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Advanced Guide: Build A Dropdown With Tailwind CSS

Dropdown

What is Tailwind CSS?

Tailwind CSS is a utility-first CSS framework that allows developers to quickly and easily create custom designs without writing any CSS. It provides a set of pre-defined classes that can be used to style HTML elements. This makes it easy to create consistent and responsive designs across different devices and screen sizes.

The description of Dropdown ui component

A dropdown is a UI component that allows users to select an option from a list of choices. It consists of a button or link that, when clicked, displays a list of options that the user can choose from.

Why use Tailwind CSS to create a Dropdown ui component?

Tailwind CSS provides a set of pre-defined classes that can be used to create a dropdown quickly and easily. It also makes it easy to customize the appearance of the dropdown to match the design of your website or application.

The preview of Dropdown ui component

To create a dropdown with Tailwind CSS, we will use a combination of HTML and CSS. Here is a preview of what the dropdown will look like:

Free download of the Dropdown's source code

The source code of Dropdown ui component

Here is the HTML and CSS code that we will use to create the dropdown:

<!-- This is an example component -->
<div class="relative inline-flex">
  <svg class="w-2 h-2 absolute top-0 right-0 m-4 pointer-events-none" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" viewBox="0 0 412 232"><path d="M206 171.144L42.678 7.822c-9.763-9.763-25.592-9.763-35.355 0-9.763 9.764-9.763 25.592 0 35.355l181 181c4.88 4.882 11.279 7.323 17.677 7.323s12.796-2.441 17.678-7.322l181-181c9.763-9.764 9.763-25.592 0-35.355-9.763-9.763-25.592-9.763-35.355 0L206 171.144z" fill="#648299" fill-rule="nonzero"/></svg>
  <select class="border border-gray-300 rounded-full text-gray-600 h-10 pl-5 pr-10 bg-white hover:border-gray-400 focus:outline-none appearance-none">
    <option>Choose a color</option>
    <option>Red</option>
    <option>Blue</option>
    <option>Yellow</option>
    <option>Black</option>
    <option>Orange</option>
    <option>Purple</option>
    <option>Gray</option>
    <option>White</option>
  </select>
</div>

How to create a Dropdown with Tailwind CSS?

To create a dropdown with Tailwind CSS, follow these steps:

  1. Create the HTML structure for the dropdown.
<div class="relative inline-block">
  <button class="px-4 py-2 font-semibold text-gray-700 bg-gray-100 rounded-md hover:bg-gray-200 focus:outline-none focus:ring focus:ring-gray-300">
    Dropdown
  </button>
  <ul class="absolute z-10 hidden w-full py-1 mt-2 bg-white rounded-md shadow-lg">
    <li><a href="#" class="block px-4 py-2 text-gray-700 hover:bg-gray-100">Option 1</a></li>
    <li><a href="#" class="block px-4 py-2 text-gray-700 hover:bg-gray-100">Option 2</a></li>
    <li><a href="#" class="block px-4 py-2 text-gray-700 hover:bg-gray-100">Option 3</a></li>
  </ul>
</div>
  1. Add the Tailwind CSS classes to style the dropdown.
<div class="relative inline-block">
  <button class="px-4 py-2 font-semibold text-gray-700 bg-gray-100 rounded-md hover:bg-gray-200 focus:outline-none focus:ring focus:ring-gray-300">
    Dropdown
  </button>
  <ul class="absolute z-10 hidden w-full py-1 mt-2 bg-white rounded-md shadow-lg">
    <li><a href="#" class="block px-4 py-2 text-gray-700 hover:bg-gray-100">Option 1</a></li>
    <li><a href="#" class="block px-4 py-2 text-gray-700 hover:bg-gray-100">Option 2</a></li>
    <li><a href="#" class="block px-4 py-2 text-gray-700 hover:bg-gray-100">Option 3</a></li>
  </ul>
</div>
  1. Customize the appearance of the dropdown using Tailwind CSS classes.
<div class="relative inline-block">
  <button class="px-4 py-2 font-semibold text-gray-700 bg-gray-100 rounded-md hover:bg-gray-200 focus:outline-none focus:ring focus:ring-gray-300">
    Dropdown
  </button>
  <ul class="absolute z-10 hidden w-full py-1 mt-2 bg-white rounded-md shadow-lg">
    <li><a href="#" class="block px-4 py-2 text-gray-700 hover:bg-gray-100">Option 1</a></li>
    <li><a href="#" class="block px-4 py-2 text-gray-700 hover:bg-gray-100">Option 2</a></li>
    <li><a href="#" class="block px-4 py-2 text-gray-700 hover:bg-gray-100">Option 3</a></li>
  </ul>
</div>
  1. Add JavaScript to toggle the visibility of the dropdown.
<div class="relative inline-block">
  <button class="px-4 py-2 font-semibold text-gray-700 bg-gray-100 rounded-md hover:bg-gray-200 focus:outline-none focus:ring focus:ring-gray-300" onclick="toggleDropdown()">
    Dropdown
  </button>
  <ul id="dropdown" class="absolute z-10 hidden w-full py-1 mt-2 bg-white rounded-md shadow-lg">
    <li><a href="#" class="block px-4 py-2 text-gray-700 hover:bg-gray-100">Option 1</a></li>
    <li><a href="#" class="block px-4 py-2 text-gray-700 hover:bg-gray-100">Option 2</a></li>
    <li><a href="#" class="block px-4 py-2 text-gray-700 hover:bg-gray-100">Option 3</a></li>
  </ul>
</div>

<script>
function toggleDropdown() {
  var dropdown = document.getElementById("dropdown");
  dropdown.classList.toggle("hidden");
}
</script>

Conclusion

In this article, we have learned how to create a dropdown with Tailwind CSS. Tailwind CSS provides a set of pre-defined classes that can be used to create custom designs quickly and easily. By using Tailwind CSS, we can create consistent and responsive designs across different devices and screen sizes.