Bottom Navigation Bar with Indicator in JavaScript

This JavaScript code creates a bottom navigation bar with indicator functionality. It uses event listeners to highlight active icons, providing visual feedback for navigation. The ‘moveLight’ function positions the indicator while ‘activeLink’ manages the active state of icons. This code helps build a user-friendly navigation experience.

You can use this code for web applications needing a sleek bottom navigation bar. Its benefit lies in enhancing user interaction by visually highlighting active icons during navigation.

How to Create Bottom Navigation Bar With Indicator In Javascript

1. First of all, load the BoxIcons CSS by adding the following CDN link into the head tag of your HTML document.

<link href='https://unpkg.com/boxicons@2.1.4/css/boxicons.min.css' rel='stylesheet'>

2. Set up your HTML file. Include the necessary structure for the navigation bar.

<nav class="nav">
    <ul class="nav__links">
      <li class="nav__link active">
        <a href="#"><i class='bx bx-home-alt-2'></i></a>
      </li>
      <li class="nav__link">
        <a href="#"><i class='bx bx-heart' ></i></a>
      </li>
      <li class="nav__link">
        <a href="#"><i class='bx bx-plus-circle' ></i></a>
      </li>
      <li class="nav__link">
        <a href="#"><i class='bx bx-user' ></i></a>
      </li>
      <li class="nav__link">
        <a href="#"><i class='bx bx-bell' ></i></a>
      </li>

      <div class="nav__light"></div>
    </ul>
  </nav>

3. Create a CSS file (styles.css) and style your navigation bar elements to achieve the desired appearance. You can modify colors, sizes, and positioning to match your design.

/* ------------ VARIABLES ------------ */
:root{
  /* COLORS */
  --tab-color: #191919;
  --white-color: #fff;
  --home-icon-color: #00f7ff;
  --heart-icon-color: #ff0000;
  --plus-icon-color: #adff2f;
  --user-icon-color: #ee82ee;
  --bell-icon-color: #ffff00;
}

/* ------------ BASE ------------ */
*{
  margin: 0;
  padding: 0;
  box-sizing: border-box;
  list-style: none;
}

body{
  display: flex;
  align-items: center;
  justify-content: center;
  height: 100vh;
}

li{
  display: inline-block;
}

/* ------------ MENU ------------ */
.nav{
  background-color: var(--tab-color);
  width: 30em;
  height: 8em;
  border-radius: 2em;
  padding: 0 2em;
  box-shadow: 0 1em 1em rgba(0,0,0, .2);

  display: flex;
  align-items: center;

  position: relative;
  overflow: hidden;
}

.nav__links{
  width: 100%;
  display: flex;
  justify-content: space-between;
}

.nav__link a{
  color: var(--white-color);
  font-size: 2.5rem;
  opacity: 0.5;
}

.nav__light{
  position: absolute;
  top: 0;
  left: 1.3em;
  background-color: var(--white-color);
  width: 4em;
  height: .4em;
  border-radius: 2px;

  display: flex;
  justify-content: center;

  transition: .3s ease;
}

.nav__light::before{
  content: '';
  width: 5em;
  height: 7em;
  position: absolute;
  top: .4em;
  background: linear-gradient(to bottom, rgba(255,255,255, .3) -50%, rgba(255,255,255, 0) 90%);
  clip-path: polygon(30% 0, 70% 0, 100% 100%, 0% 100%);
}


.nav__link.active a{
  opacity: 1;
}

.nav__link.active a .bx-home-alt-2{
  color: var(--home-icon-color);
  text-shadow: 0 0 15px var(--home-icon-color),
               0 0 30px var(--home-icon-color),
               0 0 45px var(--home-icon-color),
               0 0 60px var(--home-icon-color);
}

.nav__link:nth-child(1).active ~ .nav__light{
  background-color: var(--home-icon-color);
}


.nav__link.active a .bx-heart{
  color: var(--heart-icon-color);
  text-shadow: 0 0 15px var(--heart-icon-color),
               0 0 30px var(--heart-icon-color),
               0 0 45px var(--heart-icon-color),
               0 0 60px var(--heart-icon-color);
}

.nav__link:nth-child(2).active ~ .nav__light{
  background-color: var(--heart-icon-color);
}


.nav__link.active a .bx-plus-circle{
  color: var(--plus-icon-color);
  text-shadow: 0 0 15px var(--plus-icon-color),
               0 0 30px var(--plus-icon-color),
               0 0 45px var(--plus-icon-color),
               0 0 60px var(--plus-icon-color);
}

.nav__link:nth-child(3).active ~ .nav__light{
  background-color: var(--plus-icon-color);
}



.nav__link.active a .bx-user{
  color: var(--user-icon-color);
  text-shadow: 0 0 15px var(--user-icon-color),
               0 0 30px var(--user-icon-color),
               0 0 45px var(--user-icon-color),
               0 0 60px var(--user-icon-color);
}

.nav__link:nth-child(4).active ~ .nav__light{
  background-color: var(--user-icon-color);
}


.nav__link.active a .bx-bell{
  color: var(--bell-icon-color);
  text-shadow: 0 0 15px var(--bell-icon-color),
               0 0 30px var(--bell-icon-color),
               0 0 45px var(--bell-icon-color),
               0 0 60px var(--bell-icon-color);
}

.nav__link:nth-child(5).active ~ .nav__light{
  background-color: var(--bell-icon-color);
}

4. Finally, in a JavaScript file (script.js), implement the logic for the navigation bar functionality.

const links = document.querySelectorAll('.nav__link');
const light = document.querySelector('.nav__light');

function moveLight({offsetLeft, offsetWidth}){
  light.style.left = `${offsetLeft - offsetWidth/4}px`;
}

function activeLink(linkActive){
  links.forEach(link => {
    link.classList.remove('active');
    linkActive.classList.add('active');
  })
}


links.forEach((link) => {
  link.addEventListener('click', (event) => {
    moveLight(event.target);
    activeLink(link);
  })
})

If desired, you can customize the colors of the icons by adjusting the variables in the CSS ‘:root’ section. This step allows you to personalize the navigation bar to match your application’s theme.

That’s all! hopefully, you have successfully created a Bottom Navigation Bar With Indicator on your website. If you have any questions or suggestions, feel free to comment below.

Asif Mughal

I code and create web elements for amazing people around the world. I like work with new people. New people new Experiences.
I truly enjoy what I’m doing, which makes me more passionate about web development and coding. I am always ready to do challenging tasks whether it is about creating a custom CMS from scratch or customizing an existing system.