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An Unstyled Svelte Component Library

About

drab focuses on providing JavaScript functionality where it’s most useful. Many of the components are helpful wrappers around browser APIs. Here are some of the features of the library.

  • Components are minimal in size, currently drab has one dependency–Svelte
  • Whenever possible, components are progressively enhanced or provide a fallback noscript message
  • Transitions are disabled for users who prefer reduced motion
  • All components support server side rendering–they will not break your application depending on your rendering preferences

This library takes a more opinionated approach compared to some headless UI libraries by providing the basic HTML structure for every component, as well as default positioning for elements like the sheet. However, these components can still be further customized using styles, slots, and slot props.

Install

If you haven’t used Svelte before, start with the tutorial. drab works anywhere Svelte does.

npm i -D drab

Documentation

The library provides inline documentation for each component using JSDoc, allowing you to conveniently access the documentation by hovering over the component in your text editor after importing it. Additionally, every prop is documented using JSDoc and TypeScript. By hovering over a prop, you can retrieve its type and description.

Other UI Libraries

drab is a collection of useful components, not a complete UI kit. If drab isn’t what you are looking for, here are some other libraries to check out.

Styling

Components without styles can appear rather drab. You have the freedom to bring your own styles to these components. Using unstyled components allows you to selectively choose what you need and avoid being tied to any specific library.

To style the markup provided by the components, you can make use of global styles. Each component exports class and id props that can be leveraged for this purpose. This process can be expedited by utilizing CSS frameworks like TailwindCSS. Tailwind generates a global stylesheet based on the utility classes used in your project. The examples in this documentation are styled with Tailwind with the uico and typography plugins. Tailwind does not have to be used with this library.

Stylesheet

Here’s a SvelteKit example using CSS imported in a layout. By using a layout, these styles can be accessed anywhere.

/* src/app.css */
.button {
    border-radius: 5px;
    background-color: black;
    padding: 5px;
    color: white;
}

<!-- src/routes/+layout.svelte -->
<script>
    import "../app.css";
</script>

<slot />

<!-- src/routes/+page.svelte -->
<script>
    import { FullscreenButton } from "drab";
</script>

<FullscreenButton class="button" />

Global modifier

Alternatively, the :global() modifier can be used instead of a separate stylesheet.

<!-- src/routes/+page.svelte -->
<script>
    import { FullscreenButton } from "drab";
</script>

<FullscreenButton class="button" />

<style>
    :global(.button) {
        border-radius: 5px;
        background-color: black;
        padding: 5px;
        color: white;
    }
</style>

Contributing

Find an bug or have an idea? Feel free to create an issue on GitHub. drab is meant to house all kinds of components including ones outside of the standard UI elements.

Currently, drab has only one dependency - Svelte. Not to say it will never have another, but please consider this when proposing additional functionality. drab is meant to make the most of what Svelte and the web platform provide.

Since this is an unstyled library, simple components like a badge that can be easily created with HTML and CSS are not included.

Local Development

Contribute to the project, or use drab as a template for another component library. This library is built with SvelteKit, and TypeScript. The package contents are located in src/lib, the site is contained within src/routes and src/site. If you are using this project as a template, be sure to update the adapter based on how you deploy.

Make changes

  1. Clone the repository
  2. bun i
  3. bun run dev

Add or edit a component

  1. Add or edit the component in src/lib/components/Component.svelte - if you’re adding a new one, copy and paste an existing one to get started with the conventions
  2. Add or edit the example in src/routes/docs/Component/+page.svelte
  3. Document the component with an @component comment, include a description, and the @slots available. Add a placeholder @props and @example to the comment. These sections will be generated based on the JSDoc comment above each prop and the example route upon running bun doc
  4. If new, add the link to src/site/components/NavItems.svelte
  5. Run bun package to verify your build