CSS Tabs Generator

Correct accessible markup

<div class="tabs">
  <div role="tablist" aria-label="Product info">
    <button role="tab" id="tab-1" aria-selected="true"  aria-controls="panel-1" tabindex="0">Overview</button>
    <button role="tab" id="tab-2" aria-selected="false" aria-controls="panel-2" tabindex="-1">Specs</button>
    <button role="tab" id="tab-3" aria-selected="false" aria-controls="panel-3" tabindex="-1">Reviews</button>
  </div>
  <section role="tabpanel" id="panel-1" aria-labelledby="tab-1">...</section>
  <section role="tabpanel" id="panel-2" aria-labelledby="tab-2" hidden>...</section>
  <section role="tabpanel" id="panel-3" aria-labelledby="tab-3" hidden>...</section>
</div>

Critical attributes:

• role="tablist" wraps the buttons.
• role="tab" on each button, with aria-selected and aria-controls.
• tabindex uses the roving tabindex pattern: only the active tab is 0, others are -1. Arrow keys move focus between them.
• role="tabpanel" on each panel, with aria-labelledby pointing to its tab.
• hidden on inactive panels (not display: none alone, the attribute is what AT uses).

Keyboard contract

Automatic activation (tab switches as focus moves) vs. manual (focus moves, tab activates on Enter), WAI-ARIA allows both. Automatic is easier for sighted users; manual is better when tab content is heavy to render.

Underlined style

[role="tablist"] {
  display: flex;
  border-bottom: 1px solid #e5e7eb;
}
[role="tab"] {
  padding: 0.75rem 1rem;
  background: transparent;
  border: 0;
  color: #6b7280;
  position: relative;
  cursor: pointer;
}
[role="tab"][aria-selected="true"] {
  color: #111827;
}
[role="tab"][aria-selected="true"]::after {
  content: "";
  position: absolute;
  left: 1rem; right: 1rem; bottom: -1px;
  height: 2px;
  background: #2563eb;
}

Pilled style

[role="tab"] {
  padding: 0.5rem 0.9rem;
  border-radius: 9999px;
  border: 0;
  background: transparent;
}
[role="tab"][aria-selected="true"] {
  background: #2563eb;
  color: #fff;
}

Focus visible

Always draw a focus ring when focus arrives via keyboard:

[role="tab"]:focus-visible {
  outline: 2px solid #60a5fa;
  outline-offset: 2px;
}

The JavaScript

Roughly:

const tabs = document.querySelectorAll('[role="tab"]');
tabs.forEach(tab => {
  tab.addEventListener('click', () => activate(tab));
  tab.addEventListener('keydown', e => {
    const i = [...tabs].indexOf(tab);
    if (e.key === 'ArrowRight') tabs[(i + 1) % tabs.length].focus();
    if (e.key === 'ArrowLeft')  tabs[(i - 1 + tabs.length) % tabs.length].focus();
    if (e.key === 'Home') tabs[0].focus();
    if (e.key === 'End')  tabs[tabs.length - 1].focus();
  });
});

function activate(tab) {
  tabs.forEach(t => {
    const panel = document.getElementById(t.getAttribute('aria-controls'));
    const active = t === tab;
    t.setAttribute('aria-selected', active);
    t.setAttribute('tabindex', active ? '0' : '-1');
    panel.hidden = !active;
  });
  tab.focus();
}

Thirty lines total, zero dependencies.

Tabs vs. accordions

On narrow screens, tab rows get cramped. Common pattern: tabs on desktop, accordion on mobile. Use a container query or media query to switch visual treatment without changing the ARIA roles.