Creating Your First Layout in Nuxt.js

1. Introduction

In this tutorial, we will walk you through the process of creating your first layout in Nuxt.js. Nuxt.js is a robust framework for building Vue.js applications, which simplifies the development process by handling a lot of configuration and boilerplate code for you.

By the end of this tutorial, you will learn how to:
- Create a Nuxt.js layout
- Apply the layout to your web pages
- Understand the importance of layouts in a Nuxt.js application

Before you start, it’s important that you have a basic understanding of Vue.js and JavaScript.

2. Step-by-Step Guide

In Nuxt.js, a layout is essentially a Vue component, but it acts as a master template which you can apply to multiple pages in your application. This is useful for including site-wide components like headers, footers, or sidebars.

Creating a Layout

In your Nuxt.js project, layouts are stored in the layouts directory.

1. Start by creating a new file in this directory, e.g., default.vue.

<template>
  <div>
    <header>
      <!-- You can add your header here -->
    </header>
    <Nuxt />
    <footer>
      <!-- You can add your footer here -->
    </footer>
  </div>
</template>

The <Nuxt /> component is where the content of your individual pages will be loaded.

Applying the Layout

To apply this layout to a page, you simply need to create a new Vue component in the pages directory.

1. For example, create a index.vue file in the pages directory.

<template>
  <div>
    <h1>Hello, Nuxt.js!</h1>
  </div>
</template>

The default layout will be applied to all pages that do not specify a layout.

3. Code Examples

Here's an example of a layout with a header and footer:

<!-- layouts/default.vue -->
<template>
  <div>
    <header>
      <h1>This is the header</h1>
    </header>
    <Nuxt />
    <footer>
      <h1>This is the footer</h1>
    </footer>
  </div>
</template>

And a page which uses this layout:

<!-- pages/index.vue -->
<template>
  <div>
    <h1>Hello, Nuxt.js!</h1>
  </div>
</template>

When you navigate to the homepage of your application, you should see "This is the header", "Hello, Nuxt.js!", and "This is the footer" displayed on the page.

4. Summary

In this tutorial, we have learned how to create a layout in Nuxt.js and apply it to a page. We have seen that layouts are a powerful feature of Nuxt.js that allow you to create consistent page structures.

Next, you might want to learn more about other features of Nuxt.js, such as its routing system, or how to fetch data for your pages.

Here are some resources that you may find useful:
- Nuxt.js Documentation
- Vue.js Guide

5. Practice Exercises

1. Create a layout with a sidebar and apply it to a page.
2. Create a layout that includes a navigation bar with links to other pages in your application.
3. (Advanced) Create a layout that changes based on user's login status.

Remember to test your layouts by creating corresponding pages and navigating to them in your browser. You can find the solutions to these exercises in the Nuxt.js documentation. Keep practicing and exploring different features of Nuxt.js!