Drawer

A drawer is a panel that slides in from an edge of the viewport, typically used for navigation menus, filters, or supplementary content. It overlays the main content and can be dismissed by the user. The component renders conditionally based on its open state and uses role="dialog" with aria-modal="true" for proper screen reader behavior.

The side prop indicates which edge the drawer enters from via a data-side attribute, allowing consumers to apply appropriate positioning and animation styles. The drawer supports keyboard dismissal with the Escape key and provides a tabindex="-1" to allow programmatic focus management.

Implementation Notes

• Conditionally renders a <div> with role="dialog" only when open is true
• Supports two-way binding on the open prop for two-way state binding
• Sets aria-modal="true" to indicate the drawer is a modal dialog
• Exposes data-side attribute for consumer CSS positioning (left, right, top, bottom)
• Sets tabindex="-1" to allow the drawer to receive focus programmatically
• Escape key handler sets open to false

Props

• open: boolean (default: false) -- whether the drawer is visible, two-way bindable via open
• label: string (required) -- accessible name for the drawer
• side: "left" | "right" | "top" | "bottom" (default: "left") -- which edge the drawer enters from
• children: slot (required) -- drawer content

Usage

Mobile navigation drawer sliding in from the left:

<button onclick={() => (navOpen = true)}>Menu</button>
<Drawer label="Main navigation" open={navOpen} side="left">
  <nav>
    <ul>
      <li><a href="/">Home</a></li>
      <li><a href="/services">Services</a></li>
      <li><a href="/contact">Contact</a></li>
    </ul>
  </nav>
  <button onclick={() => (navOpen = false)}>Close</button>
</Drawer>

Filter panel sliding in from the right:

<Drawer label="Search filters" open={showFilters} side="right">
  <form>
    <fieldset>
      <legend>Date range</legend>
      <input type="date" name="from" />
      <input type="date" name="to" />
    </fieldset>
    <button type="submit">Apply filters</button>
  </form>
</Drawer>

Keyboard Interactions

• Escape: closes the drawer by setting open to false

ARIA

• role="dialog" -- identifies the drawer as a dialog for assistive technology
• aria-label={label} -- provides an accessible name for the dialog
• aria-modal="true" -- indicates the drawer is modal, restricting interaction to its contents
• data-side={side} -- data attribute for consumer CSS styling based on drawer position

When to Use

• Use for a panel that slides in from the edge of the screen to show secondary content or navigation without leaving the page.
• Use for navigation menus, filters, or supplementary content that should overlay the main view temporarily.
• Use when the content is contextual and temporary, not a primary destination.
• Use for responsive layouts where side navigation collapses into a drawer on smaller screens.

When Not to Use

• Do not use for modal confirmations or urgent messages -- use Dialog or AlertDialog instead.
• Do not use for tooltip-style content -- use Popover instead.
• Do not use when the overlay should behave like a bottom sheet on mobile devices -- use Sheet instead.
• Do not use for persistent side navigation that should always be visible -- use Sidebar instead.

Headless

This headless component provides a <div> with role="dialog", aria-modal="true", accessible labeling via aria-label, a data-side attribute for positioning, keyboard dismissal via Escape, and two-way binding on open. The consumer provides all visual styling, animations, backdrop, and positioning CSS.

Styles

The consumer provides all CSS styling. The component renders with a .drawer class for targeting. No default styles are included — this is a fully headless component.

Testing

• Verify the component renders a <div> element with class drawer
• Verify role="dialog"` -- identifies the drawer as a dialog for assistive technology
• Verify aria-label={label}` -- provides an accessible name for the dialog
• Verify keyboard interactions work correctly
• Verify pass-through attributes are applied

Advice

• Designers: Include a visible close button and consider adding a semi-transparent backdrop to indicate the main content is temporarily inaccessible. Animate the slide-in transition for a smooth experience.
• Developers: Trap focus within the drawer when it is open and return focus to the trigger element on close. Use the data-side attribute to apply directional CSS transitions.

Related components

• sheet — a panel that slides in from a screen edge as an overlay
• slide-out-drawer — a drawer that slides out from the side of the page
• sidebar — a side panel for navigation or supplementary content

References

• WAI-ARIA Dialog Pattern: https://www.w3.org/WAI/ARIA/apg/patterns/dialog-modal/