NavigationBar with Multiple Tabs
Switch top-level sections at the bottom.
NavigationBar with Multiple Tabs is a free Jetpack Compose Academy lesson on CoddyKit — lesson 1 of 4. You can read the complete lesson below for free — then practise it hands-on in the browser with a built-in code editor and a 24/7 AI tutor. It is part of the Jetpack Compose Academy learning path, one of 4 lessons in the course, and your progress syncs across the web and the CoddyKit app.
Meet NavigationBar
Material 3 gives you NavigationBar, a bar pinned to the bottom that lets people jump between the top-level sections of your app. 📱
When to Use It
Reach for a NavigationBar when your app has three to five equally important destinations, like Home, Search, and Profile.
It Lives in the Scaffold
You usually drop the bar into a Scaffold bottomBar slot, so it stays fixed while the screen content scrolls above it.
Scaffold(
bottomBar = { NavigationBar { /* items */ } }
) { padding -> Content(padding) }Each Tab Is an Item
Inside the bar you add one NavigationBarItem per destination. Each item is a clickable tab with its own icon and label.
NavigationBar {
NavigationBarItem(/* ... */)
NavigationBarItem(/* ... */)
}The selected Flag
Every item needs a selected boolean. Exactly one item should be true at a time so the bar shows where the user is.
NavigationBarItem(
selected = current == "home",
onClick = { go("home") }
)Handle the Tap
The onClick lambda runs when the tab is pressed. This is where you tell your navigation to switch to that section.
Give It an Icon
The icon slot takes a Composable, usually an Icon from the Material set, so each tab is instantly recognizable.
icon = { Icon(Icons.Default.Home, contentDescription = "Home") }Add a Label
The label slot shows short text under the icon. Keep it to one clear word so it fits and reads fast.
label = { Text("Home") }A Model for Tabs
It helps to keep your tabs in a simple data class list, so the bar can loop over them instead of hard-coding each item.
data class Tab(val route: String, val icon: ImageVector, val label: String)Loop to Build the Bar
With a tab list you can forEach over it and emit one NavigationBarItem per entry, keeping the bar tidy and easy to extend.
tabs.forEach { tab ->
NavigationBarItem(/* uses tab fields */)
}Pair It with Content
The bar only switches the active section. You still pair it with a NavHost or a when block that actually swaps the screen content.
Quick Check
You added three tabs to your NavigationBar. Quick check on the basics.
Recap
You met NavigationBar: drop it in the Scaffold, add a NavigationBarItem per section with an icon, label, selected flag, and onClick. Nice work! 🎉
Frequently asked questions
Is the “NavigationBar with Multiple Tabs” lesson free?
Yes — the full text of “NavigationBar with Multiple Tabs” is free to read here on the web, and the Jetpack Compose Academy course includes 4 lessons in total. To practise it interactively (a built-in code editor and a 24/7 AI tutor) and unlock the rest of the Jetpack Compose Academy course, upgrade to CoddyKit PRO.
What will I learn in “NavigationBar with Multiple Tabs”?
Switch top-level sections at the bottom. You practise Jetpack Compose Academy with hands-on code you run directly in the browser, and a 24/7 AI tutor answers your questions as you work through the lesson.
Do I need any experience to start Jetpack Compose Academy?
No prior experience is required. Jetpack Compose Academy on CoddyKit is structured for beginners through advanced learners; this is — lesson 1 of 4, so you can start here or from the beginning and move at your own pace.
How long does the “NavigationBar with Multiple Tabs” lesson take?
Most CoddyKit lessons take about 5–10 minutes. Each one is bite-sized and interactive, so you make steady progress and pick up exactly where you left off across the web and the app.
Can I write and run code in this Jetpack Compose Academy lesson?
Yes. Every Jetpack Compose Academy lesson includes a built-in code editor, so you write and run real code right in your browser and get instant AI feedback — no local setup required.
All lessons in this course
- NavigationBar with Multiple Tabs
- Highlighting the Selected Route
- Preserving Tab State on Switch
- TabRow & Swipeable Pages