Rectangular Navigation — StealThis.dev

Code

*,
*::before,
*::after {
  box-sizing: border-box;
  margin: 0;
  padding: 0;
}

:root {
  --bg: #050910;
  --nav-bg: #0d1117;
  --surface: #161b22;
  --accent: #38bdf8;
  --text: #e2e8f0;
  --text-muted: #94a3b8;
  --sidebar-width: 52px;
}

body {
  display: flex;
  align-items: center;
  justify-content: center;
  min-height: 100vh;
  background: var(--bg);
  font-family: -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, sans-serif;
  color: var(--text);
  padding: 2rem;
}

/* ── Demo wrapper ── */
.demo {
  width: 100%;
  max-width: 400px;
  display: flex;
  flex-direction: column;
  align-items: center;
  gap: 2rem;
}
.demo-title {
  font-size: 1.5rem;
  font-weight: 800;
  text-align: center;
}
.demo-sub {
  color: var(--text-muted);
  font-size: 0.875rem;
  text-align: center;
}

/* ── Phone frame ── */
.phone-frame {
  width: 320px;
  border-radius: 32px;
  border: 1.5px solid rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.08);
  background: var(--nav-bg);
  overflow: hidden;
  box-shadow: 0 24px 64px rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.5), 0 0 0 1px rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.04);
}

.phone-screen {
  position: relative;
  width: 100%;
  height: 520px;
  display: flex;
  flex-direction: column;
  overflow: hidden;
}

/* ── Status bar ── */
.status-bar {
  display: flex;
  justify-content: space-between;
  align-items: center;
  padding: 10px 20px 6px;
  font-size: 12px;
  font-weight: 600;
  color: var(--text-muted);
  flex-shrink: 0;
}

.status-icons {
  font-size: 9px;
  letter-spacing: 3px;
}

/* ── App layout: sidebar + content ── */
.app-layout {
  display: flex;
  flex: 1;
  overflow: hidden;
}

/* ── Vertical icon sidebar ── */
.sidebar {
  width: var(--sidebar-width);
  flex-shrink: 0;
  background: var(--nav-bg);
  border-right: 1px solid rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.06);
  display: flex;
  flex-direction: column;
  align-items: center;
  padding: 12px 0;
  gap: 4px;
}

/* ── Nav button ── */
.nav-btn {
  display: flex;
  align-items: center;
  justify-content: center;
  width: 40px;
  height: 40px;
  border: none;
  background: transparent;
  color: var(--text-muted);
  border-radius: 10px;
  cursor: pointer;
  transition: background 0.25s, color 0.25s;
  -webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent;
}

.nav-btn:hover {
  background: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.06);
  color: var(--text);
}

.nav-btn:focus-visible {
  outline: 2px solid var(--accent);
  outline-offset: -2px;
}

.nav-btn.active {
  background: rgba(56, 189, 248, 0.15);
  color: var(--accent);
}

/* ── Content area ── */
.content-area {
  flex: 1;
  overflow-y: auto;
  background: var(--bg);
  padding: 20px 16px;
}

.content-page {
  display: none;
}
.content-page.active {
  display: block;
}

.content-page h2 {
  font-size: 1.125rem;
  font-weight: 700;
  margin-bottom: 6px;
}

.content-page p {
  font-size: 0.8rem;
  color: var(--text-muted);
  line-height: 1.5;
  margin-bottom: 16px;
}

/* ── Placeholder cards ── */
.card-placeholder {
  height: 64px;
  background: var(--surface);
  border-radius: 10px;
  margin-bottom: 10px;
  border: 1px solid rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.04);
}

.search-bar-placeholder {
  height: 36px;
  background: var(--surface);
  border-radius: 8px;
  margin-bottom: 12px;
  border: 1px solid rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.06);
}

.avatar-placeholder {
  width: 60px;
  height: 60px;
  background: var(--surface);
  border-radius: 50%;
  border: 2px solid rgba(56, 189, 248, 0.3);
}

const sidebar = document.getElementById("sidebar");
const contentArea = document.getElementById("contentArea");
const navBtns = sidebar.querySelectorAll(".nav-btn");
const pages = contentArea.querySelectorAll(".content-page");

function switchPage(pageName) {
  navBtns.forEach((btn) => {
    btn.classList.toggle("active", btn.dataset.page === pageName);
  });

  pages.forEach((page) => {
    page.classList.toggle("active", page.dataset.content === pageName);
  });
}

navBtns.forEach((btn) => {
  btn.addEventListener("click", () => {
    switchPage(btn.dataset.page);
  });
});

<!doctype html>
<html lang="en">
<head>
  <meta charset="UTF-8" />
  <meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1.0" />
  <title>Rectangular Navigation</title>
  <link rel="stylesheet" href="style.css" />
</head>
<body>

  <div class="demo">
    <h1 class="demo-title">Rectangular Navigation</h1>
    <p class="demo-sub">Compact vertical icon sidebar with active indicator.</p>

    <div class="phone-frame">
      <div class="phone-screen">
        <!-- Status bar -->
        <div class="status-bar">
          <span>9:41</span>
          <span class="status-icons">●●●</span>
        </div>

        <!-- Main layout: sidebar + content -->
        <div class="app-layout">
          <!-- Vertical icon sidebar -->
          <nav class="sidebar" id="sidebar">
            <button class="nav-btn active" data-page="home" aria-label="Home">
              <svg width="22" height="22" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round">
                <path d="M3 9l9-7 9 7v11a2 2 0 0 1-2 2H5a2 2 0 0 1-2-2z"/>
                <polyline points="9 22 9 12 15 12 15 22"/>
              </svg>
            </button>
            <button class="nav-btn" data-page="search" aria-label="Search">
              <svg width="22" height="22" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round">
                <circle cx="11" cy="11" r="8"/>
                <line x1="21" y1="21" x2="16.65" y2="16.65"/>
              </svg>
            </button>
            <button class="nav-btn" data-page="bookmarks" aria-label="Bookmarks">
              <svg width="22" height="22" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round">
                <path d="M19 21l-7-5-7 5V5a2 2 0 0 1 2-2h10a2 2 0 0 1 2 2z"/>
              </svg>
            </button>
            <button class="nav-btn" data-page="profile" aria-label="Profile">
              <svg width="22" height="22" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round">
                <path d="M20 21v-2a4 4 0 0 0-4-4H8a4 4 0 0 0-4 4v2"/>
                <circle cx="12" cy="7" r="4"/>
              </svg>
            </button>
          </nav>

          <!-- Content area -->
          <div class="content-area" id="contentArea">
            <div class="content-page active" data-content="home">
              <h2>Home</h2>
              <p>Welcome back! Here's your feed.</p>
              <div class="card-placeholder"></div>
              <div class="card-placeholder"></div>
              <div class="card-placeholder"></div>
            </div>
            <div class="content-page" data-content="search">
              <h2>Search</h2>
              <p>Find what you're looking for.</p>
              <div class="search-bar-placeholder"></div>
              <div class="card-placeholder"></div>
            </div>
            <div class="content-page" data-content="bookmarks">
              <h2>Bookmarks</h2>
              <p>Your saved items appear here.</p>
              <div class="card-placeholder"></div>
              <div class="card-placeholder"></div>
            </div>
            <div class="content-page" data-content="profile">
              <h2>Profile</h2>
              <p>Manage your account settings.</p>
              <div class="avatar-placeholder"></div>
            </div>
          </div>
        </div>
      </div>
    </div>
  </div>

  <script src="script.js"></script>
</body>
</html>

A compact vertical navigation rail on the left side with icon-only buttons. Always visible and takes minimal screen space.

Features

Narrow vertical sidebar (icon-only)
Active state with background highlight
4 nav items: Home, Search, Bookmarks, Profile
Active indicator slides between items
Content area fills remaining space

How it works

Sidebar is a fixed-width flex column on the left
Icon buttons stacked vertically with flex layout
Active item gets highlighted background
Click switches active state and updates content area