NavItem
Navigation item populates sidebar navigation with links. Every item should be placed inside a navigation group.
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Properties
| Property | Attribute | Description | Type | Default |
|---|---|---|---|---|
active | active | Used for indicating the current page. This gives a prominent background to the nav item, and marks the item as the current page for assistive technology. | boolean | false |
icon | icon | The name of an icon from Nordicons to display for the nav item. | string | undefined | — |
href | href | The url the nav item should link to. Note: this is not used if you have nested navigation using the "subnav" slot. | string | undefined | — |
badge | badge | Allows you to add a notification badge with a number next to the nav item. | string | undefined | — |
open | open | When the nav items contains a subnav, controls whether the section is expanded or not. Note: this is only used if you have nested navigation using the "subnav" slot. | boolean | false |
Slots
| Slot name | Description |
|---|---|
Default slot | The default slot used for the nav item's text. |
icon | Slot for a custom leading icon element. Use when the `icon` attribute isn't enough — for example, an icon wrapped in a styled badge or circular frame. When set, it takes priority over the `icon` attribute and is shown in both the expanded nav and the collapsed rail. |
end | Trailing content rendered after the label inside the item's flex row. The slotted element flows naturally — it claims its real width and the label flex-shrinks to make room. Use for a custom badge, count pill, action icon, etc. when the `badge` attribute's plain text isn't enough. |
subnav | Used for nesting navigation. When used the nav-item becomes a button to collapse the subnav, rather than a link. |
rail-tooltip | Full content of the rail-mode tooltip. When provided, it replaces the default label projection — write the tooltip's content directly (label + count + keyboard shortcut etc., bound to whatever reactive state you like). When absent, the tooltip falls back to the item's default-slot label. Only rendered in rail mode. |
Methods
| Method name | Parameters | Description |
|---|---|---|
focus(options?: FocusOptions) => void | options: An object which controls aspects of the focusing process. | Programmatically move focus to the component. |
blur() => void | N/A | Programmatically remove focus from the component. |
click() => void | N/A | Programmatically simulates a click on the component. |
| Event | Detail Type | Description |
|---|---|---|
toggle | NordEvent | Dispatched whenever a nav item's state changes between open and closed. |
activate | NordEvent | Dispatched whenever a nav item has been marked as active |
CSS Properties
CSS Custom Properties provide more fine grain control over component presentation. We advise utilizing existing properties on the component before using these.
| Property | Description | Default |
|---|---|---|
--n-nav-item-color | Text color in the default state. | var(--n-color-text-weak) |
--n-nav-item-background | Background color in the default state. | transparent |
--n-nav-item-border-radius | Border radius of the item and its active-parent overlay. | var(--n-border-radius-s) |
--n-nav-item-padding-block | Block-axis (top/bottom) padding. | var(--n-space-s) |
--n-nav-item-padding-inline | Inline-axis (start/end) padding. | var(--n-space-s) |
--n-nav-item-line-height | Line height of the item's text. | var(--n-line-height-tight) |
--n-nav-item-icon-gap | Inline gap between the leading icon (the icon attribute or icon slot) and the item's text. | calc(var(--n-space-s) * 1.4) |
--n-nav-item-color-hover | Text color on hover. | var(--n-color-text) |
--n-nav-item-background-hover | Background color on hover. | var(--n-color-nav-hover) |
--n-nav-item-color-active | Text color when the item is active. | var(--n-color-text-on-accent) |
--n-nav-item-background-active | Background color when the item is active. | var(--n-color-accent) |
--n-nav-item-color-expanded | Text color when the item is an active parent (its subnav is expanded). | var(--n-color-text-weak) |
--n-nav-item-background-expanded | Background color of the overlay drawn behind an active-parent item. | var(--n-color-accent) |
--n-nav-item-expanded-overlay-opacity | Opacity of the active-parent overlay. Set to 1 for a solid background. | 0.12 |
--n-nav-item-expanded-overlay-filter | Filter applied to the active-parent overlay. Set to none to disable. | brightness(150%) |
--n-rail-flyout-background | Background colour of the rail-mode subnav flyout container. | var(--n-color-surface) |
--n-rail-flyout-box-shadow | Box-shadow of the rail-mode subnav flyout container. | var(--n-box-shadow-popout) |
--n-rail-flyout-min-inline-size | Minimum inline size (width in LTR) of the rail-mode subnav flyout body. | 220px |
--n-rail-flyout-padding | Padding of the rail-mode subnav flyout body. | var(--n-space-s) |
--n-rail-flyout-offset-inline | Extra inline-axis offset applied to the rail flyout (positive values push it away from the rail in LTR; mirrored in RTL). | 0 |
--n-rail-flyout-offset-block | Extra block-axis offset applied to the rail flyout (positive values push it downward). | 0 |
--n-rail-subnav-indicator-color | Colour of the small triangle indicator drawn in the bottom-inline-end corner of rail items that have a subnav (default + hover state). | var(--n-color-border-strong) |
--n-rail-subnav-indicator-color-active | Colour of the triangle indicator while the item's flyout popout is open. | var(--n-color-border-hover) |
--n-nav-badge-background | Background colour of the built-in badge attribute pill (.n-nav-badge). | var(--n-color-status-notification) |
--n-nav-badge-color | Text colour of the built-in badge attribute pill. | #fff |
--n-nav-badge-font-size | Font size of the built-in badge attribute pill. | var(--n-font-size-xs) |
--n-nav-badge-font-weight | Font weight of the built-in badge attribute pill. | var(--n-font-weight) |
--n-nav-badge-line-height | Line height of the built-in badge attribute pill. Combined with --n-nav-badge-padding-block this controls the pill's effective block size. | 1 |
--n-nav-badge-padding-block | Block-axis padding of the built-in badge attribute pill. | var(--n-space-xs) |
--n-nav-badge-padding-inline | Inline-axis padding of the built-in badge attribute pill. | calc(var(--n-space-s) / 2) |
--n-nav-badge-border-radius | Border radius of the built-in badge attribute pill. | var(--n-border-radius-pill) |
--n-nav-badge-min-inline-size | Minimum inline size (width in LTR) of the built-in badge attribute pill — sets a visual floor for single-digit counts. | 20px |
--n-nav-badge-margin-inline-start | Inline-start margin separating the badge from the preceding label inside the nav-item's flex row. | var(--n-space-xs) |
--n-rail-badge-size | Diameter of the rail-mode dot the badge collapses into when the layout is in collapse-mode="rail" and not nav-open. | 5px |
Dependencies
This component is internally dependent on the following components:
- <nord-popout>
Popout
Popouts are small overlays that open on demand. They let users access additional content and actions without cluttering the page.
- <nord-tooltip>
Tooltip
Tooltips are floating containers for displaying additional information for the currently focused element. A tooltip can be useful when you want to e.g. give a hint about an existing Command Menu shortcut.
Usage
This section includes guidelines for designers and developers about the usage of this component in different contexts.
Do
- Group navigation items into navigation groups based on related categories.
- Use group headings to clarify the category of a section.
- Use icons for all top level navigation items.
Don’t
- Don’t use navigation item outside of navigation group and navigation components.
Content guidelines
When writing navigation item labels, always write them in sentence case, not title case. The first word should be capitalized and the rest lowercase (unless a proper noun):
My tasks
My Tasks
Avoid unnecessary words and articles in item labels, such as “the”, “an” or “a”:
Change theme
Change the theme
Avoid ending item labels in punctuation:
Switch user
Switch user.
Use as few words as possible to describe each item label:
Payments
Payments in your clinic
Avoid all caps for item labels and group titles:
Dashboard
DASHBOARD
Integration
For integration guidelines, please see Web Components documentation .