---
layout: post
title: "Tabbed Content Without JavaScript"
date: 2019-01-28
---


Creating tabs is a fairly trivial and common practice in web design, but many times it requires JavaScript to properly implement. Fortunately it *is* possible to create tabbed content with only using CSS.

![Tabbed elements with only CSS](/public/images/tabbed-content.png)

[Live CodePen Example](https://codepen.io/bradleytaunt/pen/abjmayw)

---

<div class="message">
<p><strong>Sidenote:</strong></p>
<p>While this method is semantic and accessible, you might consider using a pre-existing plugin for tabbed data.</p> 
<p>This component tends to feel a little "stiff" compared to more fleshed out variations available. This pure CSS version is better suited as a fallback for when users have disabled JavaScript.</p>
</div>

## The HTML

The skeleton for this component is fairly basic - we just need the following structure:

1. Parent element for each tab item
2. Default radio input
3. Label linked to corresponding input
4. Inner content associated with each tab item

---

    <!-- Simple main container for all elements -->
    <div class="tabs">
    
        <!-- Parent container holding for individual tab item -->
        <div class="tab-item">
    
            <!-- Default radio input -->
            <input class="tab-input" type="radio" name="tabs" id="tab-1">
    
            <!-- Label connected to radio input via `id` and `for` attributes -->
            <label class="tab-label" for="tab-1">Tab 1</label>
    
            <!-- Full inner content of current tab item -->
            <div class="tab-content">Content goes here</div>
    
        </div>
    
    </div>


Full HTML for reference:


    <div class="tabs">
    
        <div class="tab-item">
            <input class="tab-input" type="radio" name="tabs" id="tab-1">
            <label class="tab-label" for="tab-1">Tab 1</label>
            <div class="tab-content">Content goes here</div>
        </div>
    
        <div class="tab-item">
            <input class="tab-input" type="radio" name="tabs" id="tab-2">
            <label class="tab-label" for="tab-2">Tab 2</label>
            <div class="tab-content">Content goes here</div>
        </div>
    
        <div class="tab-item">
            <input class="tab-input" type="radio" name="tabs" id="tab-3">
            <label class="tab-label" for="tab-3">Tab 3</label>
            <div class="tab-content">Content goes here</div>
        </div>
    
    </div>


## The CSS

First, we need to set each `input`, `label` and inner content into their own parent containers:


    /* Main parent that holds all contents */
    .tabs {
        height: 100%;
        min-height: 250px;
        position: relative;
    }
    
    /* Each tab items (includes heading & content) */
    .tab-item {
        display: inline;
    }


Next, we will hide the default `radio` input and design our labels to resemble a basic web tab element. The `z-index` property on the label is important for how we will be stacking our content on the z-axis (labels above inner content for example).


    /* Hide the default radio inputs */
    .tab-input {
        position: absolute;
        visibility: hidden;
    }
    
    /* The main tab headings */
    .tab-label {
        background: white;
        box-shadow: inset 0 -4px 4px rgba(0,0,0,0.02);
        color: lightgrey;
        cursor: pointer;
        display: inline-block;
        font-weight: 600;
        margin: 0 5px 0 0;
        padding: 10px 20px;
        position: relative;
        text-align: center;
        z-index: 0;
    }


The main inner content of each tab needs to have an `absolute` position set as it's default, since the one currently selected will switch to `relative` on mobile (more on that in a moment):


    /* The inner tab content */
    .tab-content {
        background: white;
        bottom: 0;
        box-shadow: 0 6px 8px rgba(0,0,0,0.02);
        left: 0;
        overflow: scroll;
        padding: 20px;
        position: absolute;
        right: 0;
        top: 50px;
        z-index: 0;
    }


The final step is just telling the browser to style both the `label` and inner content of the currently selected radio `input`:


    /* Style the currently selected tab label */
    .tab-input:checked + .tab-label {
        border: 1px solid #eee;
        border-bottom: 0;
        box-shadow: 0 -6px 8px rgba(0,0,0,0.02);
        color: #268bd2;
        z-index: 2;
    }
    
    /* Show the currently selected tab content */
    .tab-input:checked ~ .tab-content {
        border: 1px solid #eee;
        z-index: 1;
    }


It's as simple as that! For reference, here is the entire CSS file for easier access:


    /* Main parent that holds all contents */
    .tabs {
        height: 100%;
        min-height: 250px;
        position: relative;
    }
    
    /* Each tab items (includes heading & content) */
    .tab-item {
        display: inline;
    }
    
    /* Hide the default radio inputs */
    .tab-input {
        position: absolute;
        visibility: hidden;
    }
    
    /* The main tab headings */
    .tab-label {
        background: white;
        box-shadow: inset 0 -4px 4px rgba(0,0,0,0.02);
        color: lightgrey;
        cursor: pointer;
        display: inline-block;
        font-weight: 600;
        margin: 0 5px 0 0;
        padding: 10px 20px;
        position: relative;
        text-align: center;
        z-index: 0;
    }
    
    /* The inner tab content */
    .tab-content {
        background: white;
        bottom: 0;
        box-shadow: 0 6px 8px rgba(0,0,0,0.02);
        left: 0;
        overflow: scroll;
        padding: 20px;
        position: absolute;
        right: 0;
        top: 50px;
        z-index: 0;
    }
    
    /* Style the currently selected tab label */
    .tab-input:checked + .tab-label {
        border: 1px solid #eee;
        border-bottom: 0;
        box-shadow: 0 -6px 8px rgba(0,0,0,0.02);
        color: #268bd2;
        z-index: 2;
    }
    
    /* Show the currently selected tab content */
    .tab-input:checked ~ .tab-content {
        border: 1px solid #eee;
        z-index: 1;
    }


## Don't forget about mobile

With only a few extra lines of CSS we can ensure that our custom tabs will stack on top of each other and look solid on mobile devices:


    @media(max-width:38em) {
        .tab-label {
            display: block;
            width: 100%;
        }
        .tab-content {
            display: none;
        }
        .tab-input:checked ~ .tab-content {
            bottom: auto;
            display: block;
            position: relative;
            top: auto;
        }
    }


## One minor caveat

Even though I'm a pretty big fan of implementing tabs this way, there is a small drawback:

The `height` of the inner content doesn't grow dynamically since it defaults as `absolute`, so a `min-height` or `height` value is required on the parent element. This could become a problem in certain situations where you don't have the luxury of setting a static height.

Other than that, enjoy building some JavaScript-free tabs!