Navigation Menu – Radix2Solid

Native Solid 2 fork. Original documentation and designs © WorkOS; historical posts retain their original context.

A collection of links for navigating websites.

Styling solution Source file Download runnable sandbox

import type { JSX } from "@solidjs/web";
import { omit } from "solid-js";
import { NavigationMenu } from "@radix-solid/primitives";
import { CaretDownIcon } from "@radix-solid/icons";
import styles from "./styles.module.css";
const NavigationMenuDemo = () => {
  return <NavigationMenu.Root class={styles.Root}>
			<NavigationMenu.List class={styles.MenuList}>
				<NavigationMenu.Item>
					<NavigationMenu.Trigger class={styles.Trigger}>
						Learn <CaretDownIcon class={styles.CaretDown} aria-hidden="true" />
					</NavigationMenu.Trigger>
					<NavigationMenu.Content class={styles.Content}>
						<ul class={`${styles.List} one`}>
							<li style={{
              "grid-row": "span 3"
            }}>
								<NavigationMenu.Link asChild>{target => target("a", {
                  "class": styles.Callout,
                  "href": "#",
                  children: <>
										<svg aria-hidden="true" width="38" height="38" viewBox="0 0 25 25" fill="white">
											<path d="M12 25C7.58173 25 4 21.4183 4 17C4 12.5817 7.58173 9 12 9V25Z"></path>
											<path d="M12 0H4V8H12V0Z"></path>
											<path d="M17 8C19.2091 8 21 6.20914 21 4C21 1.79086 19.2091 0 17 0C14.7909 0 13 1.79086 13 4C13 6.20914 14.7909 8 17 8Z"></path>
										</svg>
										<div class={styles.CalloutHeading}>
											Radix Primitives
										</div>
										<p class={styles.CalloutText}>
											Unstyled, accessible components for React.
										</p>
									</>
                })}</NavigationMenu.Link>
							</li>

							<ListItem href="https://stitches.dev/" title="Stitches">
								CSS-in-JS with best-in-class developer experience.
							</ListItem>
							<ListItem href="/colors" title="Colors">
								Beautiful, thought-out palettes with auto dark mode.
							</ListItem>
							<ListItem href="https://icons.radix-ui.com/" title="Icons">
								A crisp set of 15x15 icons, balanced and consistent.
							</ListItem>
						</ul>
					</NavigationMenu.Content>
				</NavigationMenu.Item>

				<NavigationMenu.Item>
					<NavigationMenu.Trigger class={styles.Trigger}>
						Overview <CaretDownIcon class={styles.CaretDown} aria-hidden="true" />
					</NavigationMenu.Trigger>
					<NavigationMenu.Content class={styles.Content}>
						<ul class={`${styles.List} two`}>
							<ListItem title="Introduction" href="/primitives/docs/overview/introduction">
								Build high-quality, accessible design systems and web apps.
							</ListItem>
							<ListItem title="Getting started" href="/primitives/docs/overview/getting-started">
								A quick tutorial to get you up and running with Radix
								Primitives.
							</ListItem>
							<ListItem title="Styling" href="/primitives/docs/guides/styling">
								Unstyled and compatible with any styling solution.
							</ListItem>
							<ListItem title="Animation" href="/primitives/docs/guides/animation">
								Use CSS keyframes or any animation library of your choice.
							</ListItem>
							<ListItem title="Accessibility" href="/primitives/docs/overview/accessibility">
								Follows the WAI-ARIA authoring practices.
							</ListItem>
							<ListItem title="Releases" href="/primitives/docs/overview/releases">
								Radix Primitives releases and their changelogs.
							</ListItem>
						</ul>
					</NavigationMenu.Content>
				</NavigationMenu.Item>

				<NavigationMenu.Item>
					<NavigationMenu.Link class={styles.Link} href="https://github.com/radix-ui">
						Github
					</NavigationMenu.Link>
				</NavigationMenu.Item>

				<NavigationMenu.Indicator class={styles.Indicator}>
					<div class={styles.Arrow} />
				</NavigationMenu.Indicator>
			</NavigationMenu.List>

			<div class={styles.ViewportPosition}>
				<NavigationMenu.Viewport class={styles.Viewport} />
			</div>
		</NavigationMenu.Root>;
};
const ListItem = function ListItem(p: JSX.IntrinsicElements["a"]) {
  return <li>
			<NavigationMenu.Link asChild>{target => target("a", {
        "class": [styles.ListItemLink, p.class],
        ...omit(p, "children", "class"),
        "ref": p.ref,
        children: <>
					<div class={styles.ListItemHeading}>{p.title}</div>
					<p class={styles.ListItemText}>{p.children}</p>
				</>
      })}</NavigationMenu.Link>
		</li>;
};
export default NavigationMenuDemo;

Features

Can be controlled or uncontrolled.
Flexible layout structure with managed tab focus.
Supports submenus.
Optional active item indicator.
Full keyboard navigation.
Exposes CSS variables for advanced animation.
Supports custom timings.

Anatomy

Import all parts and piece them together.

import { NavigationMenu } from "@radix-solid/primitives";
export default () => <NavigationMenu.Root>
		<NavigationMenu.List>
			<NavigationMenu.Item>
				<NavigationMenu.Trigger />
				<NavigationMenu.Content>
					<NavigationMenu.Link />
				</NavigationMenu.Content>
			</NavigationMenu.Item>

			<NavigationMenu.Item>
				<NavigationMenu.Link />
			</NavigationMenu.Item>

			<NavigationMenu.Item>
				<NavigationMenu.Trigger />
				<NavigationMenu.Content>
					<NavigationMenu.Sub>
						<NavigationMenu.List />
						<NavigationMenu.Viewport />
					</NavigationMenu.Sub>
				</NavigationMenu.Content>
			</NavigationMenu.Item>

			<NavigationMenu.Indicator />
		</NavigationMenu.List>

		<NavigationMenu.Viewport />
	</NavigationMenu.Root>;

API Reference

Root

Contains all the parts of a navigation menu.

Prop	Type	Default
`defaultValue`	`string`	—
`value`	`string`	—
`onValueChange`	`function`	—
`delayDuration`	`number`	`200`
`skipDelayDuration`	`number`	`300`
`dir`	`enum`	—
`orientation`	`enum`	`"horizontal"`

Data attribute	Values
`[data-orientation]`	`"vertical" \| "horizontal"`

Sub

Signifies a submenu. Use it in place of the root part when nested to create a submenu.

Prop	Type	Default
`defaultValue`	`string`	—
`value`	`string`	—
`onValueChange`	`function`	—
`orientation`	`enum`	`"horizontal"`

Data attribute	Values
`[data-orientation]`	`"vertical" \| "horizontal"`

List

Contains the top level menu items.

Prop	Type	Default
`asChild`	`boolean`	`false`

Data attribute	Values
`[data-orientation]`	`"vertical" \| "horizontal"`

Item

A top level menu item, contains a link or trigger with content combination.

Prop	Type	Default
`asChild`	`boolean`	`false`
`value`	`string`	—

Trigger

The button that toggles the content.

Prop	Type	Default
`asChild`	`boolean`	`false`

Data attribute	Values
`[data-state]`	`"open" \| "closed"`
`[data-disabled]`	Present when disabled

Content

Contains the content associated with each trigger.

Prop	Type	Default
`asChild`	`boolean`	`false`
`onEscapeKeyDown`	`function`	—
`onPointerDownOutside`	`function`	—
`onFocusOutside`	`function`	—
`onInteractOutside`	`function`	—
`forceMount`	`boolean`	—

Data attribute	Values
`[data-state]`	`"open" \| "closed"`
`[data-motion]`	`"to-start" \| "to-end" \| "from-start" \| "from-end"`
`[data-orientation]`	`"vertical" \| "horizontal"`

Link

A navigational link.

Prop	Type	Default
`asChild`	`boolean`	`false`
`active`	`boolean`	`false`
`onSelect`	`function`	—

Data attribute	Values
`[data-active]`	Present when active

Indicator

An optional indicator element that renders below the list, is used to highlight the currently active trigger.

Prop	Type	Default
`asChild`	`boolean`	`false`
`forceMount`	`boolean`	—

Data attribute	Values
`[data-state]`	`"visible" \| "hidden"`
`[data-orientation]`	`"vertical" \| "horizontal"`

CSS Variable	Description
`--radix-navigation-menu-indicator-translate-x`	The horizontal offset of the indicator, computed from the active trigger's position. Present when the menu is horizontal.
`--radix-navigation-menu-indicator-translate-y`	The vertical offset of the indicator, computed from the active trigger's position. Present when the menu is vertical.

Viewport

An optional viewport element that is used to render active content outside of the list.

Prop	Type	Default
`asChild`	`boolean`	`false`
`forceMount`	`boolean`	—

Data attribute	Values
`[data-state]`	`"open" \| "closed"`
`[data-orientation]`	`"vertical" \| "horizontal"`

CSS Variable	Description
`--radix-navigation-menu-viewport-width`	The width of the viewport when visible/hidden, computed from the active content
`--radix-navigation-menu-viewport-height`	The height of the viewport when visible/hidden, computed from the active content

Examples

Vertical

You can create a vertical menu by using the orientation prop.

<NavigationMenu.Root orientation="vertical">
	<NavigationMenu.List>
		<NavigationMenu.Item>
			<NavigationMenu.Trigger>Item one</NavigationMenu.Trigger>
			<NavigationMenu.Content>Item one content</NavigationMenu.Content>
		</NavigationMenu.Item>
		<NavigationMenu.Item>
			<NavigationMenu.Trigger>Item two</NavigationMenu.Trigger>
			<NavigationMenu.Content>Item Two content</NavigationMenu.Content>
		</NavigationMenu.Item>
	</NavigationMenu.List>
</NavigationMenu.Root>

Use the Viewport part when you need extra control over where Content is rendered. This can be helpful when your design requires an adjusted DOM structure or if you need flexibility to achieve advanced animation. Tab focus will be maintained automatically.

<NavigationMenu.Root>
	<NavigationMenu.List>
		<NavigationMenu.Item>
			<NavigationMenu.Trigger>Item one</NavigationMenu.Trigger>
			<NavigationMenu.Content>Item one content</NavigationMenu.Content>
		</NavigationMenu.Item>
		<NavigationMenu.Item>
			<NavigationMenu.Trigger>Item two</NavigationMenu.Trigger>
			<NavigationMenu.Content>Item two content</NavigationMenu.Content>
		</NavigationMenu.Item>
	</NavigationMenu.List>

	{/* NavigationMenu.Content will be rendered here when active */}
	<NavigationMenu.Viewport />
</NavigationMenu.Root>

With indicator

You can use the optional Indicator part to highlight the currently active Trigger, this is useful when you want to provide an animated visual cue such as an arrow or highlight to accompany the Viewport.

// index.tsx
import { NavigationMenu } from "@radix-solid/primitives";
import "./styles.css";
export default () => <NavigationMenu.Root>
		<NavigationMenu.List>
			<NavigationMenu.Item>
				<NavigationMenu.Trigger>Item one</NavigationMenu.Trigger>
				<NavigationMenu.Content>Item one content</NavigationMenu.Content>
			</NavigationMenu.Item>
			<NavigationMenu.Item>
				<NavigationMenu.Trigger>Item two</NavigationMenu.Trigger>
				<NavigationMenu.Content>Item two content</NavigationMenu.Content>
			</NavigationMenu.Item>

			<NavigationMenu.Indicator class="NavigationMenuIndicator" />
		</NavigationMenu.List>

		<NavigationMenu.Viewport />
	</NavigationMenu.Root>;

/* styles.css */
.NavigationMenuIndicator {
	background-color: grey;
}
.NavigationMenuIndicator[data-orientation="horizontal"] {
	height: 3px;
	transition:
		width,
		transform,
		250ms ease;
}

With submenus

Create a submenu by nesting your NavigationMenu and using the Sub part in place of its Root. Submenus work differently to Root navigation menus and are similar to Tabs in that one item should always be active, so be sure to assign and set a defaultValue.

<NavigationMenu.Root>
	<NavigationMenu.List>
		<NavigationMenu.Item>
			<NavigationMenu.Trigger>Item one</NavigationMenu.Trigger>
			<NavigationMenu.Content>Item one content</NavigationMenu.Content>
		</NavigationMenu.Item>
		<NavigationMenu.Item>
			<NavigationMenu.Trigger>Item two</NavigationMenu.Trigger>
			<NavigationMenu.Content>
				<NavigationMenu.Sub defaultValue="sub1">
					<NavigationMenu.List>
						<NavigationMenu.Item value="sub1">
							<NavigationMenu.Trigger>Sub item one</NavigationMenu.Trigger>
							<NavigationMenu.Content>
								Sub item one content
							</NavigationMenu.Content>
						</NavigationMenu.Item>
						<NavigationMenu.Item value="sub2">
							<NavigationMenu.Trigger>Sub item two</NavigationMenu.Trigger>
							<NavigationMenu.Content>
								Sub item two content
							</NavigationMenu.Content>
						</NavigationMenu.Item>
					</NavigationMenu.List>
				</NavigationMenu.Sub>
			</NavigationMenu.Content>
		</NavigationMenu.Item>
	</NavigationMenu.List>
</NavigationMenu.Root>

With client side routing

If you need to use the Link component provided by your routing package then we recommend composing with NavigationMenu.Link via a custom component. This preserves accessibility and consistent keyboard control. The native example below accepts a reactive pathname from your router and marks the matching anchor as active; it does not depend on a framework-specific router. To compose a router's own link host, use a single-target asChild factory as described in the Composition guide.

import { NavigationMenu } from '@radix-solid/primitives';
import { omit, type ComponentProps } from 'solid-js';
type Props = Extract<ComponentProps<typeof NavigationMenu.Link>, {
  asChild?: false;
}> & {
  pathname: string;
};
export function Link(props: Props) {
  return <NavigationMenu.Link {...omit(props, 'pathname')} active={props.href === props.pathname} class="NavigationMenuLink" />;
}

/* styles.css */
.NavigationMenuLink {
	text-decoration: none;
}
.NavigationMenuLink[data-active] {
	text-decoration: "underline";
}

Advanced animation

We expose --radix-navigation-menu-viewport-[width|height] and data-motion['from-start'|'to-start'|'from-end'|'to-end'] attributes to allow you to animate Viewport size and Content position based on the enter/exit direction.

Combining these with position: absolute; allows you to create smooth overlapping animation effects when moving between items.

// index.tsx
import { NavigationMenu } from "@radix-solid/primitives";
import "./styles.css";
export default () => <NavigationMenu.Root>
		<NavigationMenu.List>
			<NavigationMenu.Item>
				<NavigationMenu.Trigger>Item one</NavigationMenu.Trigger>
				<NavigationMenu.Content class="NavigationMenuContent">
					Item one content
				</NavigationMenu.Content>
			</NavigationMenu.Item>
			<NavigationMenu.Item>
				<NavigationMenu.Trigger>Item two</NavigationMenu.Trigger>
				<NavigationMenu.Content class="NavigationMenuContent">
					Item two content
				</NavigationMenu.Content>
			</NavigationMenu.Item>
		</NavigationMenu.List>

		<NavigationMenu.Viewport class="NavigationMenuViewport" />
	</NavigationMenu.Root>;

/* styles.css */
.NavigationMenuContent {
	position: absolute;
	top: 0;
	left: 0;
	animation-duration: 250ms;
	animation-timing-function: ease;
}
.NavigationMenuContent[data-motion="from-start"] {
	animation-name: enterFromLeft;
}
.NavigationMenuContent[data-motion="from-end"] {
	animation-name: enterFromRight;
}
.NavigationMenuContent[data-motion="to-start"] {
	animation-name: exitToLeft;
}
.NavigationMenuContent[data-motion="to-end"] {
	animation-name: exitToRight;
}

.NavigationMenuViewport {
	position: relative;
	width: var(--radix-navigation-menu-viewport-width);
	height: var(--radix-navigation-menu-viewport-height);
	transition:
		width,
		height,
		250ms ease;
}

@keyframes enterFromRight {
	from {
		opacity: 0;
		transform: translateX(200px);
	}
	to {
		opacity: 1;
		transform: translateX(0);
	}
}

@keyframes enterFromLeft {
	from {
		opacity: 0;
		transform: translateX(-200px);
	}
	to {
		opacity: 1;
		transform: translateX(0);
	}
}

@keyframes exitToRight {
	from {
		opacity: 1;
		transform: translateX(0);
	}
	to {
		opacity: 0;
		transform: translateX(200px);
	}
}

@keyframes exitToLeft {
	from {
		opacity: 1;
		transform: translateX(0);
	}
	to {
		opacity: 0;
		transform: translateX(-200px);
	}
}

Accessibility

Adheres to the navigation role requirements.

Differences to menubar

NavigationMenu should not be confused with menubar, although this primitive shares the name menu in the colloquial sense to refer to a set of navigation links, it does not use the WAI-ARIA menu role. This is because menu and menubars behave like native operating system menus most commonly found in desktop application windows, as such they feature complex functionality like composite focus management and first-character navigation.

These features are often considered unnecessary for website navigation and at worst can confuse users who are familiar with established website patterns.

See the W3C Disclosure Navigation Menu example for more information.

Link usage and aria-current

It's important to use NavigationMenu.Link for all navigational links within a menu, this not only applies to the main list but also within any content rendered via NavigationMenu.Content. This will ensure consistent keyboard interactions and accessibility while also giving access to the active prop for setting aria-current and the active styles. See this example for more information on usage with third party routing components.

Keyboard Interactions

Key	Description
`SpaceEnter`	When focus is on `NavigationMenu.Trigger`, opens the content.
`Tab`	Moves focus to the next focusable element.
`ArrowDown`	When `horizontal` and focus is on an open `NavigationMenu.Trigger`, moves focus into `NavigationMenu.Content`. Moves focus to the next `NavigationMenu.Trigger` or `NavigationMenu.Link`.
`ArrowUp`	Moves focus to the previous `NavigationMenu.Trigger` or `NavigationMenu.Link`.
`ArrowRightArrowLeft`	When `vertical` and focus is on an open `NavigationMenu.Trigger`, moves focus into its `NavigationMenu.Content`. Moves focus to the next / previous `NavigationMenu.Trigger` or `NavigationMenu.Link`.
`HomeEnd`	Moves focus to the first/last `NavigationMenu.Trigger` or `NavigationMenu.Link`.
`Esc`	Closes open `NavigationMenu.Content` and moves focus to its `NavigationMenu.Trigger`.