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Ultimate Guide: Create A Dropdown Menu Component With Tailwind CSS

Dropdown Menu Component

What is Tailwind CSS?

Tailwind CSS is a utility-first CSS framework that allows you to quickly design and customize your website without writing any CSS. It provides a set of pre-defined classes that you can use to style your HTML elements. Tailwind CSS is gaining popularity because of its flexibility and ease of use.

The description of Dropdown Menu Component UI component

A dropdown menu is a UI component that allows users to select an option from a list of options. It is commonly used in forms, navigation menus, and other parts of a website where users need to make a selection. A dropdown menu typically consists of a button or link that, when clicked, displays a list of options.

Why use Tailwind CSS to create a Dropdown Menu Component UI component?

Tailwind CSS makes it easy to create a dropdown menu component. With Tailwind CSS, you can quickly style your dropdown menu without writing any custom CSS. Tailwind CSS provides pre-defined classes for common UI components, including dropdown menus. This means you can create a dropdown menu component in minutes, rather than hours.

The preview of Dropdown Menu Component UI component

To create a dropdown menu component with Tailwind CSS, you will need to use the dropdown and dropdown-menu classes. These classes will create the basic structure of the dropdown menu component. You can then customize the dropdown menu by adding your own styles.

Free download of the Dropdown Menu Component's source code

The source code of Dropdown Menu Component UI component

To create a dropdown menu component with Tailwind CSS, you will need to use the following HTML and CSS code:

<!-- This is an example component -->
<div class='flex items-center justify-center min-h-screen from-green-100 via-green-300 to-green-500 bg-gradient-to-br'>

    <div class='w-full max-w-lg px-10 py-8 mx-auto'>
        
        <div class='max-w-md mx-auto space-y-6'>

            <div class="dropdown-menu">

                <div class="bg-white rounded-lg shadow-xl flex items-center px-4 py-6 cursor-pointer">
                    <input type="text" placeholder="Juma Musa" readonly class="pointer-events-none text-base placeholder-gray-400 outline-none w-full h-full flex-1" />
                    <svg width="20" height="10" viewBox="0 0 20 10" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg">
                        <line x1="0" y1="0" x2="10" y2="10" stroke="#9CA3AF" />
                        <line x1="20" y1="0" x2="10" y2="10" stroke="#9CA3AF" />
                    </svg>
                </div>

                <div class="bg-white rounded-lg shadow-xl px-4 relative mt-8">

                    <svg class="absolute bottom-full right-4" width="30" height="20" viewBox="0 0 30 20" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg">
                        <polygon points="15, 0 30, 20 0, 20" fill="#FFFFFF"/>
                    </svg>

                    <div class="py-6 flex items-center w-full hover:bg-gray-50">
                        <a href="#" class="flex-1">
                            <div class="text-gray-400 text-base">Profile</div>
                        </a>
                        <div>
                            <svg width="40" height="20" viewBox="0 0 40 20" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg">
                                <line x1="30" y1="2" x2="40" y2="10" stroke="#9CA3AF" />
                                <line x1="30" y1="18" x2="40" y2="10" stroke="#9CA3AF" />
                                <line x1="20" y1="10" x2="40" y2="10" stroke="#9CA3AF" />
                            </svg>
                        </div>
                    </div>

                    <div class="py-6 flex items-center w-full border-t border-gray-200 hover:bg-gray-50">
                        <a href="#" class="flex-1">
                            <div class="text-gray-400 text-base">Status (Online)</div>
                        </a>
                        <div>
                            <svg width="40" height="20" viewBox="0 0 40 20" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg">
                                <line x1="30" y1="2" x2="40" y2="10" stroke="#9CA3AF" />
                                <line x1="30" y1="18" x2="40" y2="10" stroke="#9CA3AF" />
                                <line x1="20" y1="10" x2="40" y2="10" stroke="#9CA3AF" />
                            </svg>
                        </div>
                    </div>

                    <div class="py-6 flex items-center w-full border-t border-gray-200 hover:bg-gray-50">
                        <a href="#" class="flex-1">
                            <div class="text-gray-400 text-base">Notifications</div>
                        </a>
                        <div>
                            <svg width="40" height="20" viewBox="0 0 40 20" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg">
                                <line x1="30" y1="2" x2="40" y2="10" stroke="#9CA3AF" />
                                <line x1="30" y1="18" x2="40" y2="10" stroke="#9CA3AF" />
                                <line x1="20" y1="10" x2="40" y2="10" stroke="#9CA3AF" />
                            </svg>
                        </div>
                    </div>

                    <div class="py-6 flex items-center w-full hover:bg-gray-50 border-t border-gray-200 hover:bg-gray-50">
                        <a href="#" class="flex-1">
                            <div class="text-gray-400 text-base">Sign out</div>
                        </a>
                        <div>
                            <svg width="40" height="20" viewBox="0 0 40 20" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg">
                                <line x1="30" y1="2" x2="40" y2="10" stroke="#9CA3AF" />
                                <line x1="30" y1="18" x2="40" y2="10" stroke="#9CA3AF" />
                                <line x1="20" y1="10" x2="40" y2="10" stroke="#9CA3AF" />
                            </svg>
                        </div>
                    </div>

                </div>

            </div>

        </div>

    </div>

</div>

How to create a Dropdown Menu Component with Tailwind CSS?

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

  1. Create a button or link that will trigger the dropdown menu.
  2. Add the dropdown class to the button or link.
  3. Create a div element with the dropdown-menu class. This div will contain the list of options.
  4. Add the hidden class to the div element to hide it by default.
  5. Add the absolute and right-0 classes to the div element to position it to the right of the button or link.
  6. Add the w-48 class to the div element to set its width.
  7. Add the bg-white class to the div element to set its background color.
  8. Add the shadow-lg class to the div element to add a shadow effect.
  9. Add the py-2 and text-sm classes to the div element to set the padding and font size of the options.
  10. Add the border and border-gray-200 classes to the div element to add a border around the options.
  11. Add the rounded-md class to the div element to round the corners of the options.
  12. Add the transition ease-in-out duration-150 classes to the div element to add a smooth transition effect.
  13. Add the block class to the div element to make it a block element.
  14. Add the z-10 class to the div element to set its z-index to be above other elements on the page.
  15. Add the dropdown-item class to each option in the dropdown menu.
  16. Add the hover:bg-gray-100 class to each option to add a hover effect.

Conclusion

Creating a dropdown menu component with Tailwind CSS is easy and straightforward. With Tailwind CSS, you can quickly create a dropdown menu component without writing any custom CSS. Tailwind CSS provides pre-defined classes for common UI components, including dropdown menus, making it easy to create a dropdown menu component in minutes.