Stop Repeating Yourself: Build Smarter with Reusable Elements in Bubble.io

Hey,

If you’ve found yourself copying the same buttons, navbars, or workflows across multiple pages in your Bubble.io app, this one’s for you.

One of the best ways to speed up your development and make future changes easier is by using reusable elements—Bubble’s version of components.

This week, I’ll walk you through how to create and use a reusable system in your app to keep things clean, scalable, and future-proof.

1. What Are Reusable Elements?

Reusable elements are modular UI blocks you can build once and drop anywhere in your app.

Common examples:

• Navigation bars

• Footers

• Sidebars

• Modals (popups)

• User cards, post cards, product tiles

• Custom buttons or tag components

They save time and ensure consistency across pages—so when you update the component, it updates everywhere it’s used.

2. How to Create a Reusable Element

1. Go to the Reusable Elements tab in the Bubble editor.

2. Click “New Reusable Element” and give it a name like Navbar, ProductCard, or MobileMenu.

3. Design your component just like any other group.

4. Add it to any page using the “Reusable Element” option from the Elements panel.

Pro Tip: Keep your components flexible by using custom states and conditionals instead of hard-coded text or data.

3. Add Dynamic Content with Parent Group’s Data

One powerful feature of reusable elements is the ability to pass data to them using “Parent group’s thing.”

Example:

• You build a reusable element called UserCard.

• When you drop it into a repeating group, you can set the data source to be the Current Cell’s User.

• Inside UserCard, every element can now reference “Parent group’s User” to display name, profile image, etc.

This turns your reusable element into a dynamic, data-driven component.

4. Use Custom Events Inside Reusables

You can trigger workflows inside reusable elements without affecting the page.

Use cases:

• A reusable modal with a “Confirm” button that triggers an internal workflow.

• A dynamic tag component that adds/removes items from a list.

To trigger page-level workflows, pass data or flags back to the page using custom states or call a backend workflow.

5. Real Examples Worth Building as Reusables

Here are some high-leverage components worth turning into reusable elements:

• Header bar with conditional login/logout buttons

• Slide-in mobile menu with responsive styling

• Comment/post tiles for social apps

• Confirmation modals

• Tag input chips

• Rating stars

These are things that appear in multiple places and should never be duplicated manually.

That’s a Wrap

Once your app starts growing, duplicating design blocks and workflows becomes a nightmare. Reusable elements are the answer—they help you move fast without breaking things.

Got a cool idea for a reusable element? Hit reply and let me know what you're building—I’m always keen to see clever setups.

Until next week,
Stackless