Nav tabs and pills in Bootsrap - Cheat Sheet & Quick Revision

Recall & Review

beginner

What are nav tabs in Bootstrap?

Nav tabs are a Bootstrap component that creates a horizontal menu with clickable tabs to switch between different content sections without reloading the page.

beginner

How do nav pills differ visually from nav tabs?

Nav pills have rounded edges and look like buttons, while nav tabs have square edges and look like traditional tabs. Both serve to switch content but have different styles.

beginner

Which Bootstrap class is used to create a nav container for tabs or pills?

The class nav is used as the base container. Then add nav-tabs for tabs or nav-pills for pills styling.

beginner

How do you mark a tab or pill as active in Bootstrap?

Add the class active to the <li> or <a> element representing the tab or pill to show it as selected.

intermediate

What role do data-bs-toggle="tab" attributes play in Bootstrap nav tabs?

They enable the tab switching behavior by telling Bootstrap JavaScript to show the linked tab content when the tab is clicked.

Which class creates a Bootstrap nav container styled as tabs?

A nav-pills

B nav-tabs

C nav-buttons

D nav-list

The class nav-tabs styles the nav container as tabs.

What class do you add to a nav item to show it as active?

A active

B current

C selected

D highlight

The active class marks the tab or pill as selected.

Which attribute enables tab switching behavior in Bootstrap nav tabs?

A data-bs-toggle="tab"

B data-toggle="pill"

C data-switch="nav"

D data-nav="active"

data-bs-toggle="tab" tells Bootstrap to switch tab content on click.

How do nav pills visually differ from nav tabs?

A Pills have square edges, tabs have rounded edges

B Pills use icons, tabs use text

C Pills have rounded edges, tabs have square edges

D Pills are vertical, tabs are horizontal

Nav pills have rounded edges like buttons; tabs have square edges.

Which HTML element usually contains the nav items in Bootstrap nav tabs?

A <footer>

B <section>

C <div>

D <ul>

A

list is commonly used to hold nav items.

Explain how to create a basic Bootstrap nav tabs component and how it works.

Think about the HTML structure and Bootstrap classes needed.

Describe the visual and functional differences between nav tabs and nav pills in Bootstrap.

Focus on style and usage differences.

Practice

1. What is the main difference between nav-tabs and nav-pills in Bootstrap navigation?

easy

A. nav-tabs requires JavaScript, nav-pills does not.

B. nav-tabs shows tabs with borders, nav-pills shows rounded pill-shaped links.

C. nav-tabs is for vertical menus, nav-pills is for horizontal menus only.

D. nav-tabs disables links, nav-pills enables links.

Solution

1. Step 1: Understand Bootstrap navigation styles

   nav-tabs creates a tab-like navigation with rectangular borders around each item.

2. Step 2: Compare with nav-pills

   nav-pills styles navigation links as rounded pills, giving a softer look.

3. Final Answer:

   nav-tabs shows tabs with borders, nav-pills shows rounded pill-shaped links. -> Option B

4. Quick Check:

   Tabs = rectangular, Pills = rounded [OK]

Hint: Tabs have edges, pills are rounded shapes [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Thinking nav-tabs are vertical only
• Believing nav-pills don't need JS
• Confusing disabled/enabled states

2. Which of the following is the correct Bootstrap class to create a pill-style navigation list?

easy

A. <ul class='nav-tabs'>

B. <ul class='nav nav-tabs-pills'>

C. <ul class='nav nav-pills'>

D. <ul class='nav pills'>

Solution

1. Step 1: Recall Bootstrap classes for pills

   The correct class for pill navigation is nav-pills combined with nav.

2. Step 2: Check each option

   <ul class='nav nav-pills'> uses nav nav-pills, which is correct. Others have incorrect or non-existent classes.

3. Final Answer:

   <ul class='nav nav-pills'> -> Option C

4. Quick Check:

   Use nav nav-pills for pills [OK]

Hint: Use both 'nav' and 'nav-pills' classes together [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Using only 'pills' without 'nav'
• Combining 'nav-tabs' and 'pills' incorrectly
• Misspelling class names

3. Given this Bootstrap nav tab code snippet, what will be the visual result in the browser?

<ul class='nav nav-tabs' role='tablist'>
  <li class='nav-item'>
    <a class='nav-link active' href='#home' role='tab' aria-selected='true'>Home</a>
  </li>
  <li class='nav-item'>
    <a class='nav-link' href='#profile' role='tab' aria-selected='false'>Profile</a>
  </li>
</ul>

medium

A. Two tabs labeled 'Home' and 'Profile', with 'Home' highlighted as active.

B. Two pill-shaped buttons labeled 'Home' and 'Profile', both inactive.

C. A vertical list of links with no active highlight.

D. Tabs labeled 'Home' and 'Profile' but both disabled.

Solution

1. Step 1: Analyze the classes and attributes

   The nav-tabs class creates tab style navigation. The nav-link active class highlights the 'Home' tab as active.

2. Step 2: Understand the visual effect

   'Home' tab will appear selected with a border, 'Profile' will appear as a normal tab link.

3. Final Answer:

   Two tabs labeled 'Home' and 'Profile', with 'Home' highlighted as active. -> Option A

4. Quick Check:

   Active tab is highlighted in nav-tabs [OK]

Hint: Active tab uses 'nav-link active' class [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Confusing pills with tabs visually
• Assuming both tabs are active
• Ignoring role and aria attributes

4. Identify the error in this Bootstrap nav pills code snippet:

<ul class='nav nav-pills'>
  <li class='nav-item'>
    <a class='nav-link active' data-toggle='tab' href='#home'>Home</a>
  </li>
  <li class='nav-item'>
    <a class='nav-link' data-toggle='tab' href='#profile'>Profile</a>
  </li>
</ul>

medium

A. The attribute data-toggle should be data-bs-toggle in Bootstrap 5+.

B. The class nav-pills is invalid and should be nav-tabs.

C. The href attributes must be full URLs, not fragment IDs.

D. The nav-item class should be on the a tags, not li.

Solution

1. Step 1: Check Bootstrap version attribute changes

   Bootstrap 5 replaced data-toggle with data-bs-toggle for JavaScript plugins.

2. Step 2: Verify other attributes and classes

   nav-pills is valid, href can use fragment IDs, and nav-item belongs on li.

3. Final Answer:

   The attribute data-toggle should be data-bs-toggle in Bootstrap 5+. -> Option A

4. Quick Check:

   Use 'data-bs-toggle' in Bootstrap 5+ [OK]

Hint: Bootstrap 5 uses 'data-bs-toggle' not 'data-toggle' [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Using old Bootstrap 4 attributes
• Misplacing classes on wrong elements
• Thinking href must be full URL

5. You want to create a responsive Bootstrap nav with pills that switch content panels on click. Which combination of classes and attributes is correct to ensure accessibility and proper tab switching?

hard

A. <ul class='nav nav-pills'> <li class='nav-item'> <a class='nav-link' href='#home' role='tab' aria-selected='false'>Home</a> </li> </ul>

B. <ul class='nav nav-tabs' role='navigation'> <li> <a class='nav-link' href='#home'>Home</a> </li> </ul>

C. <div class='nav nav-pills'> <a class='nav-link' data-toggle='tab' href='#home'>Home</a> </div>

D. <ul class='nav nav-pills' role='tablist'> <li class='nav-item'> <a class='nav-link active' id='home-tab' data-bs-toggle='pill' href='#home' role='tab' aria-controls='home' aria-selected='true'>Home</a> </li> </ul>

Solution

1. Step 1: Identify correct classes and roles for pills navigation

   Use nav nav-pills on ul with role='tablist' for accessibility.

2. Step 2: Check anchor attributes for tab switching and accessibility

   Anchors need id, data-bs-toggle='pill', href to panel, role='tab', aria-controls, and aria-selected.

3. Step 3: Confirm active state on the selected tab

   The active tab has nav-link active and aria-selected='true'.

4. Final Answer:

   <ul class='nav nav-pills' role='tablist'> <li class='nav-item'> <a class='nav-link active' id='home-tab' data-bs-toggle='pill' href='#home' role='tab' aria-controls='home' aria-selected='true'>Home</a> </li> </ul> -> Option D

5. Quick Check:

   Use 'nav-pills' with proper roles and 'data-bs-toggle' [OK]

Hint: Use 'data-bs-toggle', roles, and aria attributes for tabs [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Omitting role or aria attributes
• Using old 'data-toggle' instead of 'data-bs-toggle'
• Missing active class on selected tab