UI Translation

Skill: UI Translation

Purpose

Translate natural language UI descriptions into IDS (Iress Design System) component implementations using @iress-oss/ids-components and @iress-oss/ids-tokens.

Translation Workflow

1. Identify the UI elements — Break the description into components: actions (buttons), inputs (fields), layout (stacks, grids), content (text, cards), overlays (modals, slideouts), navigation
2. Map to IDS components — Use the component mapping to find the right IDS component for each element
3. Verify component capabilities — Before recommending a component, read its .ai/components/<name>.md doc (in node_modules/@iress-oss/ids-components/.ai/components/) to verify it supports the required features (async, filtering, validation, etc.)
4. Apply layout — Wrap elements in IressStack (vertical), IressInline (horizontal), or IressRow/IressCol (grid) only when needed. Check whether the parent component already provides layout (e.g. card footer, modal actions, button group) before adding wrappers. Never wrap a single child in a layout component. Always make grids responsive with span={{ xs: 12, md: ... }}
5. Add responsive behaviour — Even if the description only mentions desktop, stack columns on mobile and relocate secondary content to IressSlideout or collapsible sections
6. Apply styling — Use styling props for spacing, colour, and typography. Spacing tokens must include the category prefix: gap="spacing.4", p="spacing.6". Alias tokens ("xs", "sm", "md", "lg", "xl") are also valid. Never use bare numbers like gap="4".
7. Verify output — Check that all imports resolve, no raw HTML is used where IDS components exist, grid layouts use responsive span values, and no common anti-patterns are present (disabled buttons, slot attributes, redundant textStyle)

Setup

Important: IDS v6 is currently in beta. Install with the @beta tag:

npm install @iress-oss/ids-components@beta
# If using tokens directly:
npm install @iress-oss/ids-tokens@beta

import '@iress-oss/ids-components/dist/style.css'; // Required — component styles
import '@iress-oss/ids-tokens/build/css-vars.css'; // Required if using tokens directly
import {
  IressProvider,
  IressButton,
  IressInput,
  IressField,
  IressStack,
  IressInline,
  IressText,
  IressCard,
  // ... import what you need
} from '@iress-oss/ids-components';

// Wrap your app in IressProvider (handles fonts + CSS variables)
function App() {
  return <IressProvider>{/* your UI */}</IressProvider>;
}

Component Mapping

When you need to find the right IDS component for a UI element, read references/component-mapping.md for the full description → IDS component mapping tables (actions, form inputs, layout, content, overlays, navigation, tables).

Styling Props

When you need to apply spacing, colour, visibility, or typography props, read references/styling-props.md for the full IressCSSProps reference and accepted values.

Responsive Layout

Always produce responsive output. Even when the UI description only mentions a desktop layout, every translation should adapt to smaller screens. IDS uses a 12-column grid with 6 breakpoints (xs, sm, md, lg, xl, xxl).

Responsive Design Principles

Apply these when translating any UI description:

1. Identify the primary task — What is the user trying to accomplish? The mobile layout should focus on this task and push everything else to secondary access points.
2. Stack multi-column layouts — Side-by-side columns should stack to full-width on mobile (span={{ xs: 12, md: ... }}).
3. Relocate secondary content — Move supplementary UI (filters, sidebars, metadata panels, secondary actions) into an IressSlideout, IressModal, or collapsible section on mobile.
4. Simplify dense layouts — For tables with many columns or multi-panel dashboards, hide non-essential columns with hideBelow, collapse sections, or switch to a card-based layout using useBreakpoint.
5. Preserve all functionality — Never remove features on mobile. Use IressSlideout, IressModal, expandable sections, or IressTabSet to keep functionality accessible without cluttering the view.

Responsive Props

Many props accept a single value or an object keyed by breakpoint:

// Full-width on mobile, half on medium+
<IressCol span={{ xs: 12, md: 6 }} />

// Tighter gap on mobile, larger on desktop
<IressRow gutter={{ xs: 'sm', md: 'lg' }} />

Props that support responsive values: span, offset, gap, gutter, rowGap, p, px, py, m, mx, my, width, and all directional margin/padding props.

Responsive Visibility

Use hideFrom/hideBelow CSS props directly on any component:

<IressButton hideBelow="md">Desktop action</IressButton>
<IressText hideFrom="lg">Mobile only text</IressText>

For conditional rendering based on breakpoint (e.g. rendering entirely different components), use the useBreakpoint hook:

import { useBreakpoint } from '@iress-oss/ids-components';

function Navigation() {
  const { breakpoint } = useBreakpoint();
  const isMobile = breakpoint === 'xs' || breakpoint === 'sm';

  return isMobile ? <MobileNav /> : <DesktopNav />;
}

Translation Examples

"A login form with email and password fields and a submit button"

import {
  IressButton,
  IressField,
  IressInput,
  IressStack,
} from '@iress-oss/ids-components';

function LoginForm() {
  return (
    <IressStack gap="md">
      <IressField label="Email" htmlFor="email" required>
        <IressInput id="email" type="email" placeholder="Enter your email" />
      </IressField>
      <IressField label="Password" htmlFor="password" required>
        <IressInput
          id="password"
          type="password"
          placeholder="Enter your password"
        />
      </IressField>
      <IressButton mode="primary" type="submit">
        Log in
      </IressButton>
    </IressStack>
  );
}

"A card with a title, description, and two action buttons"

import { IressCard, IressButton, IressInline } from '@iress-oss/ids-components';

function ActionCard() {
  return (
    <IressCard
      heading={<h3>Card Title</h3>}
      footer={
        <IressInline gap="sm">
          <IressButton mode="primary">Confirm</IressButton>
          <IressButton mode="secondary">Cancel</IressButton>
        </IressInline>
      }
    >
      This is the card description with supporting details.
    </IressCard>
  );
}

"A settings page with a toggle, some checkboxes, and a save button"

import {
  IressStack,
  IressToggle,
  IressCheckboxGroup,
  IressCheckbox,
  IressButton,
  IressText,
  IressDivider,
  IressField,
} from '@iress-oss/ids-components';

function SettingsPage() {
  return (
    <IressStack gap="lg">
      <IressText element="h2">Settings</IressText>
      <IressToggle>Enable notifications</IressToggle>
      <IressDivider />
      <IressField label="Notification types">
        <IressCheckboxGroup name="notification-types">
          <IressCheckbox value="email">Email</IressCheckbox>
          <IressCheckbox value="sms">SMS</IressCheckbox>
          <IressCheckbox value="push">Push</IressCheckbox>
        </IressCheckboxGroup>
      </IressField>
      <IressDivider />
      <IressButton mode="primary">Save settings</IressButton>
    </IressStack>
  );
}

"A dashboard with a sidebar and main content area"

Note: even though the description doesn't mention mobile, the sidebar is secondary content — on mobile it should move into a slideout so the main content gets focus.

import { useState } from 'react';
import {
  IressRow,
  IressCol,
  IressStack,
  IressText,
  IressCard,
  IressButton,
  IressSlideout,
  useBreakpoint,
} from '@iress-oss/ids-components';

function Dashboard() {
  const { breakpoint } = useBreakpoint();
  const isMobile = breakpoint === 'xs' || breakpoint === 'sm';
  const [navOpen, setNavOpen] = useState(false);

  const nav = (
    <IressCard heading={<h3>Navigation</h3>}>
      Menu items here
    </IressCard>
  );

  return isMobile ? (
    <IressStack gap="md">
      <IressButton
        mode="secondary"
        icon="menu"
        => setNavOpen(true)}
      >
        Menu
      </IressButton>
      <IressCard>
        <IressText element="h2">Main Content</IressText>
      </IressCard>
      <IressSlideout
        heading="Navigation"
        show={navOpen}
       
      >
        {nav}
      </IressSlideout>
    </IressStack>
  ) : (
    <IressRow gutter="lg">
      <IressCol span={3}>{nav}</IressCol>
      <IressCol span={9}>
        <IressCard>
          <IressText element="h2">Main Content</IressText>
        </IressCard>
      </IressCol>
    </IressRow>
  );
}

Best Practices

1. Minimise component nesting — Use the fewest components possible to achieve the layout. Every wrapper component should earn its place. Before adding IressInline or IressStack, check whether the parent component already handles the layout (e.g. IressCard has heading and footer props; IressModal has actions; IressButtonGroup handles horizontal button layout). See the "Unnecessary layout wrappers" section in Common Mistakes below.
2. Always wrap in IressProvider — Required at the root of your app for fonts and CSS variables. IressProvider already includes IressModalProvider, IressSlideoutProvider, IressToasterProvider, IressPopoverProvider, and IressIconProvider — do not add these separately. If using IressShadow, no additional providers are needed as it includes IressProvider internally.
3. Use IressField for all form inputs — Provides consistent labels, hints, and validation display
4. Use IressStack/IressInline only when needed — Prefer these over custom CSS flex/grid, but don't add them when the parent already provides spacing or layout
5. Use correct spacing token format — Always prefix with the token category: gap="spacing.4", p="spacing.6". Alias tokens ("xs", "sm", "md", "lg", "xl") are also valid. Never use bare numbers like gap="4".
6. Use semantic button modes — One primary per section, secondary for most actions
7. Always include labels — All form inputs need accessible labels via IressField
8. Use status for feedback — IressAlert for inline messages, IressModal status="danger" for confirmation dialogs, status prop on buttons for danger/success
9. Prefer IDS components — Use IressText instead of raw <p>, IressButton instead of <button>
10. Native elements inside IressText are OK — When rendering CMS content, markdown output, or other unstructured data sources, it is acceptable to nest native HTML elements (e.g. <p>, <strong>, <a>, <ul>) inside IressText. This lets IressText provide consistent typography while allowing flexible inner content structure.
11. Always make grid layouts responsive — When using IressRow/IressCol, use responsive span values (e.g. span={{ xs: 12, md: 6 }}) so columns stack on mobile instead of overflowing
12. Check the component docs — Read the specific component doc for detailed props and patterns (node_modules/@iress-oss/ids-components/.ai/components/)

Common Mistakes

Unnecessary layout wrappers

The most common mistake is wrapping children in IressInline or IressStack when it adds no value. Every wrapper must serve a purpose — if removing it produces the same result, remove it.

// ❌ Unnecessary nesting — IressStack wrapping a single child
<IressStack gap="md">
  <IressInline gap="sm">
    <IressButton mode="primary">Save</IressButton>
    <IressButton mode="secondary">Cancel</IressButton>
  </IressInline>
</IressStack>

// ✅ Single group of buttons only needs IressInline
<IressInline gap="sm">
  <IressButton mode="primary">Save</IressButton>
  <IressButton mode="secondary">Cancel</IressButton>
</IressInline>

// ❌ Wrapping content that's already a single block
<IressStack gap="md">
  <IressText element="h2">Title</IressText>
</IressStack>

// ✅ No wrapper needed for a single element
<IressText element="h2">Title</IressText>

When to use layout wrappers:

• IressStack — when you have 2+ block-level siblings that need vertical spacing between them
• IressInline — when you have 2+ elements that need to sit side-by-side (e.g. buttons in a card footer, action bars)

When NOT to use them:

• The parent component already handles layout (modal actions prop, button group)
• There's only one child — a wrapper around a single child adds nothing
• You're nesting IressInline inside IressInline or IressStack inside IressStack without changing gap/alignment — flatten instead

Other common anti-patterns

For the full list of common anti-patterns (disabled buttons, redundant textStyle, legacy slot attributes, raw HTML, hardcoded values), read the Common Mistakes guide at node_modules/@iress-oss/ids-components/.ai/guides/foundations-common-mistakes.md (requires @iress-oss/ids-components to be installed).