web-component-design

SKILL.md

Web Component Design

Build reusable, maintainable UI components using modern frameworks with clean composition patterns and styling approaches.

When to Use This Skill

Designing reusable component libraries or design systems

Implementing complex component composition patterns

Choosing and applying CSS-in-JS solutions

Building accessible, responsive UI components

Creating consistent component APIs across a codebase

Refactoring legacy components into modern patterns

Implementing compound components or render props

Core Concepts

1. Component Composition Patterns

Compound Components: Related components that work together
// Usage
<Select value={value} onChange={setValue}>
  <Select.Trigger>Choose option</Select.Trigger>
  <Select.Options>
    <Select.Option value="a">Option A</Select.Option>
    <Select.Option value="b">Option B</Select.Option>
  </Select.Options>
</Select>

Render Props: Delegate rendering to parent

<DataFetcher url="/api/users">
  {({ data, loading, error }) =>
    loading ? <Spinner /> : <UserList users={data} />
  }
</DataFetcher>

Slots (Vue/Svelte): Named content injection points

<template>
  <Card>
    <template #header>Title</template>
    <template #content>Body text</template>
    <template #footer><Button>Action</Button></template>
  </Card>
</template>

2. CSS-in-JS Approaches

Solution
Approach
Best For

Tailwind CSS
Utility classes
Rapid prototyping, design systems

CSS Modules
Scoped CSS files
Existing CSS, gradual adoption

styled-components
Template literals
React, dynamic styling

Emotion
Object/template styles
Flexible, SSR-friendly

Vanilla Extract
Zero-runtime
Performance-critical apps

3. Component API Design

interface ButtonProps {
  variant?: "primary" | "secondary" | "ghost";
  size?: "sm" | "md" | "lg";
  isLoading?: boolean;
  isDisabled?: boolean;
  leftIcon?: React.ReactNode;
  rightIcon?: React.ReactNode;
  children: React.ReactNode;
  onClick?: () => void;
}

Principles:

Use semantic prop names (isLoading vs loading)

Provide sensible defaults

Support composition via children

Allow style overrides via className or style

Quick Start: React Component with Tailwind

import { forwardRef, type ComponentPropsWithoutRef } from "react";
import { cva, type VariantProps } from "class-variance-authority";
import { cn } from "@/lib/utils";

const buttonVariants = cva(
  "inline-flex items-center justify-center rounded-md font-medium transition-colors focus-visible:outline-none focus-visible:ring-2 disabled:pointer-events-none disabled:opacity-50",
  {
    variants: {
      variant: {
        primary: "bg-blue-600 text-white hover:bg-blue-700",
        secondary: "bg-gray-100 text-gray-900 hover:bg-gray-200",
        ghost: "hover:bg-gray-100 hover:text-gray-900",
      },
      size: {
        sm: "h-8 px-3 text-sm",
        md: "h-10 px-4 text-sm",
        lg: "h-12 px-6 text-base",
      },
    },
    defaultVariants: {
      variant: "primary",
      size: "md",
    },
  },
);

interface ButtonProps
  extends
    ComponentPropsWithoutRef<"button">,
    VariantProps<typeof buttonVariants> {
  isLoading?: boolean;
}

export const Button = forwardRef<HTMLButtonElement, ButtonProps>(
  ({ className, variant, size, isLoading, children, ...props }, ref) => (
    <button
      ref={ref}
      className={cn(buttonVariants({ variant, size }), className)}
      disabled={isLoading || props.disabled}
      {...props}
    >
      {isLoading && <Spinner className="mr-2 h-4 w-4" />}
      {children}
    </button>
  ),
);
Button.displayName = "Button";

Framework Patterns

React: Compound Components

import { createContext, useContext, useState, type ReactNode } from "react";

interface AccordionContextValue {
  openItems: Set<string>;
  toggle: (id: string) => void;
}

const AccordionContext = createContext<AccordionContextValue | null>(null);

function useAccordion() {
  const context = useContext(AccordionContext);
  if (!context) throw new Error("Must be used within Accordion");
  return context;
}

export function Accordion({ children }: { children: ReactNode }) {
  const [openItems, setOpenItems] = useState<Set<string>>(new Set());

  const toggle = (id: string) => {
    setOpenItems((prev) => {
      const next = new Set(prev);
      next.has(id) ? next.delete(id) : next.add(id);
      return next;
    });
  };

  return (
    <AccordionContext.Provider value={{ openItems, toggle }}>
      <div className="divide-y">{children}</div>
    </AccordionContext.Provider>
  );
}

Accordion.Item = function AccordionItem({
  id,
  title,
  children,
}: {
  id: string;
  title: string;
  children: ReactNode;
}) {
  const { openItems, toggle } = useAccordion();
  const isOpen = openItems.has(id);

  return (
    <div>
      <button onClick={() => toggle(id)} className="w-full text-left py-3">
        {title}
      </button>
      {isOpen && <div className="pb-3">{children}</div>}
    </div>
  );
};

Vue 3: Composables

<script setup lang="ts">
import { ref, computed, provide, inject, type InjectionKey } from "vue";

interface TabsContext {
  activeTab: Ref<string>;
  setActive: (id: string) => void;
}

const TabsKey: InjectionKey<TabsContext> = Symbol("tabs");

// Parent component
const activeTab = ref("tab-1");
provide(TabsKey, {
  activeTab,
  setActive: (id: string) => {
    activeTab.value = id;
  },
});

// Child component usage
const tabs = inject(TabsKey);
const isActive = computed(() => tabs?.activeTab.value === props.id);
</script>

Svelte 5: Runes

<script lang="ts">
  interface Props {
    variant?: 'primary' | 'secondary';
    size?: 'sm' | 'md' | 'lg';
    onclick?: () => void;
    children: import('svelte').Snippet;
  }

  let { variant = 'primary', size = 'md', onclick, children }: Props = $props();

  const classes = $derived(
    `btn btn-${variant} btn-${size}`
  );
</script>

<button class={classes} {onclick}>
  {@render children()}
</button>

Best Practices

Single Responsibility: Each component does one thing well

Prop Drilling Prevention: Use context for deeply nested data

Accessible by Default: Include ARIA attributes, keyboard support

Controlled vs Uncontrolled: Support both patterns when appropriate

Forward Refs: Allow parent access to DOM nodes

Memoization: Use React.memo, useMemo for expensive renders

Error Boundaries: Wrap components that may fail

Common Issues

Prop Explosion: Too many props - consider composition instead

Style Conflicts: Use scoped styles or CSS Modules

Re-render Cascades: Profile with React DevTools, memo appropriately

Accessibility Gaps: Test with screen readers and keyboard navigation

Bundle Size: Tree-shake unused component variants