BackchannelUI
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Installation

How to install dependencies and structure your app.

If you have configured shadcn/ui using the shadcn cli, jump to step 4. You can skip the installation steps below.

There are two ways to install this application.

  1. Use shadcn cli to install required files (easiest way)
  2. Manually set up config files

After using these methods, if you intend to use components with links please see the Router Provider instructions at the bottom.

Method 1: Using shadcn cli

Create project

Run the init command to create a new Next.js project or to setup an existing one:

npx shadcn@latest init

Configure components.json

You will be asked a few questions to configure components.json:

Which style would you like to use? › New York
Which color would you like to use as base color? › Zinc
Do you want to use CSS variables for colors? › no / yes

App structure

Here's how I structure my Next.js apps. You can use this as a reference:

.
├── app
│   ├── layout.tsx
│   └── page.tsx
├── components
│   ├── ui
│   │   ├── alert-dialog.tsx
│   │   ├── button.tsx
│   │   ├── dropdown-menu.tsx
│   │   └── ...
│   ├── main-nav.tsx
│   ├── page-header.tsx
│   └── ...
├── lib
│   └── utils.ts
├── styles
│   └── globals.css
├── next.config.js
├── package.json
├── postcss.config.js
├── tailwind.config.ts
└── tsconfig.json
  • I place the UI components in the components/ui folder.
  • The rest of the components such as <PageHeader /> and <MainNav /> are placed in the components folder.
  • The lib folder contains all the utility functions. I have a utils.ts where I define the cn helper.
  • The styles folder contains the global CSS.

That's it

You can now start adding components to your project. Either copy and paste, or use the CLI

npx shadcn@latest add https://backchanel.com/default/button

The command above will add the Button component to your project. You can then import it like this:

import { Button } from "@/components/ui/button"
 
export default function Home() {
  return (
    <div>
      <Button>Click me</Button>
    </div>
  )
}

Method 2: Manual setup

These instructions should be the same as the shadcn/ui manual installation instructions.

Add Tailwind CSS

Components are styled using Tailwind CSS. You need to install Tailwind CSS in your project.

Follow the Tailwind CSS installation instructions to get started.

Add dependencies

Add the following dependencies to your project:

npm install tailwindcss-animate class-variance-authority clsx tailwind-merge

Add icon library

If you're using the default style, install lucide-react:

npm install lucide-react

If you're using the new-york style, install @radix-ui/react-icons:

npm install @radix-ui/react-icons

Configure path aliases

I use the @ alias. This is how I configure it in tsconfig.json:

tsconfig.json
{
  "compilerOptions": {
    "baseUrl": ".",
    "paths": {
      "@/*": ["./*"]
    }
  }
}

The @ alias is a preference. You can use other aliases if you want.

If you use a different alias such as ~, you'll need to update import statements when adding components.

Configure tailwind.config.js

Here's what my tailwind.config.js file looks like:

tailwind.config.js
const { fontFamily } = require("tailwindcss/defaultTheme")
 
/** @type {import('tailwindcss').Config} */
module.exports = {
  darkMode: ["class"],
  content: ["app/**/*.{ts,tsx}", "components/**/*.{ts,tsx}"],
  theme: {
    container: {
      center: true,
      padding: "2rem",
      screens: {
        "2xl": "1400px",
      },
    },
    extend: {
      colors: {
        border: "hsl(var(--border))",
        input: "hsl(var(--input))",
        ring: "hsl(var(--ring))",
        background: "hsl(var(--background))",
        foreground: "hsl(var(--foreground))",
        primary: {
          DEFAULT: "hsl(var(--primary))",
          foreground: "hsl(var(--primary-foreground))",
        },
        secondary: {
          DEFAULT: "hsl(var(--secondary))",
          foreground: "hsl(var(--secondary-foreground))",
        },
        destructive: {
          DEFAULT: "hsl(var(--destructive))",
          foreground: "hsl(var(--destructive-foreground))",
        },
        muted: {
          DEFAULT: "hsl(var(--muted))",
          foreground: "hsl(var(--muted-foreground))",
        },
        accent: {
          DEFAULT: "hsl(var(--accent))",
          foreground: "hsl(var(--accent-foreground))",
        },
        popover: {
          DEFAULT: "hsl(var(--popover))",
          foreground: "hsl(var(--popover-foreground))",
        },
        card: {
          DEFAULT: "hsl(var(--card))",
          foreground: "hsl(var(--card-foreground))",
        },
      },
      borderRadius: {
        lg: `var(--radius)`,
        md: `calc(var(--radius) - 2px)`,
        sm: "calc(var(--radius) - 4px)",
      },
      fontFamily: {
        sans: ["var(--font-sans)", ...fontFamily.sans],
      },
      keyframes: {
        "accordion-down": {
          from: { height: "0" },
          to: { height: "var(--radix-accordion-content-height)" },
        },
        "accordion-up": {
          from: { height: "var(--radix-accordion-content-height)" },
          to: { height: "0" },
        },
      },
      animation: {
        "accordion-down": "accordion-down 0.2s ease-out",
        "accordion-up": "accordion-up 0.2s ease-out",
      },
    },
  },
  plugins: [require("tailwindcss-animate")],
}

Configure styles

Add the following to your styles/globals.css file. You can learn more about using CSS variables for theming in the theming section.

globals.css
@tailwind base;
@tailwind components;
@tailwind utilities;
 
@layer base {
  :root {
    --background: 0 0% 100%;
    --foreground: 222.2 47.4% 11.2%;
 
    --muted: 210 40% 96.1%;
    --muted-foreground: 215.4 16.3% 46.9%;
 
    --popover: 0 0% 100%;
    --popover-foreground: 222.2 47.4% 11.2%;
 
    --border: 214.3 31.8% 91.4%;
    --input: 214.3 31.8% 91.4%;
 
    --card: 0 0% 100%;
    --card-foreground: 222.2 47.4% 11.2%;
 
    --primary: 222.2 47.4% 11.2%;
    --primary-foreground: 210 40% 98%;
 
    --secondary: 210 40% 96.1%;
    --secondary-foreground: 222.2 47.4% 11.2%;
 
    --accent: 210 40% 96.1%;
    --accent-foreground: 222.2 47.4% 11.2%;
 
    --destructive: 0 100% 50%;
    --destructive-foreground: 210 40% 98%;
 
    --ring: 215 20.2% 65.1%;
 
    --radius: 0.5rem;
  }
 
  .dark {
    --background: 224 71% 4%;
    --foreground: 213 31% 91%;
 
    --muted: 223 47% 11%;
    --muted-foreground: 215.4 16.3% 56.9%;
 
    --accent: 216 34% 17%;
    --accent-foreground: 210 40% 98%;
 
    --popover: 224 71% 4%;
    --popover-foreground: 215 20.2% 65.1%;
 
    --border: 216 34% 17%;
    --input: 216 34% 17%;
 
    --card: 224 71% 4%;
    --card-foreground: 213 31% 91%;
 
    --primary: 210 40% 98%;
    --primary-foreground: 222.2 47.4% 1.2%;
 
    --secondary: 222.2 47.4% 11.2%;
    --secondary-foreground: 210 40% 98%;
 
    --destructive: 0 63% 31%;
    --destructive-foreground: 210 40% 98%;
 
    --ring: 216 34% 17%;
 
    --radius: 0.5rem;
  }
}
 
@layer base {
  * {
    @apply border-border;
  }
  body {
    @apply bg-background text-foreground;
    font-feature-settings:
      "rlig" 1,
      "calt" 1;
  }
}

Add a cn helper

I use a cn helper to make it easier to conditionally add Tailwind CSS classes. Here's how I define it in lib/utils.ts:

lib/utils.ts
import { clsx, type ClassValue } from "clsx"
import { twMerge } from "tailwind-merge"
 
export function cn(...inputs: ClassValue[]) {
  return twMerge(clsx(inputs))
}

That's it

You can now start adding components to your project.

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