Shadcn UI Setup

Shadcn/ui + Aceternity UI Setup and Component Management

⚠️ MANDATORY FIRST STEP

BEFORE RUNNING ANY SETUP COMMANDS: Use Context7 MCP to fetch latest documentation for:

• shadcn-ui (initialization, components)
• aceternity-ui (effects, installation)
• radix-ui (primitives)

Quick reference for installing, configuring, and using Shadcn/ui components and Aceternity UI effects in Next.js projects.

What is Shadcn/ui?

Shadcn/ui is NOT a traditional component library. It's a collection of copy-paste components built on top of Radix UI primitives. When you add a component, the actual source code is copied into your project, giving you full control.

Benefits:

• Full control over component code
• No dependency bloat
• Customizable with Tailwind CSS
• Accessible by default (Radix UI)
• Type-safe with TypeScript

What is Aceternity UI?

Aceternity UI provides stunning visual effects for landing pages and marketing sections. Like Shadcn/ui, you copy the component code into your project.

Available Effects:

• BackgroundBeams - Animated beam lines for hero sections
• TextGenerateEffect - Typewriter text animation
• MovingBorder - Animated gradient borders
• SparklesCore - Particle sparkle effects
• BackgroundGradient - Animated gradient backgrounds
• CardHoverEffect - 3D card hover animations

Quick Start

1. Initialize Shadcn/ui

cd frontend

# Interactive setup (recommended)
npx shadcn-ui@latest init

# You'll be prompted for:
# - TypeScript: Yes
# - Style: Default
# - Base color: Slate (or your preference)
# - Global CSS: src/styles/globals.css
# - CSS variables: Yes
# - Tailwind config: tailwind.config.ts
# - Import alias: @/components
# - React Server Components: Yes

This creates:

• components.json - Configuration file
• src/components/ui/ - Component directory
• src/lib/utils.ts - Utility functions (cn helper)
• Updates tailwind.config.ts and globals.css

2. Setup Aceternity UI Directory

# Create Aceternity UI directory
mkdir -p src/components/aceternity

# Install required dependencies
npm install framer-motion tailwind-merge clsx

3. Configuration File

After init, components.json looks like:

{
  "$schema": "https://ui.shadcn.com/schema.json",
  "style": "default",
  "rsc": true,
  "tsx": true,
  "tailwind": {
    "config": "tailwind.config.ts",
    "css": "src/styles/globals.css",
    "baseColor": "slate",
    "cssVariables": true,
    "prefix": ""
  },
  "aliases": {
    "components": "@/components",
    "utils": "@/lib/utils"
  }
}

Installing Components

Core Components for Phase 2

# Essential form components
npx shadcn-ui@latest add button
npx shadcn-ui@latest add input
npx shadcn-ui@latest add textarea
npx shadcn-ui@latest add label
npx shadcn-ui@latest add checkbox
npx shadcn-ui@latest add form

# Layout components
npx shadcn-ui@latest add card
npx shadcn-ui@latest add separator

# Feedback components
npx shadcn-ui@latest add dialog
npx shadcn-ui@latest add toast
npx shadcn-ui@latest add alert
npx shadcn-ui@latest add skeleton

# Navigation
npx shadcn-ui@latest add dropdown-menu
npx shadcn-ui@latest add avatar

# Optional utility components
npx shadcn-ui@latest add scroll-area
npx shadcn-ui@latest add tooltip
npx shadcn-ui@latest add badge

Install Multiple at Once

npx shadcn-ui@latest add button input textarea label checkbox form card dialog toast

Component Usage Examples

Button Component

import { Button } from '@/components/ui/button'

export function ButtonExample() {
  return (
    <div className="flex gap-2">
      <Button>Default</Button>
      <Button variant="secondary">Secondary</Button>
      <Button variant="destructive">Destructive</Button>
      <Button variant="outline">Outline</Button>
      <Button variant="ghost">Ghost</Button>
      <Button variant="link">Link</Button>
      <Button size="sm">Small</Button>
      <Button size="lg">Large</Button>
      <Button disabled>Disabled</Button>
    </div>
  )
}

Card Component

import {
  Card,
  CardContent,
  CardDescription,
  CardFooter,
  CardHeader,
  CardTitle,
} from '@/components/ui/card'
import { Button } from '@/components/ui/button'

export function TaskCard({ task }: { task: Task }) {
  return (
    <Card>
      <CardHeader>
        <CardTitle>{task.title}</CardTitle>
        <CardDescription>
          Created {new Date(task.created_at).toLocaleDateString()}
        </CardDescription>
      </CardHeader>
      <CardContent>
        <p>{task.description}</p>
      </CardContent>
      <CardFooter className="flex justify-between">
        <Button variant="outline">Edit</Button>
        <Button variant="destructive">Delete</Button>
      </CardFooter>
    </Card>
  )
}

Form with Input and Validation

'use client'

import { useForm } from 'react-hook-form'
import { zodResolver } from '@hookform/resolvers/zod'
import * as z from 'zod'
import {
  Form,
  FormControl,
  FormDescription,
  FormField,
  FormItem,
  FormLabel,
  FormMessage,
} from '@/components/ui/form'
import { Input } from '@/components/ui/input'
import { Textarea } from '@/components/ui/textarea'
import { Button } from '@/components/ui/button'

const taskSchema = z.object({
  title: z.string().min(1, 'Title is required').max(200),
  description: z.string().max(1000).optional(),
})

type TaskFormValues = z.infer<typeof taskSchema>

export function TaskForm({ onSubmit }: { onSubmit: (data: TaskFormValues) => void }) {
  const form = useForm<TaskFormValues>({
    resolver: zodResolver(taskSchema),
    defaultValues: {
      title: '',
      description: '',
    },
  })

  return (
    <Form {...form}>
      <form className="space-y-4">
        <FormField
          control={form.control}
          name="title"
          render={({ field }) => (
            <FormItem>
              <FormLabel>Title</FormLabel>
              <FormControl>
                <Input placeholder="Enter task title" {...field} />
              </FormControl>
              <FormMessage />
            </FormItem>
          )}
        />

        <FormField
          control={form.control}
          name="description"
          render={({ field }) => (
            <FormItem>
              <FormLabel>Description</FormLabel>
              <FormControl>
                <Textarea placeholder="Enter task description" {...field} />
              </FormControl>
              <FormDescription>
                Optional description for your task
              </FormDescription>
              <FormMessage />
            </FormItem>
          )}
        />

        <Button type="submit">Create Task</Button>
      </form>
    </Form>
  )
}

Dialog (Modal) Component

'use client'

import { useState } from 'react'
import {
  Dialog,
  DialogContent,
  DialogDescription,
  DialogFooter,
  DialogHeader,
  DialogTitle,
  DialogTrigger,
} from '@/components/ui/dialog'
import { Button } from '@/components/ui/button'
import { TaskForm } from './task-form'

export function CreateTaskDialog() {
  const [open, setOpen] = useState(false)

  const handleSubmit = async (data: TaskFormValues) => {
    // Create task
    await createTask(data)
    setOpen(false)
  }

  return (
    <Dialog open={open}
      <DialogTrigger asChild>
        <Button>Create Task</Button>
      </DialogTrigger>
      <DialogContent className="sm:max-w-[425px]">
        <DialogHeader>
          <DialogTitle>Create New Task</DialogTitle>
          <DialogDescription>
            Add a new task to your todo list
          </DialogDescription>
        </DialogHeader>
        <TaskForm />
      </DialogContent>
    </Dialog>
  )
}

Toast Notifications

First, set up the Toaster in your root layout:

// app/layout.tsx
import { Toaster } from '@/components/ui/toaster'

export default function RootLayout({ children }: { children: React.ReactNode }) {
  return (
    <html lang="en">
      <body>
        {children}
        <Toaster />
      </body>
    </html>
  )
}

Then use the toast hook:

'use client'

import { useToast } from '@/hooks/use-toast'
import { Button } from '@/components/ui/button'

export function TaskActions() {
  const { toast } = useToast()

  const handleDelete = async () => {
    try {
      await deleteTask(taskId)
      toast({
        title: 'Task deleted',
        description: 'Your task has been successfully deleted',
      })
    } catch (error) {
      toast({
        variant: 'destructive',
        title: 'Error',
        description: 'Failed to delete task. Please try again.',
      })
    }
  }

  return <Button variant="destructive"
}

Checkbox Component

'use client'

import { Checkbox } from '@/components/ui/checkbox'
import { Label } from '@/components/ui/label'

export function TaskItem({ task }: { task: Task }) {
  const [isCompleted, setIsCompleted] = useState(task.completed)

  const handleToggle = async (checked: boolean) => {
    setIsCompleted(checked)
    await toggleTask(task.id)
  }

  return (
    <div className="flex items-center space-x-3">
      <Checkbox
        id={`task-${task.id}`}
        checked={isCompleted}
       
      />
      <Label
        htmlFor={`task-${task.id}`}
        className={isCompleted ? 'line-through text-muted-foreground' : ''}
      >
        {task.title}
      </Label>
    </div>
  )
}

Customizing Components

Modifying Existing Components

All component source code is in src/components/ui/. You can edit directly:

// src/components/ui/button.tsx
import * as React from 'react'
import { cva, type VariantProps } from 'class-variance-authority'

const buttonVariants = cva(
  'inline-flex items-center justify-center rounded-md text-sm font-medium transition-colors',
  {
    variants: {
      variant: {
        default: 'bg-primary text-primary-foreground hover:bg-primary/90',
        // Add custom variant
        custom: 'bg-purple-500 text-white hover:bg-purple-600',
      },
      size: {
        default: 'h-10 px-4 py-2',
        sm: 'h-9 rounded-md px-3',
        lg: 'h-11 rounded-md px-8',
        // Add custom size
        xl: 'h-14 rounded-md px-10 text-lg',
      },
    },
  }
)

Creating Custom Theme Colors

Update tailwind.config.ts:

export default {
  theme: {
    extend: {
      colors: {
        // Custom color palette
        brand: {
          50: '#f0f9ff',
          100: '#e0f2fe',
          // ... more shades
          900: '#0c4a6e',
        },
      },
    },
  },
}

Update globals.css:

@layer base {
  :root {
    --brand: 217 91% 60%;
    --brand-foreground: 0 0% 100%;
  }
}

Advanced Patterns

Composing Components

import { Button } from '@/components/ui/button'
import { Card } from '@/components/ui/card'
import { Checkbox } from '@/components/ui/checkbox'
import { motion } from 'framer-motion'

export function AnimatedTaskCard({ task }: { task: Task }) {
  return (
    <motion.div
      initial={{ opacity: 0, y: 20 }}
      animate={{ opacity: 1, y: 0 }}
      exit={{ opacity: 0, x: -100 }}
    >
      <Card className="p-4">
        <div className="flex items-center justify-between">
          <div className="flex items-center gap-3">
            <Checkbox checked={task.completed} />
            <span>{task.title}</span>
          </div>
          <Button variant="ghost" size="sm">Edit</Button>
        </div>
      </Card>
    </motion.div>
  )
}

Server Component Integration

// app/tasks/page.tsx (Server Component)
import { getTasks } from '@/lib/api'
import { TaskList } from '@/components/tasks/task-list'

export default async function TasksPage() {
  const tasks = await getTasks()

  return (
    <div className="container py-8">
      <h1 className="text-3xl font-bold mb-6">My Tasks</h1>
      <TaskList initialTasks={tasks} />
    </div>
  )
}

Aceternity UI Components (Landing Page)

Aceternity UI provides stunning visual effects. Copy these components into src/components/aceternity/.

BackgroundBeams Component

// src/components/aceternity/background-beams.tsx
'use client'

import React from 'react'
import { motion } from 'framer-motion'
import { cn } from '@/lib/utils'

export function BackgroundBeams({ className }: { className?: string }) {
  const paths = [
    'M-380 -189C-380 -189 -312 216 152 343C616 470 684 875 684 875',
    'M-373 -197C-373 -197 -305 208 159 335C623 462 691 867 691 867',
    // Add more paths for effect
  ]

  return (
    <div className={cn('absolute inset-0 overflow-hidden', className)}>
      <svg
        className="pointer-events-none absolute inset-0 h-full w-full"
        width="100%"
        height="100%"
        viewBox="0 0 696 316"
        fill="none"
        xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"
      >
        {paths.map((path, index) => (
          <motion.path
            key={index}
            d={path}
            stroke="url(#beam-gradient)"
            strokeOpacity="0.4"
            strokeWidth="1"
            initial={{ pathLength: 0 }}
            animate={{ pathLength: 1 }}
            transition={{ duration: 2, delay: index * 0.2, repeat: Infinity }}
          />
        ))}
        <defs>
          <linearGradient id="beam-gradient" gradientUnits="userSpaceOnUse">
            <stop stopColor="#18CCFC" stopOpacity="0" />
            <stop offset="0.5" stopColor="#6344F5" />
            <stop offset="1" stopColor="#AE48FF" stopOpacity="0" />
          </linearGradient>
        </defs>
      </svg>
    </div>
  )
}

TextGenerateEffect Component

// src/components/aceternity/text-generate-effect.tsx
'use client'

import { useEffect } from 'react'
import { motion, stagger, useAnimate } from 'framer-motion'
import { cn } from '@/lib/utils'

interface TextGenerateEffectProps {
  words: string
  className?: string
}

export function TextGenerateEffect({ words, className }: TextGenerateEffectProps) {
  const [scope, animate] = useAnimate()
  const wordsArray = words.split(' ')

  useEffect(() => {
    animate(
      'span',
      { opacity: 1, filter: 'blur(0px)' },
      { duration: 0.8, delay: stagger(0.1) }
    )
  }, [animate])

  return (
    <motion.div ref={scope} className={cn('font-bold', className)}>
      {wordsArray.map((word, idx) => (
        <motion.span
          key={word + idx}
          className="opacity-0"
          style={{ filter: 'blur(10px)' }}
        >
          {word}{' '}
        </motion.span>
      ))}
    </motion.div>
  )
}

MovingBorder Component

// src/components/aceternity/moving-border.tsx
'use client'

import React from 'react'
import { motion } from 'framer-motion'
import { cn } from '@/lib/utils'

interface MovingBorderProps {
  children: React.ReactNode
  className?: string
  containerClassName?: string
  borderRadius?: string
  duration?: number
}

export function MovingBorder({
  children,
  className,
  containerClassName,
  borderRadius = '1rem',
  duration = 2000,
}: MovingBorderProps) {
  return (
    <div
      className={cn('relative overflow-hidden p-[1px]', containerClassName)}
      style={{ borderRadius }}
    >
      <motion.div
        className="absolute inset-0"
        style={{
          background: 'linear-gradient(90deg, #18CCFC, #6344F5, #AE48FF, #18CCFC)',
          backgroundSize: '300% 100%',
        }}
        animate={{
          backgroundPosition: ['0% 0%', '100% 0%', '0% 0%'],
        }}
        transition={{
          duration: duration / 1000,
          repeat: Infinity,
          ease: 'linear',
        }}
      />
      <div
        className={cn('relative bg-background', className)}
        style={{ borderRadius }}
      >
        {children}
      </div>
    </div>
  )
}

Landing Page Hero Example

// components/landing/hero-section.tsx
'use client'

import { BackgroundBeams } from '@/components/aceternity/background-beams'
import { TextGenerateEffect } from '@/components/aceternity/text-generate-effect'
import { MovingBorder } from '@/components/aceternity/moving-border'
import { Button } from '@/components/ui/button'
import Link from 'next/link'

export function HeroSection() {
  return (
    <section className="relative min-h-screen flex items-center justify-center bg-slate-950">
      <BackgroundBeams />
      
      <div className="relative z-10 text-center max-w-4xl mx-auto px-4">
        <TextGenerateEffect
          words="Organize your life, one task at a time"
          className="text-4xl md:text-6xl text-white mb-6"
        />
        
        <p className="text-lg text-gray-400 mb-8">
          The simplest way to manage your tasks and boost productivity
        </p>
        
        <div className="flex gap-4 justify-center">
          <MovingBorder containerClassName="rounded-full">
            <Button size="lg" className="rounded-full" asChild>
              <Link href="/signup">Get Started Free</Link>
            </Button>
          </MovingBorder>
          
          <Button variant="outline" size="lg" className="rounded-full" asChild>
            <Link href="#features">Learn More</Link>
          </Button>
        </div>
      </div>
    </section>
  )
}

Component Reference for Phase 2

Troubleshooting

Component not found after installation:

# Reinstall component
npx shadcn-ui@latest add button --overwrite

Style conflicts:

• Check globals.css imports order
• Verify Tailwind CSS variables are defined
• Clear .next cache and restart

TypeScript errors:

• Ensure @/components alias is configured in tsconfig.json
• Run npm install to install new peer dependencies

Best Practices

1. Don't modify core variants - Create new variants instead
2. Use the cn() utility - For conditional classes
3. Keep components accessible - Shadcn/ui is accessible by default, maintain it
4. Test on multiple screen sizes - Components are responsive
5. Follow naming conventions - Use component names as-is

References

• Shadcn/ui: https://ui.shadcn.com/
• Radix UI: https://www.radix-ui.com/
• Tailwind CSS: https://tailwindcss.com/docs
• CVA (Class Variance Authority): https://cva.style/docs