Sidebar

Component Documentation: Sidebar.tsx

Overview

The Sidebar component provides a navigation panel for chat applications, featuring a "New Chat" action button and a scrollable list of chat history items. Designed with a dark theme using Tailwind CSS.

Key Features

• Persistent "New Chat" creation button

• Scrollable chat history list

• Hover interactions for all actionable items

• Responsive flex layout

• Sample data demonstration (10 placeholder items)

Component Structure

export default function Sidebar() {
  return (
    <div className="w-64 bg-zinc-800 p-4 flex flex-col">
      <button className="bg-zinc-700 hover:bg-zinc-600 text-white p-2 rounded mb-4">
        + New Chat
      </button>
      
      <div className="flex-1 overflow-auto">
        <ul className="space-y-2">
          {Array.from({ length: 10 }).map((_, idx) => (
            <li key={idx} className="p-2 hover:bg-zinc-700 rounded cursor-pointer">
              Chat #{idx + 1}
            </li>
          ))}
        </ul>
      </div>
    </div>
  )
}

Visual Design

Element	Tailwind Classes	Purpose/Effect
Main Container	w-64 bg-zinc-800 p-4 flex flex-col	Fixed width dark sidebar with padding
New Chat Button	bg-zinc-700 hover:bg-zinc-600 text-white p-2 rounded mb-4	Primary action button with hover effect
Scroll Container	flex-1 overflow-auto	Expands remaining space with scroll overflow
Chat List	space-y-2	Vertical spacing between list items
Chat List Item	p-2 hover:bg-zinc-700 rounded cursor-pointer	Interactive items with hover highlighting

Interactive Elements

1. New Chat Button:

   • Fixed position at top

   • hover:bg-zinc-600 lightens background on hover

   • Rounded corners

2. Chat List Items:

   • Display as clickable elements

   • Change background on hover (hover:bg-zinc-700)

   • Show pointer cursor indicating interactivity

   • Uniform padding and rounded corners

Layout Behavior

• Fixed Width: Consistent 256px (16rem) width (w-64)

• Vertical Stack: Flex column layout (flex flex-col)

• Scroll Management:

  • Content area expands vertically (flex-1)

  • Automatic scrollbars when content overflows (overflow-auto)

Sample Data Implementation

{Array.from({ length: 10 }).map((_, idx) => (
  <li key={idx}>Chat #{idx + 1}</li>
))}