rubicanjr/frontend-patterns

Frontend Development Patterns

Modern frontend patterns for React, Next.js, and performant user interfaces.

Component Patterns

Composition Over Inheritance

// ✅ GOOD: Component composition
interface CardProps {
  children: React.ReactNode
  variant?: 'default' | 'outlined'
}

export function Card({ children, variant = 'default' }: CardProps) {
  return <div className={`card card-${variant}`}>{children}</div>
}

export function CardHeader({ children }: { children: React.ReactNode }) {
  return <div className="card-header">{children}</div>
}

export function CardBody({ children }: { children: React.ReactNode }) {
  return <div className="card-body">{children}</div>
}

// Usage
<Card>
  <CardHeader>Title</CardHeader>
  <CardBody>Content</CardBody>
</Card>

Compound Components

interface TabsContextValue {
  activeTab: string
  setActiveTab: (tab: string) => void
}

const TabsContext = createContext<TabsContextValue | undefined>(undefined)

export function Tabs({ children, defaultTab }: {
  children: React.ReactNode
  defaultTab: string
}) {
  const [activeTab, setActiveTab] = useState(defaultTab)

  return (
    <TabsContext.Provider value={{ activeTab, setActiveTab }}>
      {children}
    </TabsContext.Provider>
  )
}

export function TabList({ children }: { children: React.ReactNode }) {
  return <div className="tab-list">{children}</div>
}

export function Tab({ id, children }: { id: string, children: React.ReactNode }) {
  const context = useContext(TabsContext)
  if (!context) throw new Error('Tab must be used within Tabs')

  return (
    <button
      className={context.activeTab === id ? 'active' : ''}
      onClick={() => context.setActiveTab(id)}
    >
      {children}
    </button>
  )
}

// Usage
<Tabs defaultTab="overview">
  <TabList>
    <Tab id="overview">Overview</Tab>
    <Tab id="details">Details</Tab>
  </TabList>
</Tabs>

Render Props Pattern

interface DataLoaderProps<T> {
  url: string
  children: (data: T | null, loading: boolean, error: Error | null) => React.ReactNode
}

export function DataLoader<T>({ url, children }: DataLoaderProps<T>) {
  const [data, setData] = useState<T | null>(null)
  const [loading, setLoading] = useState(true)
  const [error, setError] = useState<Error | null>(null)

  useEffect(() => {
    fetch(url)
      .then(res => res.json())
      .then(setData)
      .catch(setError)
      .finally(() => setLoading(false))
  }, [url])

  return <>{children(data, loading, error)}</>
}

// Usage
<DataLoader<Market[]> url="/api/markets">
  {(markets, loading, error) => {
    if (loading) return <Spinner />
    if (error) return <Error error={error} />
    return <MarketList markets={markets!} />
  }}
</DataLoader>

Custom Hooks Patterns

State Management Hook

export function useToggle(initialValue = false): [boolean, () => void] {
  const [value, setValue] = useState(initialValue)

  const toggle = useCallback(() => {
    setValue(v => !v)
  }, [])

  return [value, toggle]
}

// Usage
const [isOpen, toggleOpen] = useToggle()

Async Data Fetching Hook

interface UseQueryOptions<T> {
  onSuccess?: (data: T) => void
  onError?: (error: Error) => void
  enabled?: boolean
}

export function useQuery<T>(
  key: string,
  fetcher: () => Promise<T>,
  options?: UseQueryOptions<T>
) {
  const [data, setData] = useState<T | null>(null)
  const [error, setError] = useState<Error | null>(null)
  const [loading, setLoading] = useState(false)

  const refetch = useCallback(async () => {
    setLoading(true)
    setError(null)

    try {
      const result = await fetcher()
      setData(result)
      options?.onSuccess?.(result)
    } catch (err) {
      const error = err as Error
      setError(error)
      options?.onError?.(error)
    } finally {
      setLoading(false)
    }
  }, [fetcher, options])

  useEffect(() => {
    if (options?.enabled !== false) {
      refetch()
    }
  }, [key, refetch, options?.enabled])

  return { data, error, loading, refetch }
}

// Usage
const { data: markets, loading, error, refetch } = useQuery(
  'markets',
  () => fetch('/api/markets').then(r => r.json()),
  {
    onSuccess: data => console.log('Fetched', data.length, 'markets'),
    onError: err => console.error('Failed:', err)
  }
)

Debounce Hook

export function useDebounce<T>(value: T, delay: number): T {
  const [debouncedValue, setDebouncedValue] = useState<T>(value)

  useEffect(() => {
    const handler = setTimeout(() => {
      setDebouncedValue(value)
    }, delay)

    return () => clearTimeout(handler)
  }, [value, delay])

  return debouncedValue
}

// Usage
const [searchQuery, setSearchQuery] = useState('')
const debouncedQuery = useDebounce(searchQuery, 500)

useEffect(() => {
  if (debouncedQuery) {
    performSearch(debouncedQuery)
  }
}, [debouncedQuery])

State Management Patterns

Context + Reducer Pattern

interface State {
  markets: Market[]
  selectedMarket: Market | null
  loading: boolean
}

type Action =
  | { type: 'SET_MARKETS'; payload: Market[] }
  | { type: 'SELECT_MARKET'; payload: Market }
  | { type: 'SET_LOADING'; payload: boolean }

function reducer(state: State, action: Action): State {
  switch (action.type) {
    case 'SET_MARKETS':
      return { ...state, markets: action.payload }
    case 'SELECT_MARKET':
      return { ...state, selectedMarket: action.payload }
    case 'SET_LOADING':
      return { ...state, loading: action.payload }
    default:
      return state
  }
}

const MarketContext = createContext<{
  state: State
  dispatch: Dispatch<Action>
} | undefined>(undefined)

export function MarketProvider({ children }: { children: React.ReactNode }) {
  const [state, dispatch] = useReducer(reducer, {
    markets: [],
    selectedMarket: null,
    loading: false
  })

  return (
    <MarketContext.Provider value={{ state, dispatch }}>
      {children}
    </MarketContext.Provider>
  )
}

export function useMarkets() {
  const context = useContext(MarketContext)
  if (!context) throw new Error('useMarkets must be used within MarketProvider')
  return context
}

Performance Optimization

Memoization

// ✅ useMemo for expensive computations
const sortedMarkets = useMemo(() => {
  return markets.sort((a, b) => b.volume - a.volume)
}, [markets])

// ✅ useCallback for functions passed to children
const handleSearch = useCallback((query: string) => {
  setSearchQuery(query)
}, [])

// ✅ React.memo for pure components
export const MarketCard = React.memo<MarketCardProps>(({ market }) => {
  return (
    <div className="market-card">
      <h3>{market.name}</h3>
      <p>{market.description}</p>
    </div>
  )
})

Code Splitting & Lazy Loading

import { lazy, Suspense } from 'react'

// ✅ Lazy load heavy components
const HeavyChart = lazy(() => import('./HeavyChart'))
const ThreeJsBackground = lazy(() => import('./ThreeJsBackground'))

export function Dashboard() {
  return (
    <div>
      <Suspense fallback={<ChartSkeleton />}>
        <HeavyChart data={data} />
      </Suspense>

      <Suspense fallback={null}>
        <ThreeJsBackground />
      </Suspense>
    </div>
  )
}

Virtualization for Long Lists

import { useVirtualizer } from '@tanstack/react-virtual'

export function VirtualMarketList({ markets }: { markets: Market[] }) {
  const parentRef = useRef<HTMLDivElement>(null)

  const virtualizer = useVirtualizer({
    count: markets.length,
    getScrollElement: () => parentRef.current,
    estimateSize: () => 100,  // Estimated row height
    overscan: 5  // Extra items to render
  })

  return (
    <div ref={parentRef} style={{ height: '600px', overflow: 'auto' }}>
      <div
        style={{
          height: `${virtualizer.getTotalSize()}px`,
          position: 'relative'
        }}
      >
        {virtualizer.getVirtualItems().map(virtualRow => (
          <div
            key={virtualRow.index}
            style={{
              position: 'absolute',
              top: 0,
              left: 0,
              width: '100%',
              height: `${virtualRow.size}px`,
              transform: `translateY(${virtualRow.start}px)`
            }}
          >
            <MarketCard market={markets[virtualRow.index]} />
          </div>
        ))}
      </div>
    </div>
  )
}

Form Handling Patterns

Controlled Form with Validation

interface FormData {
  name: string
  description: string
  endDate: string
}

interface FormErrors {
  name?: string
  description?: string
  endDate?: string
}

export function CreateMarketForm() {
  const [formData, setFormData] = useState<FormData>({
    name: '',
    description: '',
    endDate: ''
  })

  const [errors, setErrors] = useState<FormErrors>({})

  const validate = (): boolean => {
    const newErrors: FormErrors = {}

    if (!formData.name.trim()) {
      newErrors.name = 'Name is required'
    } else if (formData.name.length > 200) {
      newErrors.name = 'Name must be under 200 characters'
    }

    if (!formData.description.trim()) {
      newErrors.description = 'Description is required'
    }

    if (!formData.endDate) {
      newErrors.endDate = 'End date is required'
    }

    setErrors(newErrors)
    return Object.keys(newErrors).length === 0
  }

  const handleSubmit = async (e: React.FormEvent) => {
    e.preventDefault()

    if (!validate()) return

    try {
      await createMarket(formData)
      // Success handling
    } catch (error) {
      // Error handling
    }
  }

  return (
    <form onSubmit={handleSubmit}>
      <input
        value={formData.name}
        onChange={e => setFormData(prev => ({ ...prev, name: e.target.value }))}
        placeholder="Market name"
      />
      {errors.name && <span className="error">{errors.name}</span>}

      {/* Other fields */}

      <button type="submit">Create Market</button>
    </form>
  )
}

Error Boundary Pattern

interface ErrorBoundaryState {
  hasError: boolean
  error: Error | null
}

export class ErrorBoundary extends React.Component<
  { children: React.ReactNode },
  ErrorBoundaryState
> {
  state: ErrorBoundaryState = {
    hasError: false,
    error: null
  }

  static getDerivedStateFromError(error: Error): ErrorBoundaryState {
    return { hasError: true, error }
  }

  componentDidCatch(error: Error, errorInfo: React.ErrorInfo) {
    console.error('Error boundary caught:', error, errorInfo)
  }

  render() {
    if (this.state.hasError) {
      return (
        <div className="error-fallback">
          <h2>Something went wrong</h2>
          <p>{this.state.error?.message}</p>
          <button onClick={() => this.setState({ hasError: false })}>
            Try again
          </button>
        </div>
      )
    }

    return this.props.children
  }
}

// Usage
<ErrorBoundary>
  <App />
</ErrorBoundary>

Animation Patterns

Framer Motion Animations

import { motion, AnimatePresence } from 'framer-motion'

// ✅ List animations
export function AnimatedMarketList({ markets }: { markets: Market[] }) {
  return (
    <AnimatePresence>
      {markets.map(market => (
        <motion.div
          key={market.id}
          initial={{ opacity: 0, y: 20 }}
          animate={{ opacity: 1, y: 0 }}
          exit={{ opacity: 0, y: -20 }}
          transition={{ duration: 0.3 }}
        >
          <MarketCard market={market} />
        </motion.div>
      ))}
    </AnimatePresence>
  )
}

// ✅ Modal animations
export function Modal({ isOpen, onClose, children }: ModalProps) {
  return (
    <AnimatePresence>
      {isOpen && (
        <>
          <motion.div
            className="modal-overlay"
            initial={{ opacity: 0 }}
            animate={{ opacity: 1 }}
            exit={{ opacity: 0 }}
            onClick={onClose}
          />
          <motion.div
            className="modal-content"
            initial={{ opacity: 0, scale: 0.9, y: 20 }}
            animate={{ opacity: 1, scale: 1, y: 0 }}
            exit={{ opacity: 0, scale: 0.9, y: 20 }}
          >
            {children}
          </motion.div>
        </>
      )}
    </AnimatePresence>
  )
}

Accessibility Patterns

Keyboard Navigation

export function Dropdown({ options, onSelect }: DropdownProps) {
  const [isOpen, setIsOpen] = useState(false)
  const [activeIndex, setActiveIndex] = useState(0)

  const handleKeyDown = (e: React.KeyboardEvent) => {
    switch (e.key) {
      case 'ArrowDown':
        e.preventDefault()
        setActiveIndex(i => Math.min(i + 1, options.length - 1))
        break
      case 'ArrowUp':
        e.preventDefault()
        setActiveIndex(i => Math.max(i - 1, 0))
        break
      case 'Enter':
        e.preventDefault()
        onSelect(options[activeIndex])
        setIsOpen(false)
        break
      case 'Escape':
        setIsOpen(false)
        break
    }
  }

  return (
    <div
      role="combobox"
      aria-expanded={isOpen}
      aria-haspopup="listbox"
      onKeyDown={handleKeyDown}
    >
      {/* Dropdown implementation */}
    </div>
  )
}

Focus Management

export function Modal({ isOpen, onClose, children }: ModalProps) {
  const modalRef = useRef<HTMLDivElement>(null)
  const previousFocusRef = useRef<HTMLElement | null>(null)

  useEffect(() => {
    if (isOpen) {
      // Save currently focused element
      previousFocusRef.current = document.activeElement as HTMLElement

      // Focus modal
      modalRef.current?.focus()
    } else {
      // Restore focus when closing
      previousFocusRef.current?.focus()
    }
  }, [isOpen])

  return isOpen ? (
    <div
      ref={modalRef}
      role="dialog"
      aria-modal="true"
      tabIndex={-1}
      onKeyDown={e => e.key === 'Escape' && onClose()}
    >
      {children}
    </div>
  ) : null
}

Design System Tokens

Foundation — CSS Custom Properties

:root {
  /* Color — semantic naming, not "blue-500" */
  --color-surface: #ffffff;
  --color-surface-raised: #f8fafc;
  --color-surface-sunken: #f1f5f9;
  --color-border: #e2e8f0;
  --color-border-strong: #cbd5e1;
  --color-text: #0f172a;
  --color-text-secondary: #475569;
  --color-text-muted: #94a3b8;
  --color-primary: #2563eb;
  --color-primary-hover: #1d4ed8;
  --color-primary-subtle: #eff6ff;
  --color-danger: #dc2626;
  --color-danger-subtle: #fef2f2;
  --color-success: #16a34a;
  --color-success-subtle: #f0fdf4;
  --color-warning: #d97706;

  /* Spacing — 4px base, t-shirt sizes */
  --space-1: 0.25rem;   /* 4px */
  --space-2: 0.5rem;    /* 8px */
  --space-3: 0.75rem;   /* 12px */
  --space-4: 1rem;      /* 16px */
  --space-6: 1.5rem;    /* 24px */
  --space-8: 2rem;      /* 32px */
  --space-12: 3rem;     /* 48px */
  --space-16: 4rem;     /* 64px */

  /* Typography */
  --font-sans: 'Inter', -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, system-ui, sans-serif;
  --font-mono: 'JetBrains Mono', 'Fira Code', ui-monospace, monospace;
  --text-xs: 0.75rem;
  --text-sm: 0.875rem;
  --text-base: 1rem;
  --text-lg: 1.125rem;
  --text-xl: 1.25rem;
  --text-2xl: 1.5rem;
  --text-3xl: 1.875rem;
  --leading-tight: 1.25;
  --leading-normal: 1.5;
  --leading-relaxed: 1.625;

  /* Radius */
  --radius-sm: 0.25rem;
  --radius-md: 0.375rem;
  --radius-lg: 0.5rem;
  --radius-xl: 0.75rem;
  --radius-full: 9999px;

  /* Shadow — depth levels */
  --shadow-sm: 0 1px 2px 0 rgb(0 0 0 / 0.05);
  --shadow-md: 0 4px 6px -1px rgb(0 0 0 / 0.1), 0 2px 4px -2px rgb(0 0 0 / 0.1);
  --shadow-lg: 0 10px 15px -3px rgb(0 0 0 / 0.1), 0 4px 6px -4px rgb(0 0 0 / 0.1);
  --shadow-focus: 0 0 0 3px rgb(37 99 235 / 0.2);

  /* Transitions */
  --duration-fast: 100ms;
  --duration-normal: 200ms;
  --duration-slow: 300ms;
  --ease-out: cubic-bezier(0.16, 1, 0.3, 1);
}

[data-theme="dark"] {
  --color-surface: #0f172a;
  --color-surface-raised: #1e293b;
  --color-surface-sunken: #020617;
  --color-border: #334155;
  --color-border-strong: #475569;
  --color-text: #f1f5f9;
  --color-text-secondary: #94a3b8;
  --color-text-muted: #64748b;
  --color-primary: #3b82f6;
  --color-primary-hover: #60a5fa;
  --color-primary-subtle: #172554;
  --color-danger-subtle: #450a0a;
  --color-success-subtle: #052e16;
}

Responsive Breakpoints

/* mobile-first: base → sm → md → lg → xl */
/* 640px  → sm  (landscape phone)  */
/* 768px  → md  (tablet)           */
/* 1024px → lg  (laptop)           */
/* 1280px → xl  (desktop)          */
/* 1536px → 2xl (wide)             */

.grid-auto {
  display: grid;
  gap: var(--space-4);
  grid-template-columns: 1fr;
}
@media (min-width: 640px)  { .grid-auto { grid-template-columns: repeat(2, 1fr); } }
@media (min-width: 1024px) { .grid-auto { grid-template-columns: repeat(3, 1fr); } }
@media (min-width: 1280px) { .grid-auto { grid-template-columns: repeat(4, 1fr); } }

Interactive States

/* focus-visible > focus — keyboard only, not mouse clicks */
.btn:focus-visible {
  outline: 2px solid var(--color-primary);
  outline-offset: 2px;
}

/* minimum 44x44px touch target */
.btn {
  min-height: 44px;
  min-width: 44px;
  padding: var(--space-2) var(--space-4);
  transition: all var(--duration-normal) var(--ease-out);
}

/* disabled state — opacity, not color change */
.btn:disabled {
  opacity: 0.5;
  cursor: not-allowed;
  pointer-events: none;
}

Next.js App Router

Server Components (default)

// app/dashboard/page.tsx — server component by default
// DB query here, no "use client", no useState, no useEffect

import { db } from '@/lib/db'

export default async function DashboardPage() {
  const stats = await db.query.stats.findMany()

  return (
    <div>
      <h1>Dashboard</h1>
      <StatGrid stats={stats} />
      <Suspense fallback={<TableSkeleton rows={10} />}>
        <RecentActivity />
      </Suspense>
    </div>
  )
}

// async child — streams in when ready
async function RecentActivity() {
  const activity = await db.query.activity.findMany({
    orderBy: (a, { desc }) => [desc(a.createdAt)],
    limit: 20,
  })
  return <ActivityTable rows={activity} />
}

Client Components — only when needed

'use client'

// push "use client" as LOW as possible in the tree
// wrong: entire page is client
// right: only the interactive widget

import { useState, useTransition } from 'react'

export function SearchFilter({ onSearch }: { onSearch: (q: string) => void }) {
  const [query, setQuery] = useState('')
  const [isPending, startTransition] = useTransition()

  return (
    <input
      value={query}
      onChange={e => {
        setQuery(e.target.value)
        startTransition(() => onSearch(e.target.value))
      }}
      placeholder="Search..."
      aria-label="Search"
      className={isPending ? 'opacity-60' : ''}
    />
  )
}

Server Actions

// app/actions.ts
'use server'

import { revalidatePath } from 'next/cache'
import { redirect } from 'next/navigation'
import { z } from 'zod'

const CreateTaskSchema = z.object({
  title: z.string().min(1).max(200),
  description: z.string().max(2000).optional(),
  priority: z.enum(['low', 'medium', 'high']),
})

export async function createTask(formData: FormData) {
  const parsed = CreateTaskSchema.safeParse({
    title: formData.get('title'),
    description: formData.get('description'),
    priority: formData.get('priority'),
  })

  if (!parsed.success) {
    return { error: parsed.error.flatten().fieldErrors }
  }

  await db.insert(tasks).values(parsed.data)
  revalidatePath('/tasks')
  redirect('/tasks')
}

Parallel Routes + Loading

app/
  dashboard/
    @stats/
      page.tsx         ← parallel: stats panel
      loading.tsx      ← skeleton while stats load
    @activity/
      page.tsx         ← parallel: activity feed
      loading.tsx
    layout.tsx         ← renders both slots
    page.tsx

// app/dashboard/layout.tsx
export default function DashboardLayout({
  children,
  stats,
  activity,
}: {
  children: React.ReactNode
  stats: React.ReactNode
  activity: React.ReactNode
}) {
  return (
    <div className="grid grid-cols-1 lg:grid-cols-[1fr_320px] gap-6">
      <div>
        {children}
        {activity}
      </div>
      <aside>{stats}</aside>
    </div>
  )
}

Route Handlers

// app/api/tasks/route.ts
import { NextRequest, NextResponse } from 'next/server'

export async function GET(request: NextRequest) {
  const { searchParams } = request.nextUrl
  const page = parseInt(searchParams.get('page') ?? '1', 10)
  const limit = Math.min(parseInt(searchParams.get('limit') ?? '20', 10), 100)

  const tasks = await db.query.tasks.findMany({
    offset: (page - 1) * limit,
    limit,
    orderBy: (t, { desc }) => [desc(t.createdAt)],
  })

  return NextResponse.json({
    data: tasks,
    meta: { page, limit, total: await db.select({ count: count() }).from(tasks) },
  })
}

export async function POST(request: NextRequest) {
  const body = await request.json()
  // validate with zod, then insert
}

Frontend Testing

Component Testing — React Testing Library

import { render, screen, waitFor } from '@testing-library/react'
import userEvent from '@testing-library/user-event'
import { TaskForm } from './TaskForm'

describe('TaskForm', () => {
  const user = userEvent.setup()

  it('submits with valid data', async () => {
    const onSubmit = vi.fn()
    render(<TaskForm onSubmit={onSubmit} />)

    await user.type(screen.getByLabelText(/title/i), 'Fix login bug')
    await user.selectOptions(screen.getByLabelText(/priority/i), 'high')
    await user.click(screen.getByRole('button', { name: /create/i }))

    expect(onSubmit).toHaveBeenCalledWith({
      title: 'Fix login bug',
      priority: 'high',
    })
  })

  it('shows validation error on empty title', async () => {
    render(<TaskForm onSubmit={vi.fn()} />)

    await user.click(screen.getByRole('button', { name: /create/i }))

    expect(screen.getByText(/title is required/i)).toBeInTheDocument()
  })

  it('disables submit while loading', async () => {
    render(<TaskForm onSubmit={() => new Promise(() => {})} />)

    await user.type(screen.getByLabelText(/title/i), 'Test')
    await user.click(screen.getByRole('button', { name: /create/i }))

    expect(screen.getByRole('button', { name: /create/i })).toBeDisabled()
  })
})

Hook Testing

import { renderHook, act } from '@testing-library/react'
import { useDebounce } from './useDebounce'

describe('useDebounce', () => {
  beforeEach(() => vi.useFakeTimers())
  afterEach(() => vi.useRealTimers())

  it('returns initial value immediately', () => {
    const { result } = renderHook(() => useDebounce('hello', 500))
    expect(result.current).toBe('hello')
  })

  it('debounces value changes', () => {
    const { result, rerender } = renderHook(
      ({ value, delay }) => useDebounce(value, delay),
      { initialProps: { value: 'hello', delay: 500 } }
    )

    rerender({ value: 'world', delay: 500 })
    expect(result.current).toBe('hello')

    act(() => vi.advanceTimersByTime(500))
    expect(result.current).toBe('world')
  })
})

API Mocking — MSW

import { http, HttpResponse } from 'msw'
import { setupServer } from 'msw/node'

const handlers = [
  http.get('/api/tasks', () => {
    return HttpResponse.json({
      data: [
        { id: '1', title: 'Task 1', priority: 'high' },
        { id: '2', title: 'Task 2', priority: 'low' },
      ],
      meta: { total: 2, page: 1 },
    })
  }),
  http.post('/api/tasks', async ({ request }) => {
    const body = await request.json()
    return HttpResponse.json({ id: '3', ...body }, { status: 201 })
  }),
]

const server = setupServer(...handlers)

beforeAll(() => server.listen())
afterEach(() => server.resetHandlers())
afterAll(() => server.close())

it('renders task list from API', async () => {
  render(<TaskList />)

  expect(await screen.findByText('Task 1')).toBeInTheDocument()
  expect(screen.getByText('Task 2')).toBeInTheDocument()
})

it('handles API error', async () => {
  server.use(
    http.get('/api/tasks', () => HttpResponse.json(null, { status: 500 }))
  )

  render(<TaskList />)
  expect(await screen.findByText(/something went wrong/i)).toBeInTheDocument()
})

Snapshot-Free Testing

// snapshots break on every CSS change — test behavior instead
// WRONG: expect(component).toMatchSnapshot()

// RIGHT: test what the user sees and does
it('shows empty state when no tasks', () => {
  render(<TaskList tasks={[]} />)
  expect(screen.getByText(/no tasks yet/i)).toBeInTheDocument()
  expect(screen.getByRole('link', { name: /create/i })).toHaveAttribute('href', '/tasks/new')
})

Tailwind Patterns

cn() Utility — merge conditional classes

// lib/utils.ts
import { type ClassValue, clsx } from 'clsx'
import { twMerge } from 'tailwind-merge'

export function cn(...inputs: ClassValue[]) {
  return twMerge(clsx(inputs))
}

// usage
<div className={cn(
  'rounded-lg border p-4',
  variant === 'danger' && 'border-red-300 bg-red-50',
  variant === 'success' && 'border-green-300 bg-green-50',
  className
)} />

Responsive Layout

// mobile-first: stack → 2col → 3col
<div className="grid grid-cols-1 gap-4 sm:grid-cols-2 lg:grid-cols-3">
  {items.map(item => <Card key={item.id} {...item} />)}
</div>

// sidebar layout: full-width mobile, sidebar on desktop
<div className="flex flex-col lg:flex-row lg:gap-8">
  <main className="flex-1 min-w-0">{children}</main>
  <aside className="w-full lg:w-80 lg:shrink-0">{sidebar}</aside>
</div>

Component Variants — cva

import { cva, type VariantProps } from 'class-variance-authority'

const buttonVariants = cva(
  'inline-flex items-center justify-center rounded-md text-sm font-medium transition-colors focus-visible:outline-none focus-visible:ring-2 focus-visible:ring-offset-2 disabled:pointer-events-none disabled:opacity-50',
  {
    variants: {
      variant: {
        default: 'bg-blue-600 text-white hover:bg-blue-700',
        outline: 'border border-gray-300 bg-white hover:bg-gray-50',
        ghost: 'hover:bg-gray-100',
        danger: 'bg-red-600 text-white hover:bg-red-700',
      },
      size: {
        sm: 'h-8 px-3 text-xs',
        md: 'h-10 px-4',
        lg: 'h-12 px-6 text-base',
      },
    },
    defaultVariants: {
      variant: 'default',
      size: 'md',
    },
  }
)

interface ButtonProps
  extends React.ButtonHTMLAttributes<HTMLButtonElement>,
    VariantProps<typeof buttonVariants> {}

export function Button({ variant, size, className, ...props }: ButtonProps) {
  return <button className={cn(buttonVariants({ variant, size }), className)} {...props} />
}

Dark Mode

// tailwind.config.ts
export default {
  darkMode: 'class',
  // ...
}

// toggle
<button onClick={() => document.documentElement.classList.toggle('dark')}>
  Toggle
</button>

// usage — always pair light/dark
<div className="bg-white dark:bg-gray-900 text-gray-900 dark:text-gray-100">
  <p className="text-gray-600 dark:text-gray-400">Secondary text</p>
</div>

Tailwind Anti-Patterns

// WRONG: string interpolation — Tailwind can't detect at build time
<div className={`text-${color}-500`} />

// RIGHT: map to full class names
const colorMap = {
  red: 'text-red-500',
  blue: 'text-blue-500',
  green: 'text-green-500',
} as const
<div className={colorMap[color]} />

// WRONG: @apply everywhere — defeats the purpose
// RIGHT: @apply only in base layer for truly repeated patterns
@layer base {
  h1 { @apply text-3xl font-bold tracking-tight; }
}

// WRONG: arbitrary values for things that should be tokens
<div className="p-[13px] text-[#3b82f6]" />

// RIGHT: extend theme if you need custom values
// tailwind.config.ts → theme.extend.spacing / colors