Atomic Design: Framework Integration

Master the integration of Atomic Design methodology with modern frontend frameworks. This skill covers React, Vue, Angular, and general patterns for implementing atomic component hierarchies.

React Integration

Project Structure

src/
  components/
    atoms/
      Button/
        Button.tsx
        Button.module.css
        Button.test.tsx
        Button.stories.tsx
        index.ts
      index.ts                 # Barrel export
    molecules/
      FormField/
        FormField.tsx
        FormField.module.css
        FormField.test.tsx
        index.ts
      index.ts
    organisms/
      Header/
        Header.tsx
        Header.module.css
        useHeader.ts           # Custom hook
        index.ts
      index.ts
    templates/
      MainLayout/
        MainLayout.tsx
        MainLayout.module.css
        index.ts
      index.ts
    index.ts                   # Main barrel export
  pages/                       # Next.js or page components
    HomePage/
      HomePage.tsx
      index.ts

Barrel Exports Pattern

// components/atoms/index.ts
export { Button } from './Button';
export type { ButtonProps } from './Button';

export { Input } from './Input';
export type { InputProps } from './Input';

export { Label } from './Label';
export type { LabelProps } from './Label';

export { Icon } from './Icon';
export type { IconProps } from './Icon';

// components/index.ts
export * from './atoms';
export * from './molecules';
export * from './organisms';
export * from './templates';

Component Template (React/TypeScript)

// components/atoms/Button/Button.tsx
import React, { forwardRef } from 'react';
import type { ButtonHTMLAttributes } from 'react';
import styles from './Button.module.css';
import { clsx } from 'clsx';

export type ButtonVariant = 'primary' | 'secondary' | 'tertiary';
export type ButtonSize = 'sm' | 'md' | 'lg';

export interface ButtonProps extends ButtonHTMLAttributes<HTMLButtonElement> {
  variant?: ButtonVariant;
  size?: ButtonSize;
  fullWidth?: boolean;
  isLoading?: boolean;
  leftIcon?: React.ReactNode;
  rightIcon?: React.ReactNode;
}

export const Button = forwardRef<HTMLButtonElement, ButtonProps>(
  (
    {
      variant = 'primary',
      size = 'md',
      fullWidth = false,
      isLoading = false,
      leftIcon,
      rightIcon,
      disabled,
      children,
      className,
      ...props
    },
    ref
  ) => {
    return (
      <button
        ref={ref}
        className={clsx(
          styles.button,
          styles[variant],
          styles[size],
          fullWidth && styles.fullWidth,
          isLoading && styles.loading,
          className
        )}
        disabled={disabled || isLoading}
        aria-busy={isLoading}
        {...props}
      >
        {isLoading ? (
          <span className={styles.spinner} aria-hidden="true" />
        ) : (
          <>
            {leftIcon && <span className={styles.leftIcon}>{leftIcon}</span>}
            {children}
            {rightIcon && <span className={styles.rightIcon}>{rightIcon}</span>}
          </>
        )}
      </button>
    );
  }
);

Button.displayName = 'Button';

Custom Hooks with Atomic Design

// organisms/Header/useHeader.ts
import { useState, useCallback } from 'react';

interface UseHeaderOptions {
  user?: { id: string; name: string };
  onLogout?: () => void;
}

export function useHeader({ user, onLogout }: UseHeaderOptions) {
  const [menuOpen, setMenuOpen] = useState(false);
  const [searchQuery, setSearchQuery] = useState('');

  const toggleMenu = useCallback(() => {
    setMenuOpen((prev) => !prev);
  }, []);

  const handleSearch = useCallback((query: string) => {
    setSearchQuery(query);
    // Could trigger search action here
  }, []);

  const handleLogout = useCallback(() => {
    setMenuOpen(false);
    onLogout?.();
  }, [onLogout]);

  return {
    menuOpen,
    toggleMenu,
    searchQuery,
    handleSearch,
    handleLogout,
    isAuthenticated: !!user,
  };
}

Context for Design Tokens

// contexts/ThemeContext.tsx
import React, { createContext, useContext, useState } from 'react';

interface Theme {
  colors: {
    primary: string;
    secondary: string;
    background: string;
    text: string;
  };
  spacing: {
    xs: string;
    sm: string;
    md: string;
    lg: string;
  };
}

const defaultTheme: Theme = {
  colors: {
    primary: '#2196f3',
    secondary: '#f50057',
    background: '#ffffff',
    text: '#212121',
  },
  spacing: {
    xs: '4px',
    sm: '8px',
    md: '16px',
    lg: '24px',
  },
};

const ThemeContext = createContext<{
  theme: Theme;
  setTheme: (theme: Theme) => void;
}>({
  theme: defaultTheme,
  setTheme: () => {},
});

export const ThemeProvider: React.FC<{ children: React.ReactNode }> = ({
  children,
}) => {
  const [theme, setTheme] = useState(defaultTheme);

  return (
    <ThemeContext.Provider value={{ theme, setTheme }}>
      {children}
    </ThemeContext.Provider>
  );
};

export const useTheme = () => useContext(ThemeContext);

Vue Integration

Project Structure (Vue 3)

src/
  components/
    atoms/
      VButton/
        VButton.vue
        VButton.spec.ts
        index.ts
      VInput/
      index.ts
    molecules/
      VFormField/
        VFormField.vue
        useFormField.ts
        index.ts
      index.ts
    organisms/
      VHeader/
        VHeader.vue
        index.ts
      index.ts
    templates/
      MainLayout/
        MainLayout.vue
        index.ts

Vue Component Template

<!-- components/atoms/VButton/VButton.vue -->
<template>
  <button
    :class="buttonClasses"
    :disabled="disabled || loading"
    :aria-busy="loading"
    v-bind="$attrs"
  >
    <span v-if="loading" class="spinner" aria-hidden="true" />
    <template v-else>
      <span v-if="$slots.leftIcon" class="left-icon">
        <slot name="leftIcon" />
      </span>
      <slot />
      <span v-if="$slots.rightIcon" class="right-icon">
        <slot name="rightIcon" />
      </span>
    </template>
  </button>
</template>

<script setup lang="ts">
import { computed } from 'vue';

export interface ButtonProps {
  variant?: 'primary' | 'secondary' | 'tertiary';
  size?: 'sm' | 'md' | 'lg';
  fullWidth?: boolean;
  loading?: boolean;
  disabled?: boolean;
}

const props = withDefaults(defineProps<ButtonProps>(), {
  variant: 'primary',
  size: 'md',
  fullWidth: false,
  loading: false,
  disabled: false,
});

const buttonClasses = computed(() => [
  'btn',
  `btn-${props.variant}`,
  `btn-${props.size}`,
  { 'btn-full': props.fullWidth, 'btn-loading': props.loading },
]);
</script>

<style scoped>
.btn {
  display: inline-flex;
  align-items: center;
  justify-content: center;
  gap: 8px;
  border: none;
  border-radius: 6px;
  font-weight: 500;
  cursor: pointer;
  transition: all 150ms ease;
}

.btn-primary {
  background-color: var(--color-primary);
  color: white;
}

.btn-sm {
  padding: 6px 12px;
  font-size: 14px;
}

.btn-md {
  padding: 8px 16px;
  font-size: 16px;
}

.btn-lg {
  padding: 12px 24px;
  font-size: 18px;
}

.btn-full {
  width: 100%;
}

.btn:disabled {
  opacity: 0.5;
  cursor: not-allowed;
}
</style>

Vue Composables (Hooks)

// components/organisms/VHeader/useHeader.ts
import { ref, computed } from 'vue';
import type { Ref } from 'vue';

interface User {
  id: string;
  name: string;
}

export function useHeader(user: Ref<User | null>) {
  const menuOpen = ref(false);
  const searchQuery = ref('');

  const isAuthenticated = computed(() => !!user.value);

  const toggleMenu = () => {
    menuOpen.value = !menuOpen.value;
  };

  const handleSearch = (query: string) => {
    searchQuery.value = query;
  };

  return {
    menuOpen,
    searchQuery,
    isAuthenticated,
    toggleMenu,
    handleSearch,
  };
}

Angular Integration

Project Structure (Angular)

src/
  app/
    components/
      atoms/
        button/
          button.component.ts
          button.component.html
          button.component.scss
          button.component.spec.ts
        input/
        atoms.module.ts
      molecules/
        form-field/
          form-field.component.ts
          form-field.component.html
        molecules.module.ts
      organisms/
        header/
          header.component.ts
          header.service.ts
        organisms.module.ts
      templates/
        main-layout/
          main-layout.component.ts
        templates.module.ts
    pages/
      home/
        home.component.ts

Angular Component Template

// components/atoms/button/button.component.ts
import { Component, Input, Output, EventEmitter } from '@angular/core';
import { CommonModule } from '@angular/common';

export type ButtonVariant = 'primary' | 'secondary' | 'tertiary';
export type ButtonSize = 'sm' | 'md' | 'lg';

@Component({
  selector: 'app-button',
  standalone: true,
  imports: [CommonModule],
  template: `
    <button
      [class]="buttonClasses"
      [disabled]="disabled || loading"
      [attr.aria-busy]="loading"
      (click)="onClick.emit($event)"
    >
      <span *ngIf="loading" class="spinner" aria-hidden="true"></span>
      <ng-container *ngIf="!loading">
        <ng-content select="[leftIcon]"></ng-content>
        <ng-content></ng-content>
        <ng-content select="[rightIcon]"></ng-content>
      </ng-container>
    </button>
  `,
  styleUrls: ['./button.component.scss'],
})
export class ButtonComponent {
  @Input() variant: ButtonVariant = 'primary';
  @Input() size: ButtonSize = 'md';
  @Input() fullWidth = false;
  @Input() loading = false;
  @Input() disabled = false;

  @Output() onClick = new EventEmitter<MouseEvent>();

  get buttonClasses(): string {
    return [
      'btn',
      `btn-${this.variant}`,
      `btn-${this.size}`,
      this.fullWidth ? 'btn-full' : '',
      this.loading ? 'btn-loading' : '',
    ]
      .filter(Boolean)
      .join(' ');
  }
}

Angular Module Organization

// components/atoms/atoms.module.ts
import { NgModule } from '@angular/core';
import { CommonModule } from '@angular/common';
import { ButtonComponent } from './button/button.component';
import { InputComponent } from './input/input.component';
import { LabelComponent } from './label/label.component';
import { IconComponent } from './icon/icon.component';

@NgModule({
  imports: [CommonModule],
  declarations: [
    ButtonComponent,
    InputComponent,
    LabelComponent,
    IconComponent,
  ],
  exports: [ButtonComponent, InputComponent, LabelComponent, IconComponent],
})
export class AtomsModule {}

// components/molecules/molecules.module.ts
import { NgModule } from '@angular/core';
import { CommonModule } from '@angular/common';
import { AtomsModule } from '../atoms/atoms.module';
import { FormFieldComponent } from './form-field/form-field.component';
import { SearchFormComponent } from './search-form/search-form.component';

@NgModule({
  imports: [CommonModule, AtomsModule],
  declarations: [FormFieldComponent, SearchFormComponent],
  exports: [FormFieldComponent, SearchFormComponent],
})
export class MoleculesModule {}

Storybook Integration

Story File Template

// components/atoms/Button/Button.stories.tsx
import type { Meta, StoryObj } from '@storybook/react';
import { Button } from './Button';
import { Icon } from '../Icon';

const meta: Meta<typeof Button> = {
  title: 'Atoms/Button',
  component: Button,
  tags: ['autodocs'],
  argTypes: {
    variant: {
      control: 'select',
      options: ['primary', 'secondary', 'tertiary'],
      description: 'Visual style variant',
    },
    size: {
      control: 'select',
      options: ['sm', 'md', 'lg'],
      description: 'Size of the button',
    },
    fullWidth: {
      control: 'boolean',
      description: 'Whether button takes full width',
    },
    isLoading: {
      control: 'boolean',
      description: 'Loading state',
    },
    disabled: {
      control: 'boolean',
      description: 'Disabled state',
    },
  },
  args: {
    children: 'Button',
  },
};

export default meta;
type Story = StoryObj<typeof Button>;

export const Primary: Story = {
  args: {
    variant: 'primary',
  },
};

export const Secondary: Story = {
  args: {
    variant: 'secondary',
  },
};

export const WithIcons: Story = {
  args: {
    leftIcon: <Icon name="plus" size="sm" />,
    children: 'Add Item',
  },
};

export const Loading: Story = {
  args: {
    isLoading: true,
    children: 'Submitting...',
  },
};

export const AllVariants: Story = {
  render: () => (
    <div style={{ display: 'flex', gap: '16px', flexWrap: 'wrap' }}>
      <Button variant="primary">Primary</Button>
      <Button variant="secondary">Secondary</Button>
      <Button variant="tertiary">Tertiary</Button>
    </div>
  ),
};

export const AllSizes: Story = {
  render: () => (
    <div style={{ display: 'flex', gap: '16px', alignItems: 'center' }}>
      <Button size="sm">Small</Button>
      <Button size="md">Medium</Button>
      <Button size="lg">Large</Button>
    </div>
  ),
};

Storybook Configuration

// .storybook/main.ts
import type { StorybookConfig } from '@storybook/react-vite';

const config: StorybookConfig = {
  stories: ['../src/components/**/*.stories.@(js|jsx|ts|tsx)'],
  addons: [
    '@storybook/addon-links',
    '@storybook/addon-essentials',
    '@storybook/addon-interactions',
    '@storybook/addon-a11y',
  ],
  framework: {
    name: '@storybook/react-vite',
    options: {},
  },
  docs: {
    autodocs: 'tag',
  },
};

export default config;

Storybook Hierarchy

// Organize stories by atomic level
// Title format: "Level/ComponentName"

// Atoms
title: 'Atoms/Button'
title: 'Atoms/Input'
title: 'Atoms/Icon'

// Molecules
title: 'Molecules/FormField'
title: 'Molecules/SearchForm'

// Organisms
title: 'Organisms/Header'
title: 'Organisms/Footer'

// Templates
title: 'Templates/MainLayout'
title: 'Templates/DashboardLayout'

// Pages (example compositions)
title: 'Pages/HomePage'

Testing Integration

Unit Test Template (React/Vitest)

// components/atoms/Button/Button.test.tsx
import { render, screen, fireEvent } from '@testing-library/react';
import { describe, it, expect, vi } from 'vitest';
import { Button } from './Button';

describe('Button', () => {
  describe('rendering', () => {
    it('renders children correctly', () => {
      render(<Button>Click me</Button>);
      expect(screen.getByRole('button')).toHaveTextContent('Click me');
    });

    it('applies variant class correctly', () => {
      render(<Button variant="secondary">Button</Button>);
      expect(screen.getByRole('button')).toHaveClass('secondary');
    });

    it('applies size class correctly', () => {
      render(<Button size="lg">Button</Button>);
      expect(screen.getByRole('button')).toHaveClass('lg');
    });
  });

  describe('states', () => {
    it('disables button when disabled prop is true', () => {
      render(<Button disabled>Button</Button>);
      expect(screen.getByRole('button')).toBeDisabled();
    });

    it('disables button when loading', () => {
      render(<Button isLoading>Button</Button>);
      expect(screen.getByRole('button')).toBeDisabled();
      expect(screen.getByRole('button')).toHaveAttribute('aria-busy', 'true');
    });

    it('shows spinner when loading', () => {
      render(<Button isLoading>Button</Button>);
      expect(screen.getByRole('button').querySelector('.spinner')).toBeInTheDocument();
    });
  });

  describe('interactions', () => {
    it('calls onClick handler when clicked', () => {
      const handleClick = vi.fn();
      render(<Button onClick={handleClick}>Button</Button>);

      fireEvent.click(screen.getByRole('button'));

      expect(handleClick).toHaveBeenCalledTimes(1);
    });

    it('does not call onClick when disabled', () => {
      const handleClick = vi.fn();
      render(<Button onClick={handleClick} disabled>Button</Button>);

      fireEvent.click(screen.getByRole('button'));

      expect(handleClick).not.toHaveBeenCalled();
    });
  });

  describe('accessibility', () => {
    it('has no accessibility violations', async () => {
      const { container } = render(<Button>Accessible Button</Button>);
      // If using axe-core
      // const results = await axe(container);
      // expect(results).toHaveNoViolations();
    });

    it('forwards ref correctly', () => {
      const ref = { current: null };
      render(<Button ref={ref}>Button</Button>);
      expect(ref.current).toBeInstanceOf(HTMLButtonElement);
    });
  });
});

Integration Test Template

// components/organisms/Header/Header.integration.test.tsx
import { render, screen, fireEvent, within } from '@testing-library/react';
import { describe, it, expect, vi } from 'vitest';
import { Header } from './Header';

const mockNavigation = [
  { id: 'home', label: 'Home', href: '/' },
  { id: 'products', label: 'Products', href: '/products' },
  { id: 'about', label: 'About', href: '/about' },
];

const mockUser = {
  id: '1',
  name: 'John Doe',
  email: 'john@example.com',
};

describe('Header Integration', () => {
  it('renders navigation items correctly', () => {
    render(
      <Header
        logo={<span>Logo</span>}
        navigation={mockNavigation}
      />
    );

    const nav = screen.getByRole('navigation');
    expect(within(nav).getByText('Home')).toBeInTheDocument();
    expect(within(nav).getByText('Products')).toBeInTheDocument();
    expect(within(nav).getByText('About')).toBeInTheDocument();
  });

  it('shows login button when no user', () => {
    render(
      <Header
        logo={<span>Logo</span>}
        navigation={mockNavigation}
        onLogin={vi.fn()}
      />
    );

    expect(screen.getByRole('button', { name: /login/i })).toBeInTheDocument();
  });

  it('shows user menu when authenticated', () => {
    render(
      <Header
        logo={<span>Logo</span>}
        navigation={mockNavigation}
        user={mockUser}
      />
    );

    expect(screen.getByText('John Doe')).toBeInTheDocument();
  });

  it('calls onLogout when logout clicked', async () => {
    const handleLogout = vi.fn();

    render(
      <Header
        logo={<span>Logo</span>}
        navigation={mockNavigation}
        user={mockUser}
        onLogout={handleLogout}
      />
    );

    // Open user menu
    fireEvent.click(screen.getByText('John Doe'));

    // Click logout
    fireEvent.click(screen.getByText('Logout'));

    expect(handleLogout).toHaveBeenCalledTimes(1);
  });
});

Path Aliases Configuration

TypeScript (tsconfig.json)

{
  "compilerOptions": {
    "baseUrl": ".",
    "paths": {
      "@/components/*": ["src/components/*"],
      "@/components": ["src/components/index.ts"],
      "@/atoms/*": ["src/components/atoms/*"],
      "@/molecules/*": ["src/components/molecules/*"],
      "@/organisms/*": ["src/components/organisms/*"],
      "@/templates/*": ["src/components/templates/*"],
      "@/hooks/*": ["src/hooks/*"],
      "@/utils/*": ["src/utils/*"],
      "@/design-tokens/*": ["src/design-tokens/*"]
    }
  }
}

Vite Configuration

// vite.config.ts
import { defineConfig } from 'vite';
import react from '@vitejs/plugin-react';
import path from 'path';

export default defineConfig({
  plugins: [react()],
  resolve: {
    alias: {
      '@': path.resolve(__dirname, './src'),
      '@/components': path.resolve(__dirname, './src/components'),
      '@/atoms': path.resolve(__dirname, './src/components/atoms'),
      '@/molecules': path.resolve(__dirname, './src/components/molecules'),
      '@/organisms': path.resolve(__dirname, './src/components/organisms'),
      '@/templates': path.resolve(__dirname, './src/components/templates'),
    },
  },
});

Best Practices

1. Consistent Export Patterns

// Every component folder should have index.ts
// atoms/Button/index.ts
export { Button } from './Button';
export type { ButtonProps, ButtonVariant, ButtonSize } from './Button';

2. Clear Prop Typing

// Always export prop interfaces for composition
export interface ButtonProps extends ButtonHTMLAttributes<HTMLButtonElement> {
  variant?: ButtonVariant;
  size?: ButtonSize;
}

3. Framework-Agnostic Logic

// Extract logic that can be shared across frameworks
// utils/formatPrice.ts
export function formatPrice(amount: number, currency = 'USD'): string {
  return new Intl.NumberFormat('en-US', {
    style: 'currency',
    currency,
  }).format(amount);
}

When to Use This Skill

• Setting up Atomic Design in a new project
• Migrating existing components to atomic structure
• Integrating with Storybook documentation
• Configuring testing infrastructure
• Establishing framework-specific patterns

Related Skills

• atomic-design-fundamentals - Core methodology overview
• atomic-design-atoms - Creating atomic components
• atomic-design-molecules - Composing atoms into molecules
• atomic-design-organisms - Building complex organisms
• atomic-design-templates - Page layouts without content