Create Documentation Template using React and Tailwind CSS

This documentation template serves as a comprehensive guide for developers to understand the setup configuration and functionalities of the project. We are going to build the Documentation Template using React and Tailwind CSS.

Prerequisites

• React.js
• Tailwind CSS
• Node.js npm
• React Icons

Approach

To create a documentation template using React and Tailwind CSS, first, set up a new React project by running npx create-react-app documentation-template. Then, install Tailwind CSS with npm install -D tailwindcss postcss autoprefixer and initialize it with npx tailwindcss init. In tailwind.config.js, tell Tailwind to watch your src folder for files by adding it to the content property. Next, in src/index.css, include Tailwind's base styles and utilities. Now, in src/App.js, create a simple layout with sections for code examples, documentation, and deployment, using Tailwind classes for easy styling and react-icons for icons. Finally, start the app with npm start to see your documentation template live, showing a clean, responsive design.

Steps to Create & Configure the Project

Here we will create a sample React JS project then we will install Tailwind CSS once it is completed we will start development for Documentation Template using React and Tailwind CSS. Below are the steps to create and configure the project

Step 1: Set up a React Application

First create a sample React JS application by using the mentioned command then navigate to the project folder

npx create-react-app react-app
cd react-app

Project Structure:

Updated Dependencies:

"dependencies": {
    "@testing-library/jest-dom": "^5.17.0",
    "@testing-library/react": "^13.4.0",
    "@testing-library/user-event": "^13.5.0",
    "react": "^18.3.1",
    "react-dom": "^18.3.1",
    "react-icons": "^5.3.0",
    "react-scripts": "5.0.1",
    "web-vitals": "^2.1.4"
  }

Step 2: Install and Configure Tailwind CSS

Once Project is created successfully Now install and configure the Tailwind css by using below commands in your project.

npm install -D tailwindcss postcss autoprefixer
npx tailwindcss init -p

Step 3: Develop Business logic

Once Tailwind css installation and configuration is completed. Now we need to develop user interface for Documentation Template using tailwind CSS and for making it responsive we will use App.js and App.css files.

• App.js ( src\App.js )
• index.css ( src\index.js )
• tailwind.config.js ( tailwind.config.js )
• postcss.config.js ( postcss.config.js )

Example: This demonstrates the creation of Documentation Template using React and Tailwind CSS:

/*src/index.css*/
@tailwind base;
@tailwind components;
@tailwind utilities;

body {
    background-color: green;
    overflow: hidden;
    margin: 0;
    font-family: -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, 'Segoe UI', 'Roboto', 'Oxygen',
        'Ubuntu', 'Cantarell', 'Fira Sans', 'Droid Sans', 'Helvetica Neue',
        sans-serif;
    -webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;
    -moz-osx-font-smoothing: grayscale;
}

code {
    font-family: source-code-pro, Menlo, Monaco, Consolas, 'Courier New',
        monospace;
}

/*postcss.config.js*/
module.exports = {
  plugins: {
    tailwindcss: {},
    autoprefixer: {},
  },
};

/*src/tailwind.congif.js*/
/** @type {import('tailwindcss').Config} */
module.exports = {
    content: [
        "./src/**/*.{js,jsx,ts,tsx}",
    ],
    theme: {
        extend: {},
    },
    plugins: [],
}

//App.js
import React from 'react';
import { FaCode, FaBook, FaRocket } from 'react-icons/fa';

function App() {
    return (
        <div className="min-h-screen bg-gray-100 p-5">
            <h1 className="text-3xl font-bold mb-4">
                Documentation Template
            </h1>
            <p className="mb-6">
                This template is designed to
                help you get started with your
                React and Tailwind CSS project.
            </p>
            <div className="grid grid-cols-1
                            md:grid-cols-3 gap-4">
                <div className="bg-white p-5 
                                rounded-lg shadow">
                    <FaCode className="text-5xl 
                                       mb-3 text-blue-500" />
                    <h2 className="text-xl 
                                   font-semibold">
                        Code Example
                    </h2>
                    <p>Learn how to structure
                        your React components effectively.
                    </p>
                </div>
                <div className="bg-white p-5
                                rounded-lg shadow">
                    <FaBook className="text-5xl mb-3
                                       text-green-500" />
                    <h2 className="text-xl
                                   font-semibold">
                        Documentation
                    </h2>
                    <p>Follow the guidelines to
                        set up your project.
                    </p>
                </div>
                <div className="bg-white p-5
                                rounded-lg shadow">
                    <FaRocket className="text-5xl 
                                         mb-3 text-red-500" />
                    <h2 className="text-xl 
                                   font-semibold">
                        Deployment
                    </h2>
                    <p>Learn how to deploy your
                        application to production.
                    </p>
                </div>
            </div>
            <footer className="mt-10
                               text-center">
                <p className="text-gray-500">&copy;
                    2024 Your Name. All Rights Reserved.
                </p>
            </footer>
        </div>
    );
}

export default App;

Step 4: Run the Application

Once Development is completed Now we need run the react js application by using below command. By default the react js application run on port number 3000.

npm start

Output: Once Project is successfully running then open the below URL to test the output.

http://localhost:3000/

Conclusion

This documentation template provides a solid foundation for building applications with React and Tailwind CSS. By following the steps outlined above developers can quickly set up their projects and start creating beautiful responsive UIs.