How to create collapsible navbar bootstrap

BootstrapHow-ToBeginner · 3 min read

How to Create a Collapsible Navbar in Bootstrap Easily

To create a collapsible navbar in Bootstrap, use the navbar component with a navbar-toggler button that controls a collapse element containing the navigation links. This setup makes the navbar toggle open and closed on smaller screens automatically.

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Syntax

The collapsible navbar uses these main parts:

navbar: The main container with navbar class.
navbar-toggler: A button that toggles the menu on small screens.
collapse navbar-collapse: A container that holds the links and collapses on small screens.
data-bs-toggle and data-bs-target: Attributes on the toggler button to control the collapse behavior.

html

<nav class="navbar navbar-expand-lg navbar-light bg-light">
  <div class="container-fluid">
    <a class="navbar-brand" href="#">Brand</a>
    <button class="navbar-toggler" type="button" data-bs-toggle="collapse" data-bs-target="#navbarNav" aria-controls="navbarNav" aria-expanded="false" aria-label="Toggle navigation">
      <span class="navbar-toggler-icon"></span>
    </button>
    <div class="collapse navbar-collapse" id="navbarNav">
      <ul class="navbar-nav">
        <li class="nav-item">
          <a class="nav-link active" aria-current="page" href="#">Home</a>
        </li>
        <li class="nav-item">
          <a class="nav-link" href="#">Features</a>
        </li>
        <li class="nav-item">
          <a class="nav-link" href="#">Pricing</a>
        </li>
      </ul>
    </div>
  </div>
</nav>

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Example

This example shows a complete collapsible navbar that works on all screen sizes. On small screens, the menu collapses behind a toggle button. On larger screens, the menu is fully visible.

html

<!DOCTYPE html>
<html lang="en">
<head>
  <meta charset="UTF-8" />
  <meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1" />
  <title>Bootstrap Collapsible Navbar Example</title>
  <link href="https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/npm/bootstrap@5.3.0/dist/css/bootstrap.min.css" rel="stylesheet" />
</head>
<body>
  <nav class="navbar navbar-expand-lg navbar-light bg-light">
    <div class="container-fluid">
      <a class="navbar-brand" href="#">MySite</a>
      <button class="navbar-toggler" type="button" data-bs-toggle="collapse" data-bs-target="#navbarSupportedContent" aria-controls="navbarSupportedContent" aria-expanded="false" aria-label="Toggle navigation">
        <span class="navbar-toggler-icon"></span>
      </button>
      <div class="collapse navbar-collapse" id="navbarSupportedContent">
        <ul class="navbar-nav me-auto mb-2 mb-lg-0">
          <li class="nav-item">
            <a class="nav-link active" aria-current="page" href="#">Home</a>
          </li>
          <li class="nav-item">
            <a class="nav-link" href="#">About</a>
          </li>
          <li class="nav-item">
            <a class="nav-link" href="#">Services</a>
          </li>
          <li class="nav-item">
            <a class="nav-link" href="#">Contact</a>
          </li>
        </ul>
      </div>
    </div>
  </nav>

  <script src="https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/npm/bootstrap@5.3.0/dist/js/bootstrap.bundle.min.js"></script>
</body>
</html>

Output

A responsive navigation bar with brand name and menu links that collapse into a toggle button on small screens and expand on larger screens.

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Common Pitfalls

Common mistakes when creating a collapsible navbar include:

Forgetting to include Bootstrap's JavaScript bundle, which controls the toggle behavior.
Not matching the data-bs-target attribute on the toggler button with the id of the collapse container.
Missing aria attributes that improve accessibility.
Using outdated Bootstrap versions with different attribute names (e.g., data-toggle instead of data-bs-toggle in Bootstrap 5).

html

<!-- Wrong: Missing JS and mismatched target -->
<nav class="navbar navbar-expand-lg navbar-light bg-light">
  <div class="container-fluid">
    <a class="navbar-brand" href="#">Brand</a>
    <button class="navbar-toggler" type="button" data-bs-toggle="collapse" data-bs-target="#wrongId" aria-controls="wrongId" aria-expanded="false" aria-label="Toggle navigation">
      <span class="navbar-toggler-icon"></span>
    </button>
    <div class="collapse navbar-collapse" id="navbarNav">
      <ul class="navbar-nav">
        <li class="nav-item">
          <a class="nav-link active" href="#">Home</a>
        </li>
      </ul>
    </div>
  </div>
</nav>

<!-- Right: Correct matching and include JS -->
<script src="https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/npm/bootstrap@5.3.0/dist/js/bootstrap.bundle.min.js"></script>

📊

Quick Reference

Remember these key points for a Bootstrap collapsible navbar:

Use navbar-expand-lg to control when the navbar expands.
The toggler button must have data-bs-toggle="collapse" and data-bs-target="#idOfCollapse".
The collapsible menu container must have collapse navbar-collapse classes and the matching id.
Include Bootstrap's CSS and JS bundle for styles and toggle functionality.
Use aria attributes for accessibility.

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Key Takeaways

Use the navbar-toggler button with data-bs-toggle="collapse" to control the collapsible menu.

Match the data-bs-target attribute with the id of the collapsible container exactly.

Include Bootstrap's JavaScript bundle to enable the toggle functionality.

Add proper aria attributes for better accessibility.

Use navbar-expand-lg to set when the navbar collapses on smaller screens.