Gamut Menu

Menu, MenuItem, and MenuSeparator compose lists of actions, options, or navigation links.

Source: @codecademy/gamut — Menu.tsx

See also: gamut-accessibility — ARIA roles and focus rules. gamut-list — lower-level List primitives when Menu is too opinionated. gamut-z-index — stacking order for floating menus, including opening one inside a Modal.

Storybook: Molecules / Menu

Components

import { Menu, MenuItem, MenuSeparator } from '@codecademy/gamut';

Symbol	Role
Menu	<ul> container; sets variant, spacing, and role via context
MenuItem	Renders as <a>, <button>, or <li> depending on props
MenuSeparator	Horizontal divider (role="separator") for grouping items

When to use Menu

• Presenting a list of actions or options (assign role="menu")
• Persistent navigation links in a sidebar or page nav (wrap in <nav>, use variant="fixed")
• Floating contextual menus opened by a trigger (pair with PopoverContainer)
• Icon-only menus where each item needs a visible label on hover

Do not use Menu when:

• Selecting a value inside a form → use SelectDropdown <!-- gamut-select-dropdown skill coming in GMT-292 -->
• Organizing collapsible nav sections → use LayoutMenu
• Switching between content panels → use Tabs

Variants

variant	Use for	Border	Active style
popover	Temporary surfaces: dropdowns, context menus (default)	Yes	Bold text
fixed	Persistent sidebars and page navigation	No	Bold + bg + left bar

fixed menus must be wrapped in <nav> for semantic navigation.

Spacing

spacing	Item height	Font size
normal	48px (default)	16px
condensed	40px	14px

Roles

Scenario	Markup
Actions / options	<Menu role="menu">
Navigation links	<nav><Menu variant="fixed">…
No semantic role (display)	<Menu> with no role

When role="menu" is set, MenuItem children automatically receive role="menuitem". Nested Menu components receive role="group" automatically via MenuContext.

Props — Menu

Prop	Type	Default	Notes
variant	"popover" | "fixed"	"popover"	Controls border and active styles
spacing	"normal" | "condensed"	"normal"	Item height and font size
role	"menu" | undefined	—	Set for action/option menus
as	"ul" | "ol"	"ul"

Props — MenuItem

Prop	Type	Default	Notes
href	string	—	Renders as <a>; disabled href renders as <button>
onClick	MouseEventHandler	—	Renders as <button> (takes precedence over plain <li>)
active	boolean	—	Marks current page/action; adds screen-reader text
disabled	boolean	—	Sets aria-disabled and isDisabled styles; not disabled
icon	React.ComponentType<GamutIconProps>	—	Leading icon; 24px normal, 16px condensed
label	string | Omit<ToolTipProps, "id">	—	Required when icon-only; also optional for disabled reason
target	string	—	Passed through to <a>

Stateless component: Menu does not track which item is active or disabled. Manage these states in the parent component and pass them as props.

Disabled links: passing href + disabled together renders a <button> (not <a>) with aria-disabled. The click handler is suppressed automatically.

Basic usage

// Popover action menu
<Menu role="menu" variant="popover">
  <MenuItem onClick={handleEdit}>Edit</MenuItem>
  <MenuItem active onClick={handleView}>View</MenuItem>
  <MenuSeparator />
  <MenuItem disabled onClick={handleDelete}>Delete</MenuItem>
</Menu>

// Fixed nav menu
<nav>
  <Menu variant="fixed">
    <MenuItem href="/dashboard">Dashboard</MenuItem>
    <MenuItem active href="/settings">Settings</MenuItem>
  </Menu>
</nav>

Icon-only menus

When icon is provided and children is omitted, label is required.

• Interactive items: label populates a ToolTip
• Non-interactive items: label is used as aria-label — do not add a ToolTip; use an InfoTip instead for supplemental context

// correct — interactive icon-only with tooltip
<MenuItem icon={FileIcon} label="Open file" onClick={handleOpen} />

// correct — custom tooltip alignment
<MenuItem
  icon={PeopleIcon}
  label={{ info: 'Manage team', alignment: 'right-center' }}
  href="/team"
/>

// wrong — icon-only with no label (no accessible name)
<MenuItem icon={FileIcon} onClick={handleOpen} />

Disabled items with tooltip

Pass label on a disabled MenuItem to explain why it is unavailable.

<MenuItem
  disabled
  label={{ info: 'Requires admin access', alignment: 'right-center' }}
  onClick={handleAction}
>
  Admin action
</MenuItem>

Floating menus with PopoverContainer

Offset the PopoverContainer y-axis by 48 (normal spacing) or 32 (condensed) per item to align the popover with the triggering item. Floating menus with actions should use role="menu". Keep inline set (as below) rather than letting PopoverContainer portal — this matters more when the menu opens inside a Modal or other floating surface; see gamut-z-index.

<PopoverContainer
  alignment="top-right"
  inline
  isOpen={isOpen}
  targetRef={triggerRef}
  y={-48}
>
  <Background bg="background" borderRadius="lg">
    <Menu role="menu" variant="popover">
      <MenuItem onClick={handleAction}>Action</MenuItem>
    </Menu>
  </Background>
</PopoverContainer>

Nesting

Nested Menu components inherit variant, spacing, and role from the root via MenuContext. The nested Menu receives role="group" automatically when the root has role="menu". Indentation is applied automatically via pl: 24 on non-root lists.