---
title: Navigation Menu
description: Navigation menus organize site sections with optional dropdown panels for nested links.
category: Navigation
---

import { meta as NavigationMenuMeta, Default } from '@/content/stories/navigation-menu';
import Canvas from '@/components/component-docs/canvas';
import Demo from '@/components/component-docs/demo';

export const config = {
	dependencies: {
		components: [Canvas, Demo],
		scripts: [
			'../../components/component-docs/demo.script.tsx',
			'../../components/component-docs/canvas.script.tsx',
			'../../components/component-docs/controls.script.tsx',
		],
	},
};


# Navigation Menu

<p class="docs-lede">Navigation menus organize site sections with optional dropdown panels for nested links.</p>

## Try it

<Demo of={Default} meta={NavigationMenuMeta} />

## Usage

Compose triggers, links, and panels with the sub-components. Use `RuiNavigationMenuTrigger` for sections with flyout content.

```tsx
import {
  RuiNavigationMenu,
  RuiNavigationMenuBar,
  RuiNavigationMenuLink,
  RuiNavigationMenuPanel,
  RuiNavigationMenuPanels,
  RuiNavigationMenuTrigger,
} from '@ecopages/radiant-ui/navigation-menu';

<RuiNavigationMenu label="Main">
  <RuiNavigationMenuBar>
    <RuiNavigationMenuTrigger value="products">Products</RuiNavigationMenuTrigger>
    <RuiNavigationMenuLink href="/pricing">Pricing</RuiNavigationMenuLink>
  </RuiNavigationMenuBar>
  <RuiNavigationMenuPanels>
    <RuiNavigationMenuPanel value="products">
      <a href="/widgets">Widgets</a>
    </RuiNavigationMenuPanel>
  </RuiNavigationMenuPanels>
</RuiNavigationMenu>
```

## Custom markup

```tsx
import '@ecopages/radiant-ui/navigation-menu';

<rui-navigation-menu label="Main">
  <nav class="rui-navigation-menu">
    <div class="rui-navigation-menu__bar">
      <button data-navigation-item data-navigation-trigger data-value="products">Products</button>
      <a href="/pricing" data-navigation-item>Pricing</a>
    </div>
    <div class="rui-navigation-menu__panels">
      <div data-navigation-panel data-value="products" hidden>
        <a href="/widgets">Widgets</a>
      </div>
    </div>
  </nav>
</rui-navigation-menu>
```

## Site-wide navigation

<p>Keep top-level items to five or fewer. Move secondary links into panels or the footer.</p>

## Theming

The trigger bar is unboxed by default: fill, border, and shadow are transparent. Override `--rui-navigation-menu-bar-*` on `rui-navigation-menu` to paint chrome. Flyout panels use the shared `--rui-popover-*` surface knobs.

| Part | Default | Override |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Bar fill / border / shadow | `transparent`, `transparent`, `none` | `--rui-navigation-menu-bar-surface`, `--rui-navigation-menu-bar-border-color`, `--rui-navigation-menu-bar-shadow` |
| Bar radius / padding | `--radius-container`, `0px` | `--rui-navigation-menu-bar-radius`, `--rui-navigation-menu-bar-padding-x`, `--rui-navigation-menu-bar-padding-y` |
| Panel size / padding | `12rem`, `--space-inset` | `--rui-navigation-menu-panel-min-width`, `--rui-navigation-menu-panel-padding` |
| Panel fill / border / radius / shadow | `--background`, `--border`, `--radius-container`, `--shadow-overlay` | `--rui-popover-surface`, `--rui-popover-border-color`, `--rui-popover-radius`, `--rui-popover-shadow` |
| Open trigger | `primary-container` fill and ring | theme roles |

```css
rui-navigation-menu {
  --rui-navigation-menu-bar-surface: var(--surface);
  --rui-navigation-menu-bar-border-color: var(--border);
  --rui-navigation-menu-bar-shadow: var(--shadow-sm);
  --rui-navigation-menu-bar-padding-x: var(--space-control-x);
  --rui-navigation-menu-bar-padding-y: var(--space-control-y);
}
```

## API

`RuiNavigationMenu` is a custom element (`<rui-navigation-menu>`) rendering a `nav` landmark. Compose the view helpers for triggers, links, and panels, using `RuiNavigationMenuBar` and `RuiNavigationMenuPanels`.

### Attributes

| Attribute | Type | Default | Description |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| `label` | `string` | `''` | Accessible name for the `nav` landmark. |

### Light-DOM contract

| Target | Required | Host writes | Author owns |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| `[data-navigation-item]` | yes | roving `tabIndex` | bar link or trigger |
| `[data-navigation-trigger]` | yes | `aria-expanded`, `aria-haspopup`, `id` | trigger with `data-value` |
| `[data-navigation-panel]` | yes | `hidden`, `data-state`, `aria-hidden`, `role`, `aria-labelledby` | panel with matching `data-value` |
| `data-value` | per pair | — | links trigger to panel |

### View helpers

| Component | Target stamped | Notes |
| --- | --- | --- |
| `RuiNavigationMenu` | `<rui-navigation-menu>` + `nav[data-ref="root"]` | |
| `RuiNavigationMenuBar` | `data-ref="bar"` | Trigger / link row |
| `RuiNavigationMenuPanels` | `data-ref="panels"` | Panel region |
| `RuiNavigationMenuTrigger` | `[data-navigation-item]`, `[data-navigation-trigger]`, `data-value` | |
| `RuiNavigationMenuLink` | `[data-navigation-item]` | Plain link |
| `RuiNavigationMenuPanel` | `[data-navigation-panel]`, `data-value` | |

### CSS classes

Public BEM classes on the composed light-DOM surface (documented via `@cssclass`):

| Class | Description |
| --- | --- |
| `.rui-navigation-menu` | Root `nav` surface. |
| `.rui-navigation-menu__bar` | Top-level trigger / link bar. |
| `.rui-navigation-menu__panels` | Panel region. |

Content helper classes authored in consumer markup (see stories):

| Class | Description |
| --- | --- |
| `.rui-navigation-menu__megamenu` | Panel content grid. |
| `.rui-navigation-menu__link-columns` | Two-column link group layout. |
| `.rui-navigation-menu__link-group-label` | Link group heading. |
| `.rui-navigation-menu__link-list` | Link list. |
| `.rui-navigation-menu__disclosure-copy` | Paragraph copy inside disclosure panels. |

### Theme roles

| Part | CSS variables consumed |
| --- | --- |
| Bar (when painted) | `--surface`, `--border`, `--shadow-sm`, `--radius-container`, `--space-control-x`, `--space-control-y` |
| Open trigger | `--primary-container`, `--on-primary-container`, `--primary`, `--focus-ring` |
| Panel | `--background`, `--border`, `--radius-container`, `--shadow-overlay`, `--space-inset` |
| Panel text | `--on-background`, `--on-surface`, `--link` |

## Accessibility

- The menu renders as a `nav` landmark with an accessible name from `label`.
- Expanded panels are associated with their triggers via `aria-controls`.
- Current page links should use `aria-current="page"`.