Question 1

What is a shadcn collapsible?

Accepted Answer

A shadcn collapsible is a single self-contained disclosure widget — one trigger that toggles the visibility of one content region. Think "Show more" buttons, expandable settings rows, sidebar group toggles. It's built on Radix UI's Collapsible primitive (controlled or uncontrolled open state, ARIA wiring, smooth height-auto animations) and styled with shadcn/ui + Tailwind CSS. Each example in this gallery is a single self-contained TSX file.

Question 2

How is a Collapsible different from an Accordion?

Accepted Answer

Accordion is a SET of collapsibles where the primitive coordinates which item is open (single-mode collapses other items when a new one opens, multiple-mode lets several stay open). Collapsible is a SINGLE toggleable region with no awareness of siblings. Use Collapsible for one-off "more details" toggles, sidebar group expansion, or anywhere you want simple show/hide without coordination logic. Stack two Collapsibles next to each other and they each manage their own state.

Question 3

Are these collapsible examples free?

Accepted Answer

Yes, every collapsible example on shadcn.io is free for personal and commercial use — no attribution requirement, no runtime dependency on shadcn.io, no gating. Browse, copy the TSX source, run the installer, and ship.

Question 4

When should I use a collapsible versus a dialog or a popover?

Accepted Answer

Collapsible expands the content INLINE, pushing surrounding content down. Use it for content that's part of the page's flow but not always relevant — "Advanced settings", changelog entries, optional form fields. Dialog interrupts the page with a modal overlay. Popover floats anchored to a trigger without affecting layout. Pick by whether the disclosure should preserve page flow (collapsible) or sit above it (dialog / popover).

Question 5

Which collapsible variant fits a sidebar nav with grouped items?

Accepted Answer

Use the sidebar variant — it pairs a chevron trigger with an indented child list and rotates the chevron 180° on open via `data-[state=open]:rotate-180` on the icon. Compose one Collapsible per nav group (Workspaces, Projects, Settings) and persist their open state in localStorage so the layout survives page reloads. For nested groups, nest Collapsibles inside each other; Radix manages the inner state independently.

Question 6

How do I build a FAQ-style collapsible?

Accepted Answer

Use the faq variant. Each Q&A is its own Collapsible — the trigger is the question, the content is the answer. For a single-open behaviour (close one when the next opens), upgrade to the Accordion primitive instead; for letting multiple answers stay open simultaneously (long-form FAQs where users compare answers), Collapsibles work better. Add a `+`/`−` icon swap via `data-[state=open]:hidden` for a clearer affordance than the default chevron.

Question 7

How do I animate the open/close transition smoothly?

Accepted Answer

shadcn ships `animate-collapsible-down` / `animate-collapsible-up` keyframes that transition the content height from 0 to its measured `--radix-collapsible-content-height` (Radix exposes the variable for you). The animation feels right for content under ~300px. For taller content, ease the duration up to ~300ms and consider a fade on the children to avoid the abrupt cutoff at the bottom edge during the height transition.

Question 8

How do I install a collapsible example?

Accepted Answer

Run the `npx shadcn@latest add` command shown under the Installation heading on any example's detail page. The shadcn CLI copies the example's TSX source into your project at `components/examples/collapsible/…`, plus the shadcn/ui Collapsible primitive (and its Radix dependency) if you don't already have them.

Question 9

How do I control the collapsible from outside (programmatic open/close)?

Accepted Answer

Use the controlled API: pass `open` and `onOpenChange` props to Collapsible. Now you can call `setOpen(true)` from any handler — useful for "Expand all" / "Collapse all" buttons that toggle a group of Collapsibles by ID. The trigger button still works for direct user interaction; the controlled state just gives you a programmatic override.

Question 10

Can a collapsible's initial state come from the URL?

Accepted Answer

Yes — read a query param via `useSearchParams()` and pass `defaultOpen={params.get('expand') === 'details'}`. This makes "share a link to a specific expanded section" work for free (great for support docs and changelog entries). For App Router, wrap the Collapsible in a `"use client"` boundary because useSearchParams needs the client; the parent route can stay server-rendered.

Question 11

Which libraries do collapsible examples depend on?

Accepted Answer

Radix UI Collapsible (the primitive — open state, ARIA, content size measurement for animations), shadcn/ui Collapsible (the styled wrapper generated into your project), Tailwind CSS, and Lucide React (chevrons, plus/minus icons). React 19 baseline. No state library — `useState` or the controlled API handles everything.

Question 12

Are collapsible examples accessible for keyboard and screen reader users?

Accepted Answer

Yes. The trigger is a real `<button>` with `aria-expanded` toggling between true/false, and `aria-controls` pointing at the content region. Tab focuses the trigger; Enter / Space toggles open. Screen readers announce "button, expanded" / "button, collapsed" automatically. The content region is hidden via `display: none` when closed, so SR users skip it entirely (rather than navigating through invisible text).

Question 13

Can I use these collapsibles with React Server Components?

Accepted Answer

The Collapsible primitive is a client component (it manages open state). Wrap it in a Server Component parent and pass static content as children. For long-form expandable content fetched from a backend (changelog entries, blog post summaries), fetch on the server and stream the content into the Collapsible's children — the toggle stays client-side, the content stays server-rendered.

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