns:

• Sizing: size-8 md:size-11, px-6 md:px-7 py-4 md:py-5
• Typography: text-mobile-sm md:text-sm, text-mobile-sm-uppercase md:text-sm-uppercase uppercase
• Layout: hidden md:flex / flex md:hidden for mobile/desktop switching
• Native app: native:pt-[env(safe-area-inset-top)] for Capacitor safe areas
• Touch targets: min 44px on mobile (Apple HIG) via native app CSS rules

Form Patterns

• InputField (CVA): styled text input with inactive/active border states
• TextArea (CVA): auto-resizing textarea with animated placeholder, max 3 lines
• ChatInput: complex chat input with file attachments, voice recording, mode switcher, avatar
• MessageInput: New 5-component dual-textarea architecture: MessageInput.vue (orchestrator), MessageInputTextArea.vue (×2 instances, auto-resize + voice overlay + animated placeholder), MessageInputButton.vue (send button with width expansion then opacity fade animation), MessageInputSuggestions.vue (horizontal scrollable suggestions/sparks carousel), MessageInputAttachment.vue (file/link/keyword container with dynamic height). Used by ChatView.vue (replaced Input). Supports mode transitions between existing-chat and new-chat modes.
• Input: legacy input with contenteditable, @mention system, tag toolbar, source attachments. Now supports multiple file input and i18n-driven placeholders (input.placeholderExamples.* keys).
• Global form classes: .form-input, .form-label, .form-error in main.css
• Validation: inline error messages, disabled states via opacity-40 pointer-events-none

Pinia Stores (UI-related)

stores/
  layout.ts    Sidebar state, mobile detection, active nav
  panels.ts    SlideIn panel open/close coordination
  tooltip.ts   Global tooltip positioning and visibility
  sparks.ts    Spark data and selection state
  flow.ts      Active flow state
  messages.ts  Chat messages
  settings.ts  User settings
  workspace.ts Workspace-level state

UI Composables

composables/ui/
  useAnimatedPlaceholder.ts  Cycling text placeholder animation logic
  useBoardDragDrop.ts        Drag-and-drop for concept board
  useDropdownBlur.ts         Dropdown close-on-blur behavior
  useDynamicColors.ts        Dynamic primary/secondary color generation
  useDynamicGrid.ts          Responsive grid layout calculations
  useGlobalTooltip.ts        Global tooltip positioning
  useImageUrl.ts             Image URL normalization and thumbnails
  useLanguage.ts             Language/locale management
  useMobile.ts               Mobile breakpoint detection (768px)
  useMobileSwipe.ts          Swipe gesture for sidebar open/close
  usePlanLimits.ts           Feature gating by subscription plan
  useProgressAnimation.ts    Progress bar animation
  useScrollBehavior.ts       Scroll position management
  useSidebarToolbar.ts       Sidebar toolbar state
  useSlideInCoordinator.ts   Multiple slide-in panel coordination
  useTypewriter.ts           Typewriter text effect
  useUserContext.ts          User context for components
  useUserProfile.ts          User profile data management
  useVersion.ts              App version display
  useWebViewDetection.ts     Native webview detection

Rules and Conventions

• Max 200-300 lines per file -- split into sub-components when exceeded
• Modularize -- extract reusable patterns into components or composables
• No emojis unless user explicitly requests them
• All locale keys must be added to all 5 locale files (de, en, es, fr, zh)
• Use cn() from ~/utils/classnames for class merging (NOT ~/lib/utils)
• Import from barrel files where available: import { SimpleButton } from '~/components/common/simple-button'
• No any types unless absolutely necessary -- define interfaces for all props and state
• Never run dev server -- one is always running
• Native variants: use native:, native-ios:, native-android: Tailwind variants for Capacitor-specific styles
• Glassmorphism surfaces: bg-white/60 dark:bg-black/60 backdrop-blur-md
• Inset border pattern: use shadow-[inset_0_0_0_1px_#626262] instead of border for the design system's border style

Related Files

• tailwind.config.js -- Tailwind theme (colors, spacing, fonts, plugins, native variants)
• assets/css/main.css -- Global CSS: font-face, CSS variables, base/component/utility layers, native app styles, citation styles
• assets/css/font/ -- Selecta font files (woff2, woff)
• assets/icons/ -- Custom AOX SVG icon collection (18 icons)
• utils/classnames.ts -- cn() utility (clsx + tailwind-merge)
• components/common/sizes.ts -- Shared ComponentSize system and COMPONENT_SIZES map
• components/common/types.ts -- Shared types (SidebarState, SlideInState, SparkItem, etc.)
• components/common/index.ts -- Barrel exports for common standalone components
• locales/ -- i18n translation files (de.json, en.json, es.json, fr.json, zh.json)
• composables/ui/ -- All UI-related composables
• stores/layout.ts -- Layout store (sidebar, mobile state)
• stores/panels.ts -- Panel coordination store
• nuxt.config.ts -- Icon config (aox prefix), color-mode config, TipTap module, component auto-import