Rails Component Patterns

Build reusable, self-contained, composable UI components using Rails primitives — partials, CSS classes, and helpers.

Philosophy

Core Principles:

1. Start with CSS classes — don't reach for a partial when a class will do
2. Self-contained — each component owns its markup AND styles in one place
3. Composable — components nest and combine naturally
4. Consistent — same component = same markup = same appearance everywhere
5. Progressive complexity — graduate from CSS → partial → helper only when needed