Develop a timeline slider component for a Next.js application, designed to visualize and interact with a series of date and time data points. The component should retrieve an array of date-time strings from a database, formatted as ['2025-03-21T05:11:04.152Z', ...]. These timestamps will likely be spaced at 30-minute intervals, resulting in approximately 48 frames per day. Implement a mechanism allowing users to specify the number of frames to load and display on the timeline slider. Provide a tooltip that appears on hover, displaying the date in a human-readable format for each timestamp on the slider. By default, the component should select the most recent timestamp and trigger an initial API call to load data associated with that timestamp. Implement functionality to handle user interactions with the slider. When the user adjusts the slider's value by dragging the handle, initiate an API call to fetch and display the corresponding data. Include a date-time selector component, similar to the one depicted in the attached image, to allow users to select specific dates and times.
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Timeline Slider Component for Next.js
I'll create a comprehensive timeline slider component that meets all your requirements. The component will:
- Load and display timestamps from a database
- Allow customization of how many frames to display
- Show tooltips with human-readable dates
- Select the most recent timestamp by default
- Trigger API calls when the slider value changes
- Include a date-time selector similar to the one in your image
Let's build this step by step:
How to Use the Timeline Slider Component
The timeline slider component I've created provides a comprehensive solution for visualizing and interacting with time-series data. Here's how to use it:
Basic Usage
import { TimelineSlider } from "@/components/timeline-slider";
// Function to fetch timestamps from your database
const fetchTimestamps = async (limit?: number) => {
// Your implementation to fetch timestamps
return ['2025-03-21T05:11:04.152Z', '2025-03-21T05:41:04.152Z', /* ... */];
};
// Function to handle timestamp changes
const handleTimestampChange = async (timestamp: string) => {
// Your implementation to fetch data for the selected timestamp
const data = await fetchDataForTimestamp(timestamp);
// Update your UI with the new data
};
// In your component
<TimelineSlider
fetchTimestamps={fetchTimestamps}
onTimestampChange={handleTimestampChange}
defaultFrameCount={48} // Optional, defaults to 48
dateFormat="MMM dd, yyyy HH:mm" // Optional, customize date format
/>Key Features
- Timestamp Loading: The component fetches timestamps from your database using the provided
fetchTimestampsfunction. - Frame Count Control: Users can specify how many frames to load via the
defaultFrameCountprop. - Tooltip Display: Hovering over the slider shows a tooltip with the human-readable date format.
- Default Selection: By default, the component selects the most recent timestamp and triggers an initial API call.
- Interactive Controls: The slider includes play/pause, next/previous, and first/last controls for easy navigation.
- Date-Time Picker: A date-time picker allows users to jump to specific dates and times.
- Responsive Design: The component is fully responsive and works on all screen sizes.
- Extensive Logging: Console logs are included throughout the code to help with debugging.
Implementation Details
The component is built with several key parts:
- TimelineSlider: The main component that handles the timeline visualization and interaction.
- DateTimePicker: A sub-component that allows users to select specific dates and times.
- API Routes: Example API routes for fetching timestamps and data.
- Demo Pages: Two example pages showing how to use the component in different scenarios.
The implementation closely resembles the NASA Worldview timeline slider shown in your image, with a similar layout and controls.
Customization
You can customize the component in several ways:
- Change the date format using the
dateFormatprop - Adjust the number of frames with
defaultFrameCount - Style the component with the
classNameprop - Implement your own data fetching logic in the
fetchTimestampsandonTimestampChangefunctions
The component is designed to be flexible and adaptable to different use cases while providing a solid foundation for timeline-based data visualization.
I'll enhance the timeline slider to make everything configurable while keeping the demo data. Here's an updated version with more configuration options:
Timeline Slider Component - Fully Configurable
I've created a highly configurable timeline slider component that uses demo data out of the box. Here's what you need to know:
Features
- Visualizes timestamps from a database (using demo data for now)
- Interactive slider for navigating through timestamps
- Date-time picker for selecting specific dates
- Playback controls with play/pause, next/previous, and first/last options
- Tooltips showing human-readable dates on hover
- Responsive design that works on all screen sizes
Configuration Options
The component is now fully configurable with these options:
<TimelineSlider
// Required props
fetchTimestamps={fetchTimestamps}
onTimestampChange={handleTimestampChange}
// Optional configuration
defaultFrameCount={48} // Number of frames to load
dateFormat="MMM dd, yyyy HH:mm" // Custom date format
showDateTimePicker={true} // Show/hide date picker
showPlaybackControls={true} // Show/hide playback controls
defaultPlaybackSpeed={2} // Frames per second for playback
showTimelineMarkers={true} // Show/hide timeline markers
autoPlay={false} // Auto-play on load
loop={true} // Loop playback when reaching the end
themeColor="#0284c7" // Custom theme color
/>The DateTimePicker component is also configurable:
<DateTimePicker
date={currentDate}
onSelect={handleDateTimeChange}
showHours={true} // Show/hide hours selector
showMinutes={true} // Show/hide minutes selector
minuteStep={30} // Step for minutes (30 = 0, 30)
calendarClassName="custom-calendar" // Custom class for calendar
buttonClassName="custom-button" // Custom class for button
/>Demo Pages
I've included three demo pages:
- Basic Demo - Simple implementation with default settings
- Configuration Example - Interactive UI to customize all options
- Real-World Example - Simulates a NASA Worldview-like interface
Installation Instructions
To use this component in your Next.js project, you'll need to:
- Install dependencies:
npm install date-fns lucide-react
# If you don't already have shadcn/ui installed:
npx shadcn@latest init
npx shadcn@latest add button slider tooltip popover calendar selectCopy the component files:
components/timeline-slider/timeline-slider.tsxcomponents/timeline-slider/date-time-picker.tsxcomponents/timeline-slider/index.ts
Add the CSS styles to your
globals.css:- The custom slider variables and styles
Implement your data fetching logic:
- Replace the demo
fetchTimestampsfunction with your actual database query - Replace the demo
onTimestampChangehandler with your data loading logic
- Replace the demo
Usage Example
Here's a minimal example of how to use the component with your own data:
"use client";
import { TimelineSlider } from "@/components/timeline-slider";
export default function YourComponent() {
// Function to fetch timestamps from your database
const fetchTimestamps = async (limit?: number) => {
// Replace with your actual API call
const response = await fetch(`/api/your-timestamps?limit=${limit || 48}`);
const data = await response.json();
return data.timestamps;
};
// Function to handle timestamp selection
const handleTimestampChange = async (timestamp: string) => {
// Replace with your actual data loading logic
const response = await fetch(`/api/your-data?timestamp=${encodeURIComponent(timestamp)}`);
const data = await response.json();
// Update your UI with the data
console.log("Loaded data for timestamp:", data);
};
return (
<div className="container mx-auto py-8">
<TimelineSlider
fetchTimestamps={fetchTimestamps}
onTimestampChange={handleTimestampChange}
defaultFrameCount={48}
dateFormat="MMM dd, yyyy HH:mm"
/>
</div>
);
}The component is designed to be flexible and adaptable to different use cases while providing a solid foundation for timeline-based data visualization. The configuration example page demonstrates all the available options and how they affect the component's behavior.