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Connected process flow

A horizontal flow with border-drawn connectors, collapsing to a vertical rail.

Contentstarterprocessflowconnectorstages

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import { Container } from '@/components/ui/layout'

/**
 * Connected process flow
 *
 * A horizontal flow with connecting rules on wide screens, collapsing to a
 * vertical list with a left rail below `lg`. The connector is drawn with
 * borders rather than an SVG, so it inherits the border token and re-themes
 * for free.
 */
const stages = [
  {
    label: 'Audit',
    body: 'Inventory every surface and one-off. Nothing is designed before the mess is measured.',
  },
  {
    label: 'Tokenise',
    body: 'Extract the real colour, type and spacing decisions into a set the whole team can read.',
  },
  {
    label: 'Build',
    body: 'Ship the twenty components that account for eighty per cent of screens.',
  },
  { label: 'Compose', body: 'Assemble sections and prove the system on a real production route.' },
]

export default function ConnectedProcessFlow() {
  return (
    <section className="border-b border-line bg-surface-sunken py-section">
      <Container>
        <div className="mx-auto max-w-2xl text-center">
          <h2 className="display-type text-2xl font-semibold text-ink-strong sm:text-3xl">
            Four stages, in this order.
          </h2>
        </div>

        <ol className="mt-12 grid gap-8 lg:grid-cols-4 lg:gap-0">
          {stages.map((stage, index) => (
            <li key={stage.label} className="relative flex gap-4 lg:flex-col lg:gap-0 lg:px-4">
              <div className="flex flex-col items-center lg:w-full lg:flex-row">
                <span className="flex size-9 shrink-0 items-center justify-center rounded-full border border-accent bg-accent text-sm font-semibold text-accent-ink">
                  {index + 1}
                </span>
                {index < stages.length - 1 ? (
                  <>
                    <span className="mt-1 w-px flex-1 bg-line lg:hidden" aria-hidden="true" />
                    <span className="hidden h-px flex-1 bg-line lg:block" aria-hidden="true" />
                  </>
                ) : null}
              </div>
              <div className="min-w-0 pb-6 lg:pt-5 lg:pb-0 lg:pr-6">
                <h3 className="text-md font-semibold text-ink-strong">{stage.label}</h3>
                <p className="mt-2 text-sm leading-relaxed text-ink-muted">{stage.body}</p>
              </div>
            </li>
          ))}
        </ol>
      </Container>
    </section>
  )
}

components/blocks/sections/process/connected-flow.tsx

import { Container } from '@/components/ui/layout'

/**
 * Connected process flow
 *
 * A horizontal flow with connecting rules on wide screens, collapsing to a
 * vertical list with a left rail below `lg`. The connector is drawn with
 * borders rather than an SVG, so it inherits the border token and re-themes
 * for free.
 */
const stages = [
  {
    label: 'Audit',
    body: 'Inventory every surface and one-off. Nothing is designed before the mess is measured.',
  },
  {
    label: 'Tokenise',
    body: 'Extract the real colour, type and spacing decisions into a set the whole team can read.',
  },
  {
    label: 'Build',
    body: 'Ship the twenty components that account for eighty per cent of screens.',
  },
  { label: 'Compose', body: 'Assemble sections and prove the system on a real production route.' },
]

export default function ConnectedProcessFlow() {
  return (
    <section className="border-b border-line bg-surface-sunken py-section">
      <Container>
        <div className="mx-auto max-w-2xl text-center">
          <h2 className="display-type text-2xl font-semibold text-ink-strong sm:text-3xl">
            Four stages, in this order.
          </h2>
        </div>

        <ol className="mt-12 grid gap-8 lg:grid-cols-4 lg:gap-0">
          {stages.map((stage, index) => (
            <li key={stage.label} className="relative flex gap-4 lg:flex-col lg:gap-0 lg:px-4">
              <div className="flex flex-col items-center lg:w-full lg:flex-row">
                <span className="flex size-9 shrink-0 items-center justify-center rounded-full border border-accent bg-accent text-sm font-semibold text-accent-ink">
                  {index + 1}
                </span>
                {index < stages.length - 1 ? (
                  <>
                    <span className="mt-1 w-px flex-1 bg-line lg:hidden" aria-hidden="true" />
                    <span className="hidden h-px flex-1 bg-line lg:block" aria-hidden="true" />
                  </>
                ) : null}
              </div>
              <div className="min-w-0 pb-6 lg:pt-5 lg:pb-0 lg:pr-6">
                <h3 className="text-md font-semibold text-ink-strong">{stage.label}</h3>
                <p className="mt-2 text-sm leading-relaxed text-ink-muted">{stage.body}</p>
              </div>
            </li>
          ))}
        </ol>
      </Container>
    </section>
  )
}

components/ui/layout.tsx

import type { ElementType, HTMLAttributes, ReactNode } from 'react'
import { cn } from '@/lib/cn'

/**
 * Layout primitives
 *
 * Five zero-JavaScript building blocks that account for the majority of
 * structure in the library. They exist so that spacing decisions are made once,
 * against density tokens, instead of being re-typed as ad-hoc utilities in
 * every section.
 */

export interface ContainerProps extends HTMLAttributes<HTMLDivElement> {
  /** `prose` narrows to a comfortable reading measure. */
  size?: 'prose' | 'narrow' | 'default' | 'wide' | 'full'
  as?: ElementType
  /** Removes the responsive horizontal gutter. */
  bleed?: boolean
}

const containerSizes = {
  prose: 'max-w-[var(--layout-prose-max)]',
  narrow: 'max-w-3xl',
  default: 'max-w-[var(--layout-content-max)]',
  wide: 'max-w-[110rem]',
  full: 'max-w-none',
} as const

export function Container({
  size = 'default',
  as: Tag = 'div',
  bleed = false,
  className,
  children,
  ...props
}: ContainerProps) {
  return (
    <Tag
      className={cn(
        'mx-auto w-full',
        containerSizes[size],
        !bleed && 'px-4 sm:px-6 lg:px-8',
        className,
      )}
      {...props}
    >
      {children}
    </Tag>
  )
}

export interface StackProps extends HTMLAttributes<HTMLDivElement> {
  direction?: 'row' | 'column'
  gap?: 'none' | 'xs' | 'sm' | 'md' | 'lg' | 'xl'
  align?: 'start' | 'center' | 'end' | 'stretch' | 'baseline'
  justify?: 'start' | 'center' | 'end' | 'between' | 'around'
  wrap?: boolean
  as?: ElementType
}

const gapMap = {
  none: 'gap-0',
  xs: 'gap-1',
  sm: 'gap-2',
  md: 'gap-gap',
  lg: 'gap-stack',
  xl: 'gap-8',
} as const

const alignMap = {
  start: 'items-start',
  center: 'items-center',
  end: 'items-end',
  stretch: 'items-stretch',
  baseline: 'items-baseline',
} as const

const justifyMap = {
  start: 'justify-start',
  center: 'justify-center',
  end: 'justify-end',
  between: 'justify-between',
  around: 'justify-around',
} as const

export function Stack({
  direction = 'column',
  gap = 'md',
  align,
  justify,
  wrap = false,
  as: Tag = 'div',
  className,
  children,
  ...props
}: StackProps) {
  return (
    <Tag
      className={cn(
        'flex',
        direction === 'column' ? 'flex-col' : 'flex-row',
        gapMap[gap],
        align && alignMap[align],
        justify && justifyMap[justify],
        wrap && 'flex-wrap',
        className,
      )}
      {...props}
    >
      {children}
    </Tag>
  )
}

export interface GridProps extends HTMLAttributes<HTMLDivElement> {
  /** Column count at the largest breakpoint; smaller breakpoints step down. */
  cols?: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6
  gap?: StackProps['gap']
  as?: ElementType
  /** Auto-fit tracks with a minimum width instead of a fixed column count. */
  minItemWidth?: string
}

const colMap = {
  1: 'grid-cols-1',
  2: 'grid-cols-1 sm:grid-cols-2',
  3: 'grid-cols-1 sm:grid-cols-2 lg:grid-cols-3',
  4: 'grid-cols-1 sm:grid-cols-2 lg:grid-cols-4',
  5: 'grid-cols-2 sm:grid-cols-3 lg:grid-cols-5',
  6: 'grid-cols-2 sm:grid-cols-3 lg:grid-cols-6',
} as const

export function Grid({
  cols = 3,
  gap = 'lg',
  as: Tag = 'div',
  minItemWidth,
  className,
  style,
  children,
  ...props
}: GridProps) {
  return (
    <Tag
      className={cn('grid', minItemWidth ? undefined : colMap[cols], gapMap[gap], className)}
      style={
        minItemWidth
          ? {
              ...style,
              gridTemplateColumns: `repeat(auto-fit, minmax(min(${minItemWidth}, 100%), 1fr))`,
            }
          : style
      }
      {...props}
    >
      {children}
    </Tag>
  )
}

export interface DividerProps extends HTMLAttributes<HTMLDivElement> {
  orientation?: 'horizontal' | 'vertical'
  /** Renders a centred text label interrupting the rule. */
  label?: ReactNode
  weight?: 'subtle' | 'default' | 'strong'
}

const dividerWeight = {
  subtle: 'border-line-subtle',
  default: 'border-line',
  strong: 'border-line-strong',
} as const

export function Divider({
  orientation = 'horizontal',
  label,
  weight = 'default',
  className,
  ...props
}: DividerProps) {
  if (orientation === 'vertical') {
    return (
      <div
        role="separator"
        aria-orientation="vertical"
        className={cn('h-full w-px self-stretch border-l', dividerWeight[weight], className)}
        {...props}
      />
    )
  }

  if (label) {
    return (
      <div className={cn('flex items-center gap-3', className)} {...props}>
        <span className={cn('h-px flex-1 border-t', dividerWeight[weight])} role="separator" />
        <span className="label-caps text-ink-subtle">{label}</span>
        <span className={cn('h-px flex-1 border-t', dividerWeight[weight])} aria-hidden="true" />
      </div>
    )
  }

  return (
    <div
      role="separator"
      className={cn('w-full border-t', dividerWeight[weight], className)}
      {...props}
    />
  )
}

Demo source — adapt to your project. Foundry is not published as a package.

Usage

The connector is drawn with borders rather than an SVG, so it inherits the border token and re-themes for free.

  • Four stages is the practical limit for a horizontal flow at 1440px.
  • The last stage must not render a trailing connector.

Variants and states

Every entry below is a genuine difference in behaviour or layout, and every one of them is visible in the preview above.

  • Four stages
  • Horizontal at lg
  • Vertical rail below

Accessibility

Ordered list
The flow is an ol, so the sequence is announced.
Decorative connectors
Connector lines are aria-hidden.

Foundry implements published ARIA patterns and is tested against them. No WCAG certification is claimed — see the accessibility documentation for what is and is not covered.