Frontend Development Guidelines (Next.js + Tailwind)

Purpose

Comprehensive guide for modern Next.js development with React, emphasizing Suspense-based data fetching, lazy loading, proper file organization, Tailwind CSS styling, and performance optimization.

When to Use This Skill

• •Creating new components or pages
• •Building new features
• •Fetching data from APIs
• •Setting up routing with Next.js App Router
• •Styling components with Tailwind CSS
• •Performance optimization
• •Organizing frontend code
• •TypeScript best practices

Quick Start

New Component Checklist

Creating a component? Follow this checklist:

• • Use proper TypeScript types for props
• • Use 'use client' directive if component uses hooks (Next.js)
• • Use dynamic() import for heavy components: dynamic(() => import())
• • Wrap in <Suspense> for loading states
• • Use fetch() or external libraries for data fetching
• • Style with Tailwind CSS classes
• • Use useCallback for event handlers passed to children
• • Default export at bottom
• • No early returns with loading spinners
• • Use proper error boundaries for error handling

New Feature Checklist

Creating a feature? Set up this structure in the app/ directory:

• • Create feature directory: app/{feature-name}/
• • Create subdirectories: components/, hooks/, api/, lib/, types/
• • Create page file: app/{feature-name}/page.tsx
• • Create layout if needed: app/{feature-name}/layout.tsx
• • Set up TypeScript types in types/
• • Create API routes in app/api/{feature}/ if needed
• • Lazy load heavy feature components with dynamic()
• • Use Suspense boundaries for async operations
• • Export utilities from feature lib/ directory

Import Aliases Quick Reference

ChoreQuest uses standard Next.js paths (no custom aliases currently). Use paths relative to app/:

// From components within app/
import { ComponentName } from '@/components/component-name'
import { useSomeHook } from '@/hooks/use-some-hook'
import type { TypeName } from '@/types/type-name'

// From API routes
import { someUtil } from '@/lib/utils'

Defined in: jsconfig.json or tsconfig.json

Common Imports Cheatsheet

// React & Next.js
import React, { useState, useCallback, useMemo, Suspense } from 'react';
import dynamic from 'next/dynamic';
import { useRouter } from 'next/navigation';

// Tailwind & UI
import clsx from 'clsx';
import { Lucide icons } from 'lucide-react';  // e.g., Check, X, AlertCircle

// Async & Data Fetching
import { headers } from 'next/headers';

// Project Utilities
import { cn } from '@/lib/utils';

// Custom Hooks
import { useAuth } from '@/hooks/useAuth';
import { useSomeHook } from '@/hooks/use-some-hook';

// Types
import type { User } from '@/types/user';
import type { Database } from '@/types/database';

Topic Guides

🎨 Component Patterns

Modern React components use:

• •React.FC<Props> for type safety
• •React.lazy() for code splitting
• •SuspenseLoader for loading states
• •Named const + default export pattern

Key Concepts:

• •Lazy load heavy components (DataGrid, charts, editors)
• •Always wrap lazy components in Suspense
• •Use SuspenseLoader component (with fade animation)
• •Component structure: Props → Hooks → Handlers → Render → Export

📖 Complete Guide: resources/component-patterns.md

📊 Data Fetching

PRIMARY PATTERN: useSuspenseQuery

• •Use with Suspense boundaries
• •Cache-first strategy (check grid cache before API)
• •Replaces isLoading checks
• •Type-safe with generics

API Service Layer:

• •Create features/{feature}/api/{feature}Api.ts
• •Use apiClient axios instance
• •Centralized methods per feature
• •Route format: /form/route (NOT /api/form/route)

📖 Complete Guide: resources/data-fetching.md

📁 File Organization

features/ vs components/:

• •features/: Domain-specific (posts, comments, auth)
• •components/: Truly reusable (SuspenseLoader, CustomAppBar)

Feature Subdirectories:

features/
  my-feature/
    api/          # API service layer
    components/   # Feature components
    hooks/        # Custom hooks
    helpers/      # Utility functions
    types/        # TypeScript types

📖 Complete Guide: resources/file-organization.md

🎨 Styling

Inline vs Separate:

• •<100 lines: Inline const styles: Record<string, SxProps<Theme>>
• •

  100 lines: Separate .styles.ts file

Primary Method:

• •Use sx prop for MUI components
• •Type-safe with SxProps<Theme>
• •Theme access: (theme) => theme.palette.primary.main

MUI v7 Grid:

<Grid size={{ xs: 12, md: 6 }}>  // ✅ v7 syntax
<Grid xs={12} md={6}>             // ❌ Old syntax

📖 Complete Guide: resources/styling-guide.md

🛣️ Routing

TanStack Router - Folder-Based:

• •Directory: routes/my-route/index.tsx
• •Lazy load components
• •Use createFileRoute
• •Breadcrumb data in loader

Example:

import { createFileRoute } from '@tanstack/react-router';
import { lazy } from 'react';

const MyPage = lazy(() => import('@/features/my-feature/components/MyPage'));

export const Route = createFileRoute('/my-route/')({
    component: MyPage,
    loader: () => ({ crumb: 'My Route' }),
});

📖 Complete Guide: resources/routing-guide.md

⏳ Loading & Error States

CRITICAL RULE: No Early Returns

// ❌ NEVER - Causes layout shift
if (isLoading) {
    return <LoadingSpinner />;
}

// ✅ ALWAYS - Consistent layout
<SuspenseLoader>
    <Content />
</SuspenseLoader>

Why: Prevents Cumulative Layout Shift (CLS), better UX

Error Handling:

• •Use useMuiSnackbar for user feedback
• •NEVER react-toastify
• •TanStack Query onError callbacks

📖 Complete Guide: resources/loading-and-error-states.md

⚡ Performance

Optimization Patterns:

• •useMemo: Expensive computations (filter, sort, map)
• •useCallback: Event handlers passed to children
• •React.memo: Expensive components
• •Debounced search (300-500ms)
• •Memory leak prevention (cleanup in useEffect)

📖 Complete Guide: resources/performance.md

📘 TypeScript

Standards:

• •Strict mode, no any type
• •Explicit return types on functions
• •Type imports: import type { User } from '~types/user'
• •Component prop interfaces with JSDoc

📖 Complete Guide: resources/typescript-standards.md

🔧 Common Patterns

Covered Topics:

• •React Hook Form with Zod validation
• •DataGrid wrapper contracts
• •Dialog component standards
• •useAuth hook for current user
• •Mutation patterns with cache invalidation

📖 Complete Guide: resources/common-patterns.md

📚 Complete Examples

Full working examples:

• •Modern component with all patterns
• •Complete feature structure
• •API service layer
• •Route with lazy loading
• •Suspense + useSuspenseQuery
• •Form with validation

📖 Complete Guide: resources/complete-examples.md

Navigation Guide

Core Principles

1. •Lazy Load Everything Heavy: Routes, DataGrid, charts, editors
2. •Suspense for Loading: Use SuspenseLoader, not early returns
3. •useSuspenseQuery: Primary data fetching pattern for new code
4. •Features are Organized: api/, components/, hooks/, helpers/ subdirs
5. •Styles Based on Size: <100 inline, >100 separate
6. •Import Aliases: Use @/, ~types, ~components, ~features
7. •No Early Returns: Prevents layout shift
8. •useMuiSnackbar: For all user notifications

Quick Reference: File Structure

src/
  features/
    my-feature/
      api/
        myFeatureApi.ts       # API service
      components/
        MyFeature.tsx         # Main component
        SubComponent.tsx      # Related components
      hooks/
        useMyFeature.ts       # Custom hooks
        useSuspenseMyFeature.ts  # Suspense hooks
      helpers/
        myFeatureHelpers.ts   # Utilities
      types/
        index.ts              # TypeScript types
      index.ts                # Public exports

  components/
    SuspenseLoader/
      SuspenseLoader.tsx      # Reusable loader
    CustomAppBar/
      CustomAppBar.tsx        # Reusable app bar

  routes/
    my-route/
      index.tsx               # Route component
      create/
        index.tsx             # Nested route

Modern Component Template (Quick Copy)

import React, { useState, useCallback } from 'react';
import { Box, Paper } from '@mui/material';
import { useSuspenseQuery } from '@tanstack/react-query';
import { featureApi } from '../api/featureApi';
import type { FeatureData } from '~types/feature';

interface MyComponentProps {
    id: number;
    onAction?: () => void;
}

export const MyComponent: React.FC<MyComponentProps> = ({ id, onAction }) => {
    const [state, setState] = useState<string>('');

    const { data } = useSuspenseQuery({
        queryKey: ['feature', id],
        queryFn: () => featureApi.getFeature(id),
    });

    const handleAction = useCallback(() => {
        setState('updated');
        onAction?.();
    }, [onAction]);

    return (
        <Box sx={{ p: 2 }}>
            <Paper sx={{ p: 3 }}>
                {/* Content */}
            </Paper>
        </Box>
    );
};

export default MyComponent;

For complete examples, see resources/complete-examples.md

Related Skills

• •error-tracking: Error tracking with Sentry (applies to frontend too)
• •backend-dev-guidelines: Backend API patterns that frontend consumes

Skill Status: Modular structure with progressive loading for optimal context management