Utilities

Code Block

Provides syntax highlighting, line numbers, and copy to clipboard functionality for code blocks.

The CodeBlock component provides syntax highlighting, line numbers, and copy to clipboard functionality for code blocks.

Installation

npx ai-elements@latest add code-block

Usage with AI SDK

Build a simple code generation tool using the experimental_useObject hook.

Add the following component to your frontend:

app/page.tsx
'use client';

import { experimental_useObject as useObject } from '@ai-sdk/react';
import { codeBlockSchema } from '@/app/api/codegen/route';
import {
  Input,
  PromptInputTextarea,
  PromptInputSubmit,
} from '@/components/ai-elements/prompt-input';
import {
  CodeBlock,
  CodeBlockCopyButton,
} from '@/components/ai-elements/code-block';
import { useState } from 'react';

export default function Page() {
  const [input, setInput] = useState('');
  const { object, submit, isLoading } = useObject({
    api: '/api/codegen',
    schema: codeBlockSchema,
  });

  const handleSubmit = (e: React.FormEvent) => {
    e.preventDefault();
    if (input.trim()) {
      submit(input);
    }
  };

  return (
    <div className="max-w-4xl mx-auto p-6 relative size-full rounded-lg border h-[600px]">
      <div className="flex flex-col h-full">
        <div className="flex-1 overflow-auto mb-4">
          {object?.code && object?.language && (
            <CodeBlock
              code={object.code}
              language={object.language}
              showLineNumbers={true}
            >
              <CodeBlockCopyButton />
            </CodeBlock>
          )}
        </div>

        <Input
          onSubmit={handleSubmit}
          className="mt-4 w-full max-w-2xl mx-auto relative"
        >
          <PromptInputTextarea
            value={input}
            placeholder="Generate a React todolist component"
            onChange={(e) => setInput(e.currentTarget.value)}
            className="pr-12"
          />
          <PromptInputSubmit
            status={isLoading ? 'streaming' : 'ready'}
            disabled={!input.trim()}
            className="absolute bottom-1 right-1"
          />
        </Input>
      </div>
    </div>
  );
}

Add the following route to your backend:

api/codegen/route.ts
import { streamObject } from 'ai';
import { z } from 'zod';

export const codeBlockSchema = z.object({
  language: z.string(),
  filename: z.string(),
  code: z.string(),
});
// Allow streaming responses up to 30 seconds
export const maxDuration = 30;

export async function POST(req: Request) {
  const context = await req.json();

  const result = streamObject({
    model: 'openai/gpt-4o',
    schema: codeBlockSchema,
    prompt:
      `You are a helpful coding assistant. Only generate code, no markdown formatting or backticks, or text.` +
      context,
  });

  return result.toTextStreamResponse();
}

Features

  • Syntax highlighting with shiki
  • Line numbers (optional)
  • Copy to clipboard functionality
  • Automatic light/dark theme switching
  • Customizable styles
  • Accessible design

Examples

Dark Mode

To use the CodeBlock component in dark mode, you can wrap it in a div with the dark class.

Props

<CodeBlock />

Prop

Type

<CodeBlockCopyButton />

Prop

Type