Button

Source

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1. Title and support strip

Run one clearly named action in the current task. Stable ID: SWC-button; source IDs: P11, P30, S9, L5, B. Maturity: proposed; availability: documented reference, not a published component package. Owner: Space Works design-system owner, Shaan Shoukath; product maintainers own app integration. Documentation introduced/updated for v2.1.0, planned under decision 397. Last source verification: 2026-11-13. Web implementation is described below; Compose/SwiftUI are starter mappings with no verified component parity.

2. Use it for / choose something else

Use for Save, Create, Retry and confirmation. Use Link for a destination and IconButton only for a familiar compact action.

Extracted source contract: P11 — P11. Buttons · P30 — P30. Undo and confirmation behaviour (R8, R28) · S9 — S9. Makerspace settings (settings) ← R5 + R6 + R17 · L5 — L5. SettingsLayout — sub-nav + sections of rows + sticky Discard/Save + DangerZone (R5, R6, R16, R17) · B — B. Interaction states. The purpose, anatomy, variants and dimensions below condense those sections without moving their IDs or anchors. Source P rules describe observed reference boards; B/C and later decisions resolve brand adaptations.

Authority note (2026-11-13): P entries retain observed reference-board measurements. Current B/D/E and decisions SW-299/SW-316 govern brand fills, free typography and geometry; do not copy reference black pills, shadows or legacy radii. Original source remains intact.

Authority and implementation status gives precedence. Source inventory preserves headings, table cells, code and links for publication checks.

3. Live example and complete code

Full-page runnable example: start node examples/web/server.mjs from the repository root, then open http://localhost:4174/examples/web/component-gallery.html#button. Choose Light/Dark, preview width and an applicable state; exercise hover, pressed and focus-visible with real input. Complete source: HTML, behaviour, styles. No app module, network API or build step is required. These are portable reference compositions, not replicas of app exports.

<button type="button" class="primary" data-action="save">Save changes</button>

The linked shell supplies CSS/tokens and any data-* behaviour. Static text/native controls remain without JavaScript; modal content has an inline fallback. Copy the complete source for enhancements, not this fragment alone. First-screen setup shows the whole document.

4. Anatomy

Numbered reading-order diagram: [1] → [2] → [3] → [4]. Slots and name ownership:

1. Native button: required action name and click target.
2. Text label: verb plus object; owns the accessible name.
3. Optional leading icon: decorative; pending artwork replaces it.
4. Adjacent reason or outcome: visible text plus description/status relationship.

5. Variants

Primary: one filled action per region. Neutral: secondary action. Ghost: low emphasis. Danger outline: opens a consequential confirmation. Filled danger: final confirmation only. Brand: public/member primary with validated tenant pairs.

Variant	Choose it for
Primary	One main task action per region.
Neutral / ghost	Secondary or low-emphasis action.
Danger outline / final danger	Open a consequential confirmation / confirm its irreversible effect.
Brand	Validated public/member tenant primary; not staff chrome.

Native products use platform controls with mapped roles/settings. A web keyboard model does not establish native parity. Gallery variants/states are reference compositions, not undocumented app props.

6. States

State handling belongs either to this primitive or the containing task explicitly named below. N/A records a semantic or API limitation, not an omitted requirement.

State	Presentation / copy	Action, focus, announcement and data
Default	Required visible name, correct role and truthful current value/context.	Enabled actions follow §8; no automatic announcement for static content.
Hover	Use B hover roles without hiding the label or necessary boundary.	No hover-exclusive instructions; child controls retain their own contracts.
Pressed	Use B active colours during activation; do not mutate on pointer-down.	Native click/release activates once; optional child actions use Button.
Focus-visible	Visible 2 px ring plus offset; ≥3:1 against actual adjacent colour.	Keep focused actions visible above sticky chrome and the software keyboard.
Selected	N/A — this primitive is not a choice; IconButton can accept aria-pressed for a genuine toggle.	Caller controls selection; keep values stable through failed persistence.
Disabled	Explicit surface/muted/line colours and an understandable prerequisite.	Use native disabled where supported; aria-disabled requires event guards. Consult §11 for unsupported props.
Read-only	N/A — no read-only component mode; noneditable information already reads as text.	No read-only API is claimed. For a locked choice, present a labelled static value; native checkbox/radio/select do not honour readOnly.
Loading / pending	Keep context; use task-specific pending copy such as “Saving…”.	Disable only the mutation in progress, announce once and preserve drafts. Fetch state is product-owned unless §11 says otherwise.
Empty	N/A — an action/destination is not a result collection; an empty label is invalid.	Never confuse no records with pending, denied access or failure.
Filtered-empty	N/A — this primitive does not filter results; the affected result region owns this state.	Preserve query and scope, offer Clear filters and announce the result once.
Error / retry	“Couldn’t save/load. Try again.” plus persistent explanation and specific recovery.	Keep the user’s value/context, relate field errors by ID and retry only the failed operation.
Offline	Keep clearly labelled last-known values and unsent drafts; explain network-only limitations.	Local navigation/editing/Close can remain available. Product owns safe retry/idempotency; queued is not completed.
Success	Show the completed effect and truthful updated value; use precise confirmation.	Announce once without taking focus; visible in-place changes need no redundant toast or invented success prop.
Interrupted work	Retain safe drafts/context and say whether completion is known or still unresolved.	Reconcile server/session state before repeating a mutation; never automatically replay irreversible work.

7. Specifications and tokens

44 px minimum control height and target width; 50–52 px full-width auth action only where P11 calls for it. Control radius 10 px, 4 px spacing grid, Outfit 600. B fill/on-fill pairs cover rest/hover/pressed. Cards have no elevation; overlay shadows do not belong on buttons.

Load tokens CSS once. Theme pairs: bg/surface/panel with ink or muted; fills use matching on-*; standalone links/essential accent marks use accent-ink or brand-boundary. line is decorative. No alpha text or opacity-based disabled state. outline on hover and raw dark accent on panel need special contrast care; use the tested functional boundary role. Geometry described here is a source contract, not a claim that new CSS variables exist. Wrap translation and enlarged text; use min-inline-size:0 and 320 CSS px reflow rather than clipping.

8. Interaction / accessibility

Tab / Shift+Tab: visit enabled buttons. Enter / Space: activate once. Native disabled buttons leave the tab order. A confirmation moves focus into Dialog; closing restores its opener.

Key / input	Behaviour
Tab / Shift+Tab	Visit enabled controls.
Enter / Space	Activate native button once; href variants use Link behaviour.

Test name/role/value and reading order with a screen reader. The name contains the visible label. Associate errors with unique description IDs and announce status once without moving focus. Test both themes, 400% zoom, forced colours and reduced motion. Use system colours/visible borders in forced colours; do not suppress adaptation by default. Keep focus clear of sticky chrome. The house target is 44 px; WCAG minimum is 24×24 CSS px with exceptions. Provide click/tap alternatives to dragging. Native integrations test TalkBack/VoiceOver, large type and platform focus. These are required checks, not claims of completed AT tests. Accessibility maps criteria, system contracts and product responsibilities.

9. Content

Use “Save changes”, “Saving…”, “Saved.” and “Couldn’t save. Try again.” Explain blocked prerequisites visibly; the ActionControl reason is screen-reader-only unless the product also renders it. Append … for a confirmation, never for a completed action.

Sentence case; translated labels and locale-aware plurals/numbers/dates/currency. Never expose raw error codes or invent a count. Money/evidence outcomes require actual confirmed completion and precise auditable consequences.

10. Do / don’t

Do	Don’t / why
Pair Save changes with Discard for a dirty settings group; disable only the pending action.	Do not use a filled danger control before confirmation or opacity to communicate disabled state.
Use semantic role tokens and complete visible copy.	Do not copy reference hex colours, alpha text or paid Gilroy weights: they bypass the current theme/type contract.

11. Implementation

Observed API: ActionControl({action, primary=false, className=''}). Action: label, href, onClick, icon, pending, pendingLabel, disabled, disabledReason, tone (‘default’|‘danger’), external, confirms and confirm {title,message,confirmLabel?}. No arbitrary variant prop, submit type or forwarded ref is supplied. Use a native submit button for a form.

App source, reference only: frontend/src/components/ui/ActionControl.tsx. Inspected in the supplied int-stage-r2final worktree; uncommitted content may differ from upstream main. Implementation snapshot records exact file hashes. Neighbours: shared types, desk CSS and motion modules.

<ActionControl primary action={{ label: 'Save changes', pending: saving,
  pendingLabel: 'Saving…', disabled: !dirty, disabledReason: !dirty ? 'No changes to save.' : undefined,
  onClick: save }} />

The snippet assumes the source app’s imports/state handlers. It is not a standalone install. Observed app dependencies include React 19.2, React Router 7.18, Tailwind 4.3, Lingui 6.10.1 and local motion/session modules. The separate React starter avoids these app dependencies. Preserve controlled values separately from fetched data. Only validated public/member brand roles take tenant overrides; staff chrome remains Space Works.

Known limitations: ActionControl does not await onClick, own fetched state, show success/error or prevent double mutation by itself. Callers must set pending synchronously, await the result, retain entered data and announce outcomes. Its disabledReason is not a visible explanation.

The standalone gallery uses local sample data/simulated outcomes. Without JS, ordinary content/controls and inline explanations remain; async/modal enhancements require JS. Native source is starter-only, not compiled here.

12. Related and maintenance

Link · IconButton · Dialog · Toast. Named patterns/layouts retain P1–P30/L1–L10 and screen backlinks. Fonts/licences, portable logo master and design-resource availability connect the assets; no public editable library or native component download is asserted.

Evidence: source inspection/captured hashes, not an app/site AT certificate. History: first dedicated contract for planned v2.1.0; no API removal introduced here. Release policy, migrations and contribution route govern maintenance.