Using Controls in Storybook

Introduction

Storybook is a powerful tool for developing UI components in isolation for React, Vue, and Angular. One of its standout features is the ability to use controls, which enable developers and designers to dynamically interact with components, making it easier to visualize and test various states.

What are Controls?

Controls in Storybook allow you to create interactive components that can accept user input to change their state. This means you can manipulate props and see how your component responds in real-time.

Controls are particularly useful for testing different scenarios and ensuring your component behaves as expected.

Setting Up Controls

Install Storybook if you haven't already:

npx sb init

Create a component if you don't have one:

const Button = ({ label, onClick }) => <button onClick={onClick}>{label}</button>;

Create a story file for your component:

import Button from './Button';

export default { title: 'Button', component: Button };

Creating Controls

To add controls to your component, you can utilize the argTypes property in your story definition:

export const Template = (args) => <Button {...args} />;
export const Primary = Template.bind({});
Primary.args = {
    label: 'Click Me',
};
Primary.argTypes = {
    label: { control: 'text' },
};

In this example:

The Primary story can accept a label prop.
The label prop is controlled by a text input in the Storybook UI.

Best Practices

When using controls in Storybook, consider the following best practices:

Use descriptive names for your controls to improve usability.
Group related controls together for a cleaner UI.
Document your components and their props to help users understand how to interact with them.

FAQ

What types of controls can I use?

You can use various types of controls including text, number, boolean, select, and color.

Can I create custom controls?

Yes, you can create custom controls by defining the control type and its options in the argTypes.

How do I reset the controls to their default values?

You can reset controls by using the 'Reset' button in the Storybook UI.

Flowchart Example


                graph TD;
                    A[Start] --> B{Is Storybook Installed?};
                    B -->|Yes| C[Create a Component];
                    B -->|No| D[Run npx sb init];
                    D --> C;
                    C --> E[Define Story with Controls];
                    E --> F[Test in Storybook];
                    F --> G[End];