Tailwind Patterns Skill

Quick reference for Tailwind CSS utility patterns, responsive design, and configuration.

Triggers

tailwind, utility classes, responsive design, tailwind config, dark mode css, tw classes

Responsive Breakpoints

Prefix	Min Width	CSS
sm:	640px	@media (min-width: 640px)
md:	768px	@media (min-width: 768px)
lg:	1024px	@media (min-width: 1024px)
xl:	1280px	@media (min-width: 1280px)
2xl:	1536px	@media (min-width: 1536px)

Mobile-first: No prefix = mobile, add prefix for larger screens.

<div class="w-full md:w-1/2 lg:w-1/3">
  <!-- Full width on mobile, half on tablet, third on desktop -->
</div>

Common Layout Patterns

Centered Container

<div class="container mx-auto px-4">
  <!-- Centered with padding -->
</div>

Flexbox Row

<div class="flex items-center justify-between gap-4">
  <div>Left</div>
  <div>Right</div>
</div>

Grid Layout

<div class="grid grid-cols-1 md:grid-cols-2 lg:grid-cols-3 gap-6">
  <div>Card 1</div>
  <div>Card 2</div>
  <div>Card 3</div>
</div>

Stack (Vertical)

<div class="flex flex-col gap-4">
  <div>Item 1</div>
  <div>Item 2</div>
</div>

Common Component Patterns

Card

<div class="bg-white rounded-lg shadow-md p-6">
  <h3 class="text-lg font-semibold mb-2">Title</h3>
  <p class="text-gray-600">Content</p>
</div>

Button Variants

<!-- Primary -->
<button class="bg-blue-600 text-white px-4 py-2 rounded-lg hover:bg-blue-700 transition-colors">
  Primary
</button>

<!-- Secondary -->
<button class="bg-gray-200 text-gray-800 px-4 py-2 rounded-lg hover:bg-gray-300 transition-colors">
  Secondary
</button>

<!-- Outline -->
<button class="border border-blue-600 text-blue-600 px-4 py-2 rounded-lg hover:bg-blue-50 transition-colors">
  Outline
</button>

Form Input

<input
  type="text"
  class="w-full px-3 py-2 border border-gray-300 rounded-lg focus:outline-none focus:ring-2 focus:ring-blue-500 focus:border-transparent"
  placeholder="Enter text"
/>

Dark Mode

Class Strategy (Recommended)

// tailwind.config.js
module.exports = {
  darkMode: 'class',
  // ...
}

<!-- Add 'dark' class to html or parent -->
<div class="bg-white dark:bg-gray-900 text-gray-900 dark:text-white">
  Content adapts to dark mode
</div>

Media Strategy

// tailwind.config.js
module.exports = {
  darkMode: 'media', // Uses prefers-color-scheme
  // ...
}

Minimal Config Template

// tailwind.config.js
module.exports = {
  content: [
    './src/**/*.{js,ts,jsx,tsx,html}',
  ],
  darkMode: 'class',
  theme: {
    extend: {
      colors: {
        brand: {
          50: '#f0f9ff',
          500: '#3b82f6',
          900: '#1e3a8a',
        },
      },
      fontFamily: {
        sans: ['Inter', 'sans-serif'],
      },
    },
  },
  plugins: [],
}

Spacing Scale Reference

Class	Size
p-0	0px
p-1	4px (0.25rem)
p-2	8px (0.5rem)
p-4	16px (1rem)
p-6	24px (1.5rem)
p-8	32px (2rem)
p-12	48px (3rem)
p-16	64px (4rem)

Same scale applies to: m-, gap-, w-, h-, space-x-, space-y-

Arbitrary Values

When the scale doesn't have what you need:

<div class="w-[137px] h-[calc(100vh-64px)] top-[17px]">
  <!-- Exact values when needed -->
</div>

State Modifiers

Modifier	Triggers On
hover:	Mouse hover
focus:	Element focused
active:	Being clicked
disabled:	Disabled state
group-hover:	Parent hovered
first:	First child
last:	Last child
odd:	Odd children
even:	Even children

<button class="bg-blue-500 hover:bg-blue-600 active:bg-blue-700 disabled:opacity-50">
  Button
</button>

Performance Tips

1. Content configuration - Ensure all template paths are in content array
2. Avoid @apply overuse - Prefer utility classes directly
3. Use CSS variables for dynamic values that change at runtime
4. Purge in production - Tailwind does this automatically via content

Class Organization

Recommended order for readability:

1. Layout (flex, grid, position)
2. Box model (w, h, p, m)
3. Typography (text, font)
4. Visual (bg, border, shadow)
5. Interactive (hover, focus)

<div class="flex items-center | w-full p-4 | text-lg font-medium | bg-white border rounded-lg | hover:shadow-md">
  <!-- Pipes are comments for organization -->
</div>