Tree Node Expand
A folder's chevron turns as its children unfold with a small stagger.
The animated component in this preview is rendered from the canonical file shown here. The surrounding demo shell only provides context and is not part of the copied code.
import { useState } from "react";
import { AnimatePresence, motion, useReducedMotion } from "motion/react";
/**
* Vibary · Tree Node Expand
*
* A folder tree that unfolds. The chevron turns to say which way the
* folder is facing, the space for the children opens, and the children
* themselves arrive a beat apart so the eye reads depth rather than a
* block of new text appearing at once.
*
* Self-contained: depends only on `motion` (react ships with your app).
* Surfaces are mixed from the inherited text color, so the tree reads
* correctly on a light page and on a dark one.
* Works with zero props; tune via `variant`, `defaultOpen`.
* Requires the automatic JSX runtime (default since React 17).
*/
export type TreeNodeExpandProps = {
/** Visual character of the motion. */
variant?: "subtle" | "default" | "playful";
/** Ids of the folders open on first render. */
defaultOpen?: string[];
/** Notified with the folder id and its new state. */
onToggle?: (id: string, open: boolean) => void;
};
type VariantConfig = {
/** Seconds the space for the children takes to open. */
unfold: number;
/** Seconds between one child and the next. */
stagger: number;
/** px each child rises from as it arrives. */
lift: number;
chevron: { type: "spring"; stiffness: number; damping: number };
};
// Quality rule: a tree is read, not watched. The height tween is short
// and eased because it is a genuine size change, the chevron spring sits
// above a 0.8 damping ratio (ζ = damping / 2√stiffness) so a 10px glyph
// never wobbles, and the stagger stays small enough that a folder of ten
// items still finishes in one glance.
const VARIANTS: Record<"subtle" | "default" | "playful", VariantConfig> = {
// Almost no cascade — for a file explorer used all day.
subtle: {
unfold: 0.16,
stagger: 0.012,
lift: 2,
chevron: { type: "spring", stiffness: 590, damping: 45 },
},
// A readable beat between children. The all-purpose setting.
default: {
unfold: 0.26,
stagger: 0.032,
lift: 4,
chevron: { type: "spring", stiffness: 420, damping: 36 },
},
// A longer cascade for shallow trees where the unfolding is the point.
playful: {
unfold: 0.32,
stagger: 0.058,
lift: 7,
chevron: { type: "spring", stiffness: 360, damping: 31 },
},
};
const ACCENT = "#7C7CF0";
/** Theme-adaptive neutral: `currentColor` is the text color this component
* inherits — near-black on a light page, near-white on a dark one — so
* mixing it with `transparent` yields a surface, border or fill that is
* correctly toned in either theme. Nothing to configure. */
const tone = (percent: number) =>
`color-mix(in srgb, currentColor ${percent}%, transparent)`;
/** Eased both ends: a size change that starts and stops abruptly reads
* as a jump cut, and this one is short enough to notice either way. */
const UNFOLD_EASE: [number, number, number, number] = [0.32, 0.72, 0.35, 1];
type TreeNode = {
id: string;
name: string;
meta?: string;
children?: TreeNode[];
};
const TREE: TreeNode[] = [
{
id: "marketing",
name: "Marketing",
meta: "3 items",
children: [
{ id: "brief", name: "Campaign brief", meta: "Doc" },
{ id: "checklist", name: "Launch checklist", meta: "Doc" },
{
id: "assets",
name: "Assets",
meta: "2 items",
children: [
{ id: "logo", name: "Logo pack", meta: "Archive" },
{ id: "shots", name: "Product shots", meta: "Album" },
],
},
],
},
{
id: "finance",
name: "Finance",
meta: "2 items",
children: [
{ id: "forecast", name: "Q3 forecast", meta: "Sheet" },
{ id: "invoices", name: "Invoices", meta: "Folder" },
],
},
{ id: "handbook", name: "Team handbook", meta: "Doc" },
];
export default function TreeNodeExpand({
variant = "default",
defaultOpen = ["marketing"],
onToggle,
}: TreeNodeExpandProps) {
const reduceMotion = useReducedMotion();
const cfg = VARIANTS[variant];
const [open, setOpen] = useState<string[]>(defaultOpen);
const toggle = (id: string) => {
const isOpen = open.includes(id);
setOpen(isOpen ? open.filter((entry) => entry !== id) : [...open, id]);
onToggle?.(id, !isOpen);
};
return (
<div
style={{
width: 300,
height: 292,
padding: "12px 10px",
borderRadius: 18,
background: tone(6),
color: "inherit",
border: `1px solid ${tone(12)}`,
boxShadow: "0 12px 32px rgba(0,0,0,0.14)",
overflowY: "auto",
}}
>
<div
style={{
display: "flex",
alignItems: "baseline",
justifyContent: "space-between",
padding: "0 6px 8px",
}}
>
<span style={{ fontSize: 13, fontWeight: 650 }}>Workspace</span>
<span style={{ fontSize: 11, opacity: 0.45 }}>Shared with 6</span>
</div>
<div role="tree" aria-label="Workspace folders">
{TREE.map((node) => (
<Branch
key={node.id}
node={node}
depth={0}
open={open}
onToggle={toggle}
cfg={cfg}
reduceMotion={Boolean(reduceMotion)}
/>
))}
</div>
</div>
);
}
function Branch({
node,
depth,
open,
onToggle,
cfg,
reduceMotion,
}: {
node: TreeNode;
depth: number;
open: string[];
onToggle: (id: string) => void;
cfg: VariantConfig;
reduceMotion: boolean;
}) {
const isFolder = Boolean(node.children?.length);
const isOpen = isFolder && open.includes(node.id);
// Variants, not per-element delays: the parent hands each child its
// turn, so the cascade keeps working however deep the tree goes.
const rowVariants = {
closed: { opacity: 0, y: reduceMotion ? 0 : -cfg.lift },
open: { opacity: 1, y: 0 },
};
return (
<motion.div
role="treeitem"
aria-expanded={isFolder ? isOpen : undefined}
aria-level={depth + 1}
variants={rowVariants}
transition={{ duration: reduceMotion ? 0 : 0.22, ease: "easeOut" }}
>
<button
type="button"
onClick={() => isFolder && onToggle(node.id)}
style={{
display: "flex",
alignItems: "center",
gap: 8,
padding: "6px 8px",
marginLeft: depth * 16,
width: `calc(100% - ${depth * 16}px)`,
borderRadius: 9,
border: 0,
background: "transparent",
color: "inherit",
fontFamily: "inherit",
fontSize: 12.5,
textAlign: "left",
cursor: isFolder ? "pointer" : "default",
}}
>
<span
aria-hidden
style={{
display: "grid",
placeItems: "center",
width: 14,
height: 14,
flexShrink: 0,
opacity: isFolder ? 0.7 : 0,
}}
>
{/* The chevron turns rather than swapping glyphs: one object
changing direction, which is the cheapest possible way to
say "this is the same folder, facing the other way". */}
<motion.svg
width="11"
height="11"
viewBox="0 0 20 20"
fill="none"
stroke="currentColor"
strokeWidth="2.2"
strokeLinecap="round"
strokeLinejoin="round"
initial={false}
animate={{ rotate: isOpen ? 90 : 0 }}
transition={reduceMotion ? { duration: 0 } : cfg.chevron}
>
<path d="M7.5 4.5 13 10l-5.5 5.5" />
</motion.svg>
</span>
<span aria-hidden style={{ display: "grid", placeItems: "center", flexShrink: 0 }}>
{isFolder ? (
<svg
width="15"
height="15"
viewBox="0 0 20 20"
fill="none"
stroke={ACCENT}
strokeWidth="1.5"
strokeLinejoin="round"
aria-hidden
>
<path d="M2.5 5.5h5l1.6 2h8.4v7H2.5z" />
</svg>
) : (
<svg
width="15"
height="15"
viewBox="0 0 20 20"
fill="none"
stroke="currentColor"
strokeWidth="1.4"
strokeLinejoin="round"
opacity={0.55}
aria-hidden
>
<path d="M5 2.8h6.5L15 6.3v10.9H5z" />
<path d="M11.2 2.9v3.6h3.6" />
</svg>
)}
</span>
<span
style={{
flex: 1,
minWidth: 0,
fontWeight: isFolder ? 600 : 500,
whiteSpace: "nowrap",
overflow: "hidden",
textOverflow: "ellipsis",
}}
>
{node.name}
</span>
{node.meta && (
<span style={{ fontSize: 11, opacity: 0.42, flexShrink: 0 }}>
{node.meta}
</span>
)}
</button>
<AnimatePresence initial={false}>
{isOpen && (
<motion.div
key="children"
// Height is animated because the motion genuinely is a size
// change — the space for the children has to exist before
// they can be in it. Kept short, eased both ends, and paired
// with overflow hidden so nothing spills while it opens.
initial={{ height: 0, opacity: 0 }}
animate={{ height: "auto", opacity: 1 }}
exit={{ height: 0, opacity: 0 }}
transition={{
height: {
duration: reduceMotion ? 0 : cfg.unfold,
ease: UNFOLD_EASE,
},
opacity: { duration: reduceMotion ? 0 : cfg.unfold * 0.6 },
}}
style={{ overflow: "hidden" }}
>
<motion.div
role="group"
initial="closed"
animate="open"
exit="closed"
variants={{
open: {
transition: {
staggerChildren: reduceMotion ? 0 : cfg.stagger,
delayChildren: reduceMotion ? 0 : cfg.stagger,
},
},
// Closing runs from the bottom up, so the folder reads as
// folding back into its own row.
closed: {
transition: {
staggerChildren: reduceMotion ? 0 : cfg.stagger * 0.5,
staggerDirection: -1,
},
},
}}
>
{node.children?.map((child) => (
<Branch
key={child.id}
node={child}
depth={depth + 1}
open={open}
onToggle={onToggle}
cfg={cfg}
reduceMotion={reduceMotion}
/>
))}
</motion.div>
</motion.div>
)}
</AnimatePresence>
</motion.div>
);
}About this pattern
File explorers, nested folders and any hierarchy that opens in place. Three things happen in sequence and each is deliberately small: the chevron turns to say the folder is now facing the other way, the space for the children opens as a short eased height change because the motion genuinely is a size change, and the children arrive a beat apart so depth is read rather than counted. The cascade comes from parent-to-child variants instead of hand-written delays, which is why it keeps working however deep the tree goes — and why closing runs bottom-up, so a folder appears to fold back into its own row.
Where it shows up
Screens we drew to show where this motion usually sits. Illustrations, not captures of any product.
- Code review
Folders turn their chevron and reveal nested contents in place.
Related patterns
- Accordion ExpandOne section opens as the previous one closes, both heights easing over the same beat so the list never jumps.
- Pagination Page TurnThe current rows leave in the direction you asked for and the next set arrives from the opposite side.
- Breadcrumb Trail AppendGoing one level deeper slides a new crumb in from the right while the trail behind it recedes.