Empty State
An empty-state panel with an illustration built from animated SVG primitives in theme tokens: an inbox stack, a magnifier, a folder or a chart that floats gently.
- Category: Feedback
- Licence: Charcoal UI Pro
- Built with: React 19, Tailwind CSS 4, Motion
- Dependencies: motion, clsx, tailwind-merge
Examples
Empty State
API reference
| Prop | Type | Default | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
icon | "inbox" | "search" | "folder" | "chart" | "inbox" | |
title | string | — | |
description | string | — | |
action | ReactNode | — | |
className | string | — |
About Empty State
Empty State turns a blank screen into a next step: an illustration drawn from animated SVG primitives floats gently above a title, a description and an action.
Empty State is a feedback component for React 19, styled with Tailwind CSS 4 and animated with Motion. It drops into Next.js, Vite, Remix or Astro through the shadcn CLI as a single file you own.
When to use Empty State
- Empty inboxes and lists.
- Search with no results.
- New projects and folders.
- Dashboards with no data yet.
How it works
Illustrations use theme tokens, so they match light and dark mode. Four icons cover the common cases, and the float stops under reduced motion.
State changes are announced through live regions or the right ARIA roles, so screen-reader users hear what sighted users see. With prefers-reduced-motion on, it holds still or settles instantly instead of animating.
Customizing Empty State
Every prop is documented in the API reference above with its type and default. The ones you will reach for first are listed here.
The Customize panel next to the preview lets you change icon, title, description live, and the Code tab updates to match, so the snippet you copy already carries your values.
- icon (default "inbox").
- title (string).
- description (string).
- action (ReactNode).
Goes well with Empty State
These feedback pieces share its tokens and motion language, so they sit together on one page without clashing.
- Typing Indicator: A React typing indicator: a bubble with rippling dots that tells screen readers who is typing
- Countdown: An animated React countdown timer whose digits roll as they tick
- Confetti: React confetti that bursts from any point on a throwaway canvas
- Ripple: A React press ripple that spreads from the exact point you pressed
- Success Check: A React spinner that resolves into a drawn check or a shaking cross
Install Empty State
npx shadcn@latest add @charcoal/empty-stateEmpty State is part of Charcoal UI Pro. One seat unlocks all 300 Pro components, 107 landing-page sections and 100 full templates, for every personal and client project, with updates included. Add the @charcoal registry once with your access token, then the command above copies empty-state.tsx into components/ui and installs clsx, tailwind-merge.
You own the file you install: no runtime package, no lock-in, nothing to keep in sync. Change it however your product needs.
See Charcoal UI Pro pricing · Pro setup
Frequently asked questions
- Which illustrations are included?
- Inbox, search, folder and chart, each drawn from animated SVG in your theme colours.
- How do I install Empty State?
- Empty State is part of Charcoal UI Pro. Add the @charcoal registry to components.json with your access token, then run npx shadcn@latest add @charcoal/empty-state. It copies empty-state.tsx into components/ui and installs motion, clsx, tailwind-merge.
- Is Empty State free for commercial use?
- Empty State needs a Charcoal UI Pro seat, monthly or a one-time lifetime price. A seat covers unlimited personal and commercial projects, including client work, and every future Pro component.
- Does Empty State work with Next.js?
- Yes. It is a client component for React 19 styled with Tailwind CSS 4, so it works in the Next.js App Router and Pages Router, Vite, Remix and Astro.
- Can an AI coding agent install Empty State?
- Yes. Connect the Charcoal UI MCP server (https://charcoalui.com/mcp) to Claude Code, Cursor or any MCP client; get_component returns Empty State's props and get_install_command returns the exact command.