Canvas

Watch a video tutorial

The Canvas block is a wrapper around a Story, featuring a toolbar that allows you to interact with its content while automatically providing the required Source snippets.

Screenshot of Canvas block

When using the Canvas block in MDX, it references a story with the of prop:

ButtonDocs.mdx

import { Meta, Canvas } from '@storybook/blocks';
import * as ButtonStories from './Button.stories';
 
<Meta of={ButtonStories} />
 
<Canvas of={ButtonStories.Primary} />

In previous versions of Storybook it was possible to pass in arbitrary components as children to Canvas. That is deprecated and the Canvas block now only supports a single story.

Canvas

import { Canvas } from '@storybook/blocks';

Configuring with props and parameters

ℹ️ Like most blocks, the Canvas block is configured with props in MDX. Many of those props derive their default value from a corresponding parameter in the block's namespace, parameters.docs.canvas.

The following sourceState configurations are equivalent:

Button.stories.ts|tsx

// Replace your-framework with the name of your framework
import type { Meta, StoryObj } from '@storybook/your-framework';
 
import { Button } from './Button';
 
const meta: Meta<typeof Button> = {
  component: Button,
};
 
export default meta;
type Story = StoryObj<typeof Button>;
 
export const Basic: Story = {
  parameters: {
    docs: {
      canvas: { sourceState: 'shown' },
    },
  },
};

ButtonDocs.mdx

<Canvas of={ButtonStories.Basic} sourceState="shown" />

The example above applied the parameter at the story level, but it could also be applied at the component (or meta) level or project level.

`additionalActions`

Type:

Array<{
  title: string | JSX.Element;
  className?: string;
  onClick: () => void;
  disabled?: boolean;
}>;

Default: parameters.docs.canvas.additionalActions

Provides any additional custom actions to show in the bottom right corner. These are simple buttons that do anything you specify in the onClick function.

ButtonDocs.mdx

import { Meta, Story, Canvas, SourceState } from '@storybook/blocks';
import * as ButtonStories from './Button.stories';
 
<Meta of={ButtonStories} />
 
{/* with an additional action */}
<Canvas
  additionalActions={[
    {
      title: 'Open in GitHub',
      onClick: () => {
        window.open(
          'https://github.com/storybookjs/storybook/blob/next/code/ui/blocks/src/examples/Button.stories.tsx',
          '_blank'
        );
      },
    }
  ]}
  of={ButtonStories.Primary}
/>

`className`

Type: string

Default: parameters.docs.canvas.className

Provides HTML class(es) to the preview element, for custom styling.

`layout`

Type: 'centered' | 'fullscreen' | 'padded'

Default: parameters.layout or parameters.docs.canvas.layout or 'padded'

Specifies how the canvas should layout the story.

centered: Center the story within the canvas
padded: (default) Add padding to the story
fullscreen: Show the story as-is, without padding

In addition to the parameters.docs.canvas.layout property or the layout prop, the Canvas block will respect the parameters.layout value that defines how a story is laid out in the regular story view.

`meta`

Type: CSF file exports

Specifies the CSF file to which the story is associated.

You can render a story from a CSF file that you haven’t attached to the MDX file (via Meta) by using the meta prop. Pass the full set of exports from the CSF file (not the default export!).

ButtonDocs.mdx

import { Meta, Canvas } from '@storybook/blocks';
import * as ButtonStories from './Button.stories';
import * as HeaderStories from './Header.stories';
 
<Meta of={ButtonStories} />
 
{/* 
  Although this MDX file is largely concerned with Button.
  It can render Header stories too 
*/}
<Canvas of={HeaderStories.LoggedIn} meta={HeaderStories} />

`of`

Type: Story export

Specifies which story's source is displayed.

`source`

Type: SourceProps['code'] | SourceProps['format'] | SourceProps['language'] | SourceProps['type']

Specifies the props passed to the inner Source block. For more information, see the Source Doc Block documentation.

The dark prop is ignored, as the Source block is always rendered in dark mode when shown as part of a Canvas block.

`sourceState`

Type: 'hidden' | 'shown' | 'none'

Default: parameters.docs.canvas.sourceState or 'hidden'

Specifies the initial state of the source panel.

hidden: the source panel is hidden by default
shown: the source panel is shown by default
none: the source panel is not available and the button to show it is not rendered