Drawer / Side Panel

Opens contextual controls or details from an edge while preserving the page behind it.

Where to use it

Open it from a screen edge for secondary details or controls that should preserve the user’s context on the underlying page.

When to use it

Use it for contextual details or controls that should preserve awareness of the underlying page.

When not to use it

Avoid it for deep multi-step flows or content that really needs a full page.

Behavior and rules

Keep the originating page visible where possible and use the drawer for a secondary workflow or detail task that needs more room than a popover.

Anatomy

Page context: The page behind stays in view, so people keep their place (the table and the selected row).
Drawer surface: A panel from the edge (the end side in RTL). Modal drawers trap focus; non-modal ones do not.
Drawer header: Names the record (Customer: Acme) and holds a close button.
Drawer content: Details or a short form that scrolls on its own, without moving the page behind.
Actions: A pinned footer with Save / Close, always reachable without scrolling.

All lessons

Bar Chart — Compares values across categories using length on a common scale.
Line Chart — Shows change across an ordered sequence, most often time.
Area Chart — Emphasizes magnitude over an ordered sequence by filling the area under a line.
Pie / Donut Chart — Shows a small number of parts that make up one meaningful whole.
Scatter Plot — Reveals relationships, clusters and outliers between two numeric variables.
Histogram — Shows the distribution of a numeric variable across value ranges.
Box Plot — Summarizes distribution, median, spread and potential outliers compactly.
Heatmap — Uses color intensity across a matrix to reveal patterns and concentration.
Treemap — Shows hierarchical part-to-whole relationships through nested rectangles.
Funnel Chart — Shows how a population changes through ordered stages of a process.
Waterfall Chart — Explains how positive and negative contributions produce a final total.
Sparkline — Shows a compact trend without the full framing of a standard chart.
Gauge — Shows one value within a bounded range when position against a threshold matters.
Combo Chart — Combines compatible visual marks when two related measures need coordinated comparison.
Geographic Data Map — Maps values to locations or regions when geography is part of the question.
KPI / Stat Card — Presents one important metric with enough context to judge its current value and change.
Data Table — Presents structured records in rows and columns, with table-level search, filtering, sorting, selection and pagination treated as parts of the whole component.
Dashboard Card / Panel — Groups one coherent dashboard task, metric or visualization into a bounded region with clear hierarchy.
Filter Bar — Places the most important scope controls close to the data they affect.
Filter Panel — Collects a larger set of filtering controls in a dedicated surface.
Date Picker / Date Range Picker — Lets users choose one date or a bounded time range for reports, filters and analytics.
Sidebar Navigation — Provides persistent access to major dashboard destinations and groups.
Top App Bar — Holds page identity, global actions and high-priority controls at the top of an application.
Breadcrumbs — Shows hierarchy and provides a path back through nested dashboard levels.
Tabs — Switches between peer views inside the same dashboard context.
Alert / Banner — Communicates important contextual or page-wide information that should remain visible until understood or resolved.
Toast — Confirms a brief asynchronous outcome without blocking the current task.
Notification Center — Collects system and workflow updates that users may need to revisit.
Dropdown / Overflow Menu — Moves lower-priority or contextual actions into an on-demand menu.
Modal / Dialog — Creates a focused temporary task that may block interaction with the underlying dashboard.
Drawer / Side Panel — Opens contextual controls or details from an edge while preserving the page behind it.