sidebuilder

Sidebuilder is a term used in software design to describe a modular tool or pattern for constructing side panels, drawers, and other off-canvas elements within applications. Rather than a single product, sidebuilder denotes a family of implementations that provide reusable components and conventions for creating left or right panels that can be opened, closed, resized, and animated.

Purpose and scope

The main aim of sidebuilder is to improve consistency and developer productivity by offering standardized behavior, accessibility, and theming for side panels. It supports common interactions such as overlay behavior, focus management, keyboard navigation, and responsive resizing, helping to integrate side panels smoothly into various layouts.

Core concepts and features

Typical sidebuilder implementations provide a side container, one or more panel components, and a controller or manager that handles open/close state, sizing, and transitions. They often include styling hooks for themes, support for multiple breakpoints, and APIs for events and persistence. Accessibility considerations—such as ARIA roles, proper focus trapping, and keyboard shortcuts—are emphasized. Framework-specific variants exist (for example, React, Vue, or Angular), as well as framework-agnostic versions.

Architecture and usage

A sidebuilder setup generally consists of a hosting layout, a panel component, and a state manager that coordinates visibility, size, and layering with the main content. Use cases include dashboards with filter drawers, editors with property panels, and content management systems with contextual tools. Designers favor sidebuilders for modularity, testability, and cross-platform consistency.

See also

Sidebar, Drawer, Off-canvas, UI pattern, Panel.