This guide walks you through incrementally building a Plate editor in your Next.js application.
Create Your First Editor
Start by adding the core Editor component to your project:
pnpm dlx shadcn@latest add https://platejs.org/r/editor
Next, create a basic editor page. This example sets up a simple editor within an EditorContainer
.
'use client';
import { Plate, usePlateEditor } from 'platejs/react';
import { Editor, EditorContainer } from '@/components/ui/editor';
export default function MyEditorPage() {
const editor = usePlateEditor(); // Initializes the editor instance
return (
<Plate editor={editor}> {/* Provides editor context */}
<EditorContainer> {/* Styles the editor area */}
<Editor placeholder="Type your amazing content here..." />
</EditorContainer>
</Plate>
);
}
usePlateEditor
creates a memoized editor instance, ensuring stability across re-renders. For a non-memoized version, use createPlateEditor
.
'use client';
import { Plate, usePlateEditor } from 'platejs/react';
import { Editor, EditorContainer } from '@/components/ui/editor';
export default function MyEditorPage() {
const editor = usePlateEditor();
return (
<Plate editor={editor}>
<EditorContainer>
<Editor placeholder="Type your amazing content here..." />
</EditorContainer>
</Plate>
);
}
Adding Basic Marks
Enhance your editor with text formatting. Add the Basic Nodes Kit, FixedToolbar and MarkToolbarButton components:
pnpm dlx shadcn@latest add https://platejs.org/r/basic-nodes-kit https://platejs.org/r/fixed-toolbar https://platejs.org/r/mark-toolbar-button
The basic-nodes-kit
includes all the basic plugins (bold, italic, underline, headings, blockquotes, etc.) and their components that we'll use in the following steps.
Update your editor page to include these components and the basic mark plugins. This example adds bold, italic, and underline functionality.
'use client';
import * as React from 'react';
import type { Value } from 'platejs';
import {
BoldPlugin,
ItalicPlugin,
UnderlinePlugin,
} from '@platejs/basic-nodes/react';
import {
Plate,
usePlateEditor,
} from 'platejs/react';
import { Editor, EditorContainer } from '@/components/ui/editor';
import { FixedToolbar } from '@/components/ui/fixed-toolbar';
import { MarkToolbarButton } from '@/components/ui/mark-toolbar-button';
const initialValue: Value = [
{
type: 'p',
children: [
{ text: 'Hello! Try out the ' },
{ text: 'bold', bold: true },
{ text: ', ' },
{ text: 'italic', italic: true },
{ text: ', and ' },
{ text: 'underline', underline: true },
{ text: ' formatting.' },
],
},
];
export default function MyEditorPage() {
const editor = usePlateEditor({
plugins: [BoldPlugin, ItalicPlugin, UnderlinePlugin], // Add the mark plugins
value: initialValue, // Set initial content
});
return (
<Plate editor={editor}>
<FixedToolbar className="justify-start rounded-t-lg">
<MarkToolbarButton nodeType="bold" tooltip="Bold (⌘+B)">B</MarkToolbarButton>
<MarkToolbarButton nodeType="italic" tooltip="Italic (⌘+I)">I</MarkToolbarButton>
<MarkToolbarButton nodeType="underline" tooltip="Underline (⌘+U)">U</MarkToolbarButton>
</FixedToolbar>
<EditorContainer>
<Editor placeholder="Type your amazing content here..." />
</EditorContainer>
</Plate>
);
}
'use client';
import * as React from 'react';
import type { Value } from 'platejs';
import {
BoldPlugin,
ItalicPlugin,
UnderlinePlugin,
} from '@platejs/basic-nodes/react';
import { Plate, usePlateEditor } from 'platejs/react';
import { Editor, EditorContainer } from '@/components/ui/editor';
import { FixedToolbar } from '@/components/ui/fixed-toolbar';
import { MarkToolbarButton } from '@/components/ui/mark-toolbar-button';
// import { Bold, Italic, Underline } from 'lucide-react'; // Example icons
const initialValue: Value = [
{
children: [
{ text: 'Hello! Try out the ' },
{ bold: true, text: 'bold' },
{ text: ', ' },
{ italic: true, text: 'italic' },
{ text: ', and ' },
{ text: 'underline', underline: true },
{ text: ' formatting.' },
],
type: 'p',
},
];
export default function MyEditorPage() {
const editor = usePlateEditor({
plugins: [BoldPlugin, ItalicPlugin, UnderlinePlugin],
value: initialValue,
});
return (
<Plate editor={editor}>
<FixedToolbar className="justify-start rounded-t-lg">
<MarkToolbarButton nodeType="bold" tooltip="Bold (⌘+B)">
B
</MarkToolbarButton>
<MarkToolbarButton nodeType="italic" tooltip="Italic (⌘+I)">
I
</MarkToolbarButton>
<MarkToolbarButton nodeType="underline" tooltip="Underline (⌘+U)">
U
</MarkToolbarButton>
</FixedToolbar>
<EditorContainer>
<Editor placeholder="Type your amazing content here..." />
</EditorContainer>
</Plate>
);
}
Adding Basic Elements
Introduce block-level elements like headings and blockquotes with custom components.
'use client';
import * as React from 'react';
import type { Value } from 'platejs';
import {
BlockquotePlugin,
BoldPlugin,
H1Plugin,
H2Plugin,
H3Plugin,
ItalicPlugin,
UnderlinePlugin,
} from '@platejs/basic-nodes/react';
import {
Plate,
usePlateEditor,
} from 'platejs/react';
import { BlockquoteElement } from '@/components/ui/blockquote-node';
import { Editor, EditorContainer } from '@/components/ui/editor';
import { FixedToolbar } from '@/components/ui/fixed-toolbar';
import { H1Element, H2Element, H3Element } from '@/components/ui/heading-node';
import { MarkToolbarButton } from '@/components/ui/mark-toolbar-button';
import { ToolbarButton } from '@/components/ui/toolbar'; // Generic toolbar button
const initialValue: Value = [
{
children: [{ text: 'Title' }],
type: 'h3',
},
{
children: [{ text: 'This is a quote.' }],
type: 'blockquote',
},
{
children: [
{ text: 'With some ' },
{ bold: true, text: 'bold' },
{ text: ' text for emphasis!' },
],
type: 'p',
},
];
export default function MyEditorPage() {
const editor = usePlateEditor({
plugins: [
BoldPlugin,
ItalicPlugin,
UnderlinePlugin,
H1Plugin.withComponent(H1Element),
H2Plugin.withComponent(H2Element),
H3Plugin.withComponent(H3Element),
BlockquotePlugin.withComponent(BlockquoteElement),
],
value: initialValue,
});
return (
<Plate editor={editor}>
<FixedToolbar className="flex justify-start gap-1 rounded-t-lg">
{/* Element Toolbar Buttons */}
<ToolbarButton onClick={() => editor.tf.h1.toggle()}>H1</ToolbarButton>
<ToolbarButton onClick={() => editor.tf.h2.toggle()}>H2</ToolbarButton>
<ToolbarButton onClick={() => editor.tf.h3.toggle()}>H3</ToolbarButton>
<ToolbarButton onClick={() => editor.tf.blockquote.toggle()}>Quote</ToolbarButton>
{/* Mark Toolbar Buttons */}
<MarkToolbarButton nodeType="bold" tooltip="Bold (⌘+B)">B</MarkToolbarButton>
<MarkToolbarButton nodeType="italic" tooltip="Italic (⌘+I)">I</MarkToolbarButton>
<MarkToolbarButton nodeType="underline" tooltip="Underline (⌘+U)">U</MarkToolbarButton>
</FixedToolbar>
<EditorContainer>
<Editor placeholder="Type your amazing content here..." />
</EditorContainer>
</Plate>
);
}
'use client';
import * as React from 'react';
import type { Value } from 'platejs';
import {
BlockquotePlugin,
BoldPlugin,
H1Plugin,
H2Plugin,
H3Plugin,
ItalicPlugin,
UnderlinePlugin,
} from '@platejs/basic-nodes/react';
import { Plate, usePlateEditor } from 'platejs/react';
import { BlockquoteElement } from '@/components/ui/blockquote-node';
import { Editor, EditorContainer } from '@/components/ui/editor';
import { FixedToolbar } from '@/components/ui/fixed-toolbar';
import { H1Element, H2Element, H3Element } from '@/components/ui/heading-node';
import { MarkToolbarButton } from '@/components/ui/mark-toolbar-button';
import { ToolbarButton } from '@/components/ui/toolbar';
const initialValue: Value = [
{
children: [{ text: 'Title' }],
type: 'h3',
},
{
children: [{ text: 'This is a quote.' }],
type: 'blockquote',
},
{
children: [
{ text: 'With some ' },
{ bold: true, text: 'bold' },
{ text: ' text for emphasis!' },
],
type: 'p',
},
];
export default function MyEditorPage() {
const editor = usePlateEditor({
plugins: [
BoldPlugin,
ItalicPlugin,
UnderlinePlugin,
H1Plugin.withComponent(H1Element),
H2Plugin.withComponent(H2Element),
H3Plugin.withComponent(H3Element),
BlockquotePlugin.withComponent(BlockquoteElement),
],
value: initialValue,
});
return (
<Plate editor={editor}>
<FixedToolbar className="flex justify-start gap-1 rounded-t-lg">
<ToolbarButton onClick={() => editor.tf.h1.toggle()}>H1</ToolbarButton>
<ToolbarButton onClick={() => editor.tf.h2.toggle()}>H2</ToolbarButton>
<ToolbarButton onClick={() => editor.tf.h3.toggle()}>H3</ToolbarButton>
<ToolbarButton onClick={() => editor.tf.blockquote.toggle()}>
Quote
</ToolbarButton>
<MarkToolbarButton nodeType="bold" tooltip="Bold (⌘+B)">
B
</MarkToolbarButton>
<MarkToolbarButton nodeType="italic" tooltip="Italic (⌘+I)">
I
</MarkToolbarButton>
<MarkToolbarButton nodeType="underline" tooltip="Underline (⌘+U)">
U
</MarkToolbarButton>
</FixedToolbar>
<EditorContainer>
<Editor placeholder="Type your amazing content here..." />
</EditorContainer>
</Plate>
);
}
Component Registration
Notice how we use Plugin.withComponent(Component)
to register components with their respective plugins. This is the recommended approach for associating React components with Plate plugins.
For a quicker start with common plugins and components pre-configured, use the editor-basic
block:
pnpm dlx shadcn@latest add https://platejs.org/r/editor-basic
This handles much of the boilerplate for you.
Handling Editor Value
To make the editor content persistent, let's integrate localStorage
to save and load the editor's value client-side.
'use client';
import * as React from 'react';
import type { Value } from 'platejs';
import {
BlockquotePlugin,
BoldPlugin,
H1Plugin,
H2Plugin,
H3Plugin,
ItalicPlugin,
UnderlinePlugin,
} from '@platejs/basic-nodes/react';
import {
Plate,
usePlateEditor,
} from 'platejs/react';
import { BlockquoteElement } from '@/components/ui/blockquote-node';
import { Editor, EditorContainer } from '@/components/ui/editor';
import { FixedToolbar } from '@/components/ui/fixed-toolbar';
import { H1Element, H2Element, H3Element } from '@/components/ui/heading-node';
import { MarkToolbarButton } from '@/components/ui/mark-toolbar-button';
import { ToolbarButton } from '@/components/ui/toolbar';
const initialValue: Value = [
{
children: [{ text: 'Title' }],
type: 'h3',
},
{
children: [{ text: 'This is a quote.' }],
type: 'blockquote',
},
{
children: [
{ text: 'With some ' },
{ bold: true, text: 'bold' },
{ text: ' text for emphasis!' },
],
type: 'p',
},
];
export default function MyEditorPage() {
const editor = usePlateEditor({
plugins: [
BoldPlugin,
ItalicPlugin,
UnderlinePlugin,
H1Plugin.withComponent(H1Element),
H2Plugin.withComponent(H2Element),
H3Plugin.withComponent(H3Element),
BlockquotePlugin.withComponent(BlockquoteElement),
],
value: () => {
const savedValue = localStorage.getItem('installation-next-demo');
return savedValue ? JSON.parse(savedValue) : initialValue;
},
});
return (
<Plate
editor={editor}
onChange={({ value }) => {
localStorage.setItem('installation-next-demo', JSON.stringify(value));
}}
>
<FixedToolbar className="flex justify-start gap-1 rounded-t-lg">
<ToolbarButton onClick={() => editor.tf.h1.toggle()}>H1</ToolbarButton>
<ToolbarButton onClick={() => editor.tf.h2.toggle()}>H2</ToolbarButton>
<ToolbarButton onClick={() => editor.tf.h3.toggle()}>H3</ToolbarButton>
<ToolbarButton onClick={() => editor.tf.blockquote.toggle()}>Quote</ToolbarButton>
<MarkToolbarButton nodeType="bold" tooltip="Bold (⌘+B)">B</MarkToolbarButton>
<MarkToolbarButton nodeType="italic" tooltip="Italic (⌘+I)">I</MarkToolbarButton>
<MarkToolbarButton nodeType="underline" tooltip="Underline (⌘+U)">U</MarkToolbarButton>
<div className="flex-1" />
<ToolbarButton
className="px-2"
onClick={() => editor.tf.setValue(initialValue)}
>
Reset
</ToolbarButton>
</FixedToolbar>
<EditorContainer>
<Editor placeholder="Type your amazing content here..." />
</EditorContainer>
</Plate>
);
}
'use client';
import * as React from 'react';
import type { Value } from 'platejs';
import {
BlockquotePlugin,
BoldPlugin,
H1Plugin,
H2Plugin,
H3Plugin,
ItalicPlugin,
UnderlinePlugin,
} from '@platejs/basic-nodes/react';
import { Plate, usePlateEditor } from 'platejs/react';
import { BlockquoteElement } from '@/components/ui/blockquote-node';
import { Editor, EditorContainer } from '@/components/ui/editor';
import { FixedToolbar } from '@/components/ui/fixed-toolbar';
import { H1Element, H2Element, H3Element } from '@/components/ui/heading-node';
import { MarkToolbarButton } from '@/components/ui/mark-toolbar-button';
import { ToolbarButton } from '@/components/ui/toolbar';
const initialValue: Value = [
{
children: [{ text: 'Title' }],
type: 'h3',
},
{
children: [{ text: 'This is a quote.' }],
type: 'blockquote',
},
{
children: [
{ text: 'With some ' },
{ bold: true, text: 'bold' },
{ text: ' text for emphasis!' },
],
type: 'p',
},
];
export default function MyEditorPage() {
const editor = usePlateEditor({
plugins: [
BoldPlugin,
ItalicPlugin,
UnderlinePlugin,
H1Plugin.withComponent(H1Element),
H2Plugin.withComponent(H2Element),
H3Plugin.withComponent(H3Element),
BlockquotePlugin.withComponent(BlockquoteElement),
],
value: () => {
const savedValue = localStorage.getItem(
`nextjs-plate-value-demo-${new Date().toISOString().split('T')[0]}`
);
return savedValue ? JSON.parse(savedValue) : initialValue;
},
});
return (
<Plate
onChange={({ value }) => {
localStorage.setItem(
`nextjs-plate-value-demo-${new Date().toISOString().split('T')[0]}`,
JSON.stringify(value)
);
}}
editor={editor}
>
<FixedToolbar className="flex justify-start gap-1 rounded-t-lg">
<ToolbarButton onClick={() => editor.tf.h1.toggle()}>H1</ToolbarButton>
<ToolbarButton onClick={() => editor.tf.h2.toggle()}>H2</ToolbarButton>
<ToolbarButton onClick={() => editor.tf.h3.toggle()}>H3</ToolbarButton>
<ToolbarButton onClick={() => editor.tf.blockquote.toggle()}>
Quote
</ToolbarButton>
<MarkToolbarButton nodeType="bold" tooltip="Bold (⌘+B)">
B
</MarkToolbarButton>
<MarkToolbarButton nodeType="italic" tooltip="Italic (⌘+I)">
I
</MarkToolbarButton>
<MarkToolbarButton nodeType="underline" tooltip="Underline (⌘+U)">
U
</MarkToolbarButton>
<div className="flex-1" />
<ToolbarButton
className="px-2"
onClick={() => {
editor.tf.setValue(initialValue);
}}
>
Reset
</ToolbarButton>
</FixedToolbar>
<EditorContainer>
<Editor placeholder="Type your amazing content here..." />
</EditorContainer>
</Plate>
);
}
Next Steps
Congratulations! You've built a foundational Plate editor in Next.js.
To further enhance your editor:
- Explore Components: Discover Toolbars, Menus, Node components, and more.
- Add Plugins: Integrate features like Tables, Mentions, AI, or Markdown.
- Use Editor Blocks: Quickly set up pre-configured editors:
- Basic editor:
npx shadcn@latest add https://platejs.org/r/editor-basic
- AI-powered editor:
npx shadcn@latest add https://platejs.org/r/editor-ai
- Basic editor:
- Learn More: