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Lightweight onboarding library for Next.js
enszrlu/NextStep
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NextStep is a lightweight onboarding library for Next.js / React applications. It utilizesmotion for smooth animations and supports multiple React frameworks including Next.js, React Router, and Remix.
Some of the use cases:
- Easier Onboarding: Guide new users with step-by-step tours
- Engagement Boost: Make help docs interactive, so users learn bydoing.
- Better Error Handling: Skip generic toasters—show users exactly what to fix with tailored tours.
- Event-Based Tours: Trigger custom tours after key actions to keep users coming back.
The library allows users to use custom cards (tooltips) for easier integration.
If you like the project, please leave a star! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
# npmnpm i nextstepjs motion# pnpmpnpm add nextstepjs motion# yarnyarn add nextstepjs motion# bunbun add nextstepjs motion
NextStep 2.0 introduces a framework-agnostic routing system through navigation adapters. Each adapter is packaged separately to minimize bundle size - only the adapter you import will be included in your bundle.
Important: Make sure to import the adapter you need in your app in order to access full functionality. Without an adapter, navigation features like
nextRouteandprevRoutemay not work properly.
NextStep uses Next.js adapter as default, therefore you don't need to import it.
// app/layout.tsx or pages/_app.tsximport{NextStep,NextStepProvider}from'nextstepjs';exportdefaultfunctionLayout({ children}){return(<NextStepProvider><NextStepsteps={steps}>{children}</NextStep></NextStepProvider>);}
//app/root.tsximport{NextStepProvider,NextStepReact,typeTour}from'nextstepjs';import{useReactRouterAdapter}from'nextstepjs/adapters/react-router';exportdefaultfunctionApp(){return(<NextStepProvider><NextStepReactnavigationAdapter={useReactRouterAdapter}steps={steps}><Outlet/></NextStepReact></NextStepProvider>);}
// root.tsximport{NextStepProvider,NextStepReact}from'nextstepjs';import{useRemixAdapter}from'nextstepjs/adapters/remix';exportdefaultfunctionApp(){return(<NextStepProvider><NextStepReactnavigationAdapter={useRemixAdapter}steps={steps}><Outlet/></NextStepReact></NextStepProvider>);}
If you're using Vite with React Router or Remix, add the following configuration to yourvite.config.ts:
exportdefaultdefineConfig({ssr:{noExternal:['nextstepjs','motion'],},});
You can create your own navigation adapter for any routing solution by implementing theNavigationAdapter interface:
import{NextStepReact}from'nextstepjs';importtype{NavigationAdapter}from'nextstepjs';constuseCustomAdapter=():NavigationAdapter=>{return{push:(path:string)=>{// Your navigation logic here// Example: history.push(path)},getCurrentPath:()=>{// Your path retrieval logic here// Example: window.location.pathnamereturnwindow.location.pathname;},};};constApp=()=>{return(<NextStepReactnavigationAdapter={useCustomAdapter}steps={steps}>{children}</NextStepReact>);};
If you encounter an error related to module exports when using the Pages Router, it is likely due to a mismatch between ES modules (which useexport statements) and CommonJS modules (which usemodule.exports). Thenextstepjs package uses ES module syntax, but your Next.js project might be set up to use CommonJS.
To resolve this issue, ensure that your Next.js project is configured to support ES modules. You can do this by updating yournext.config.js file to include the following configuration:
/**@type {import('next').NextConfig} */constnextConfig={reactStrictMode:true,experimental:{esmExternals:true,},transpilePackages:['nextstepjs'],};exportdefaultnextConfig;
You can create a custom card component for greater control over the design:
| Prop | Type | Description |
|---|---|---|
step | Object | The currentStep object from your steps array, including content, title, etc. |
currentStep | number | The index of the current step in the steps array. |
totalSteps | number | The total number of steps in the onboarding process. |
nextStep | A function to advance to the next step in the onboarding process. | |
prevStep | A function to go back to the previous step in the onboarding process. | |
arrow | Returns an SVG object, the orientation is controlled by the steps side prop | |
skipTour | A function to skip the tour |
'use client';importtype{CardComponentProps}from'nextstepjs';exportconstCustomCard=({ step, currentStep, totalSteps, nextStep, prevStep, skipTour, arrow,}:CardComponentProps)=>{return(<div><h1>{step.icon}{step.title}</h1><h2>{currentStep} of{totalSteps}</h2><p>{step.content}</p><buttononClick={prevStep}>Previous</button><buttononClick={nextStep}>Next</button><buttononClick={skipTour}>Skip</button>{arrow}</div>);};
NextStep supports multiple "tours", allowing you to create multiple product tours:
import{Tour}from'nextstepjs';conststeps:Tour[]=[{tour:'firstTour',steps:[// Step objects],},{tour:'secondTour',steps:[// Step objects],},];
| Prop | Type | Description |
|---|---|---|
icon | React.ReactNode,string,null | An icon or element to display alongside the step title. |
title | string | The title of your step |
content | React.ReactNode | The main content or body of the step. |
selector | string | Optional. A string used to target anid that this step refers to. If not provided, card will be displayed in the center top of the document body. |
side | "top","bottom","left","right" | Optional. Determines where the tooltip should appear relative to the selector. |
showControls | boolean | Optional. Determines whether control buttons (next, prev) should be shown if using the default card. |
showSkip | boolean | Optional. Determines whether skip button should be shown if using the default card. |
blockKeyboardControl | boolean | Optional. Determines whether keyboard control should be blocked |
pointerPadding | number | Optional. The padding around the pointer (keyhole) highlighting the target element. |
pointerRadius | number | Optional. The border-radius of the pointer (keyhole) highlighting the target element. |
nextRoute | string | Optional. The route to navigate to when moving to the next step. |
prevRoute | string | Optional. The route to navigate to when moving to the previous step. |
viewportID | string | Optional. The id of the viewport element to use for positioning. If not provided, the document body will be used. |
Note
NextStephandles card cutoff from screen sides. If side is right or left and card is out of the viewport, side would be switched totop. If side is top or bottom and card is out of the viewport, then side would be flipped between top and bottom.
Target anything in your app using the element'sid attribute.
<divid="nextstep-step1">Onboard Step</div>
NextStep allows you to navigate between different routes during a tour using thenextRoute andprevRoute properties in the step object. These properties enable seamless transitions between different pages or sections of your application.
nextRoute: Specifies the route to navigate to when the "Next" button is clicked.prevRoute: Specifies the route to navigate to when the "Previous" button is clicked.
WhennextRoute orprevRoute is provided, NextStep will use Next.js'snext/navigation to navigate to the specified route.
When a selector is in a scrollable area, it is best to wrap the content of the scrollable area withNextStepViewport. This component takeschildren and anid as prop. By providing theviewportID to the step, NextStep will target this element within the viewport. This ensures that the step is anchored to the element even if the container is scrollable.
Here's an example of how to useNextStepViewport:
<divclassName="relative overflow-auto h-64"><NextStepViewportid="scrollable-viewport">{children}</NextStepViewport></div>
[{tour:'firsttour',steps:[{icon:<>👋</>,title:'Tour 1, Step 1',content:<>First tour, first step</>,selector:'#tour1-step1',side:'top',showControls:true,showSkip:true,pointerPadding:10,pointerRadius:10,nextRoute:'/foo',prevRoute:'/bar',},{icon:<>🎉</>,title:'Tour 1, Step 2',content:<>First tour, second step</>,selector:'#tour1-step2',side:'top',showControls:true,showSkip:true,pointerPadding:10,pointerRadius:10,viewportID:'scrollable-viewport',},],},{tour:'secondtour',steps:[{icon:<>🚀</>,title:'Second tour, Step 1',content:<>Second tour, first step!</>,selector:'#nextstep-step1',side:'top',showControls:true,showSkip:true,pointerPadding:10,pointerRadius:10,nextRoute:'/foo',prevRoute:'/bar',},],},];
| Property | Type | Description |
|---|---|---|
children | React.ReactNode | Your website or application content |
steps | Array[] | Array of Tour objects defining each step of the onboarding |
navigationAdapter | NavigationAdapter | Optional. Router adapter for navigation (defaults to Next.js on NextStep and window adapter on NextStepReact) |
showNextStep | boolean | Controls visibility of the onboarding overlay |
shadowRgb | string | RGB values for the shadow color surrounding the target area |
shadowOpacity | string | Opacity value for the shadow surrounding the target area |
cardComponent | React.ComponentType | Custom card component to replace the default one |
cardTransition | Transition | Motion transition object for step transitions |
onStart | (tourName: string | null) => void | Callback function triggered when the tour starts |
onStepChange | (step: number, tourName: string | null) => void | Callback function triggered when the step changes |
onComplete | (tourName: string | null) => void | Callback function triggered when the tour completes |
onSkip | (step: number, tourName: string | null) => void | Callback function triggered when the user skips the tour |
clickThroughOverlay | boolean | Optional. If true, overlay background is clickable, default is false |
disableConsoleLogs | boolean | Optional. If true, console logs are disabled, default is false |
scrollToTop | boolean | Optional. If true, the page will scroll to the top when the tour ends, default is true |
noInViewScroll | boolean | Optional. If true, the page will not scroll to the target element when it is in view, default is false |
<NextStepsteps={steps}showNextStep={true}shadowRgb="55,48,163"shadowOpacity="0.8"cardComponent={CustomCard}cardTransition={{duration:0.5,type:'spring'}}onStepChange={(step,tourName)=>console.log(`Step changed to${step} in${tourName}`)}onComplete={(tourName)=>console.log(`Tour completed:${tourName}`)}onSkip={(step,tourName)=>console.log(`Tour skipped:${step} in${tourName}`)}clickThroughOverlay={false}>{children}</NextStep>
useNextStep hook allows you to control the tour from anywhere in your app.
import{useNextStep}from'nextstepjs';....const{ startNextStep, closeNextStep}=useNextStep();constonClickHandler=(tourName:string)=>{startNextStep(tourName);};
NextStep supports keyboard navigation:
- Right Arrow: Next step
- Left Arrow: Previous step
- Escape: Skip tour
NextStep is a lightweight library and does not come with localization support. However, you can easily switch between languages by supplying thesteps array based on locale.
Contributions are welcome! Please feel free to submit a Pull Request.
This project is licensed under the MIT License.
- Onborda for the inspiration and some code snippets.
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Lightweight onboarding library for Next.js