Customizing Storybook

1. Introduction

Storybook is an open-source tool for developing UI components in isolation for React, Vue, and Angular.

Customizing Storybook allows developers to tailor the development environment to meet specific project requirements.

2. Installation

To set up Storybook for your project, run the following command:

npx sb init

This command initializes Storybook in your existing project, adding the necessary configuration files.

3. Configuration

Storybook's configuration can be found in the `.storybook` directory. Key files include:

• main.js: Main configuration file where you configure Storybook's behavior.
• preview.js: Used to add global decorators, parameters, and import global styles.
• manager.js: Used to customize the Storybook UI.

Example of a simple `main.js` configuration:

module.exports = {
    stories: ['../src/**/*.stories.@(js|jsx|ts|tsx)'],
    addons: ['@storybook/addon-links', '@storybook/addon-essentials'],
};

4. Theming

You can customize the Storybook UI with themes. This can be done using the manager.js file.

To set a custom theme:

import { addons } from '@storybook/addons';
            import { create } from '@storybook/theming';

            const theme = create({
                base: 'light',
                brandTitle: 'My Custom Storybook',
                brandUrl: 'https://example.com',
            });

            addons.setConfig({
                theme,
            });

5. Addons

Storybook supports a variety of addons to extend its functionality. Popular addons include:

• Storybook Addon Knobs: Allows you to edit props dynamically.
• Storybook Addon Actions: Logs actions as events in the UI.
• Storybook Addon Docs: Generates documentation automatically.

To install an addon, you typically run:

npm install @storybook/addon-knobs --save-dev

6. Best Practices

When customizing Storybook, consider the following best practices:

• Keep configurations consistent across projects.
• Document any customizations for future reference.
• Regularly update Storybook and its addons to leverage new features and improvements.