Nested Indent Guide
A copy-paste drag & drop component in pure HTML & CSS. Zero dependencies, framework-agnostic, MIT-licensed.
Drag & DropHTMLCSSany framework
Press Alt plus Arrow Right to nest this item under the one above it, or Alt plus Arrow Left to un-nest.
- Project brief
- Research notes
- Wireframes
Copy into your project
HTML
<!-- Nested Indent Guide — add .nuda-dd2-indent-guide__item--nest while an
item is dragged rightward to become a child; the rail marks its new
parent. Keyboard: focus an item, Alt+ArrowRight nests, Alt+ArrowLeft un-nests. -->
<div class="nuda-dd2-indent-guide">
<p id="dd2-indent-guide-desc" class="nuda-dd2-indent-guide__sr">Press Alt plus Arrow Right to nest this item under the one above it, or Alt plus Arrow Left to un-nest.</p>
<ul class="nuda-dd2-indent-guide__list" role="listbox" aria-label="Outline" aria-describedby="dd2-indent-guide-desc">
<li class="nuda-dd2-indent-guide__item" role="option" aria-selected="false">Project brief</li>
<li class="nuda-dd2-indent-guide__item nuda-dd2-indent-guide__item--nest" role="option" aria-selected="true" tabindex="0">
<span class="nuda-dd2-indent-guide__rail" aria-hidden="true"></span>
Research notes
</li>
<li class="nuda-dd2-indent-guide__item" role="option" aria-selected="false">Wireframes</li>
</ul>
</div>CSS
.nuda-dd2-indent-guide {
width: 170px;
}
.nuda-dd2-indent-guide__sr {
position: absolute;
width: 1px;
height: 1px;
margin: -1px;
padding: 0;
overflow: hidden;
clip: rect(0,0,0,0);
white-space: nowrap;
border: 0;
}
.nuda-dd2-indent-guide__list {
list-style: none;
margin: 0;
padding: 0;
display: flex;
flex-direction: column;
gap: 5px;
}
.nuda-dd2-indent-guide__item {
position: relative;
padding: 7px 10px;
background: #161616;
border: 1px solid rgba(255,255,255,.08);
border-radius: 7px;
font: 500 11px ui-sans-serif,system-ui;
color: #cfcfcf;
}
.nuda-dd2-indent-guide__item:focus-visible {
outline: 2px solid #e4ff54;
outline-offset: 2px;
}
.nuda-dd2-indent-guide__item--nest {
color: #fafafa;
border-color: rgba(228,255,84,.4);
animation: nuda-dd2-indent-guide-nest 3s ease-in-out infinite;
}
.nuda-dd2-indent-guide__rail {
position: absolute;
left: -1px;
top: -7px;
bottom: -1px;
width: 2px;
background: #e4ff54;
border-radius: 2px;
opacity: 0;
animation: nuda-dd2-indent-guide-rail 3s ease-in-out infinite;
}
@keyframes nuda-dd2-indent-guide-nest {
0%,16%,100% {
transform: translateX(0);
}
45%,75% {
transform: translateX(16px);
}
}
@keyframes nuda-dd2-indent-guide-rail {
0%,16%,100% {
opacity: 0;
}
45%,75% {
opacity: 1;
}
}
@media (prefers-reduced-motion:reduce) {
.nuda-dd2-indent-guide__item--nest,.nuda-dd2-indent-guide__rail {
animation: none;
}
}
How to use Nested Indent Guide
Paste the HTML where you need it and the CSS into a global stylesheet (or a <style> tag). Every class is prefixed nuda- so it never collides with Tailwind or your own styles. Tweak the CSS custom properties to match your design system.
Works in React, Vue, Svelte, Astro, Next.js, Nuxt, Laravel Blade, Django, Rails — or a single .html file. No npm install, no build step.