Select

Source

This page is published from docs/components/select.md. Edit it there.

1. Title and support strip

Choose one value from a compact list of known options. Stable ID: SWC-select; source IDs: P15, P18, 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 native select for a known list. Radio exposes a short choice set; TextField accepts arbitrary text. A searchable remote picker needs a separately reviewed combobox contract.

Extracted source contract: P15 — P15. Settings rows (R5, R16, R17) · P18 — P18. Create form with live preview (R3) · 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 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#select. 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.

<label for="density">Density</label><select id="density"><option value="comfortable">Comfortable</option><option value="compact">Compact</option></select>

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. Visible label: required and associated.
2. Native select and option children.
3. Optional empty prompt and group labels.
4. Hint/error text connected to the control.

5. Variants

Required or optional single selection; native optgroup for categories. ListColumns uses Comfortable/Compact density; LanguageSwitcher variant=‘select’ supports explicit language and an optional space default. No generic Select export exists.

Variant	Choose it for
Native single	Known closed set of options.
Prompt / optional	Explicit blank prompt or allowed no-selection value.
Language select	Task-specific LanguageSwitcher; local preference can outlive account-save failure.

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	Checked/current semantics and a non-colour selection mark.	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	Show absence only after a successful load, with a useful next step.	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, panel fill and outline boundary, ink value. Width follows its slot; long labels must not widen the page. The operating system owns the opened native option popup. Preserve platform high-contrast and touch behaviour.

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 enters/leaves. Native arrows/type-ahead choose options; opening/commit shortcuts follow the OS and browser. Escape dismisses the native popup where supported. Do not intercept its keys with Menu handlers.

Key / input	Behaviour
Tab / OS picker keys	Native select focus, arrows/type-ahead and platform open/commit/dismiss keys.

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 a task label and meaningful options. An empty prompt says “Choose a makerspace”; it is not a real value for a required selection. Distinguish “No options available” from “Couldn’t load options. Retry.”

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
Keep a still-valid choice when reloading options and explain locked choices as static values.	Do not add role=menu to a select or assume readOnly prevents selection.
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: Native value/defaultValue, onChange(event.target.value), name, required and disabled. LanguageSwitcher takes variant (‘menu’|‘select’) and optional onPersist(code|null):Promise; it persists browser language first and reports account-persistence failure. Native select has no readOnly.

App source, reference only: frontend/src/components/shell/LanguageSwitcher.tsx. Inspected in the supplied int-stage-r2final worktree; uncommitted content may differ from upstream main. Implementation snapshot records exact file hashes. Neighbours: ListColumns.tsx.

<Field label='Density'><select className='desk-input' value={density}
  onChange={e => setDensity(e.target.value)}>
  <option value='comfortable'>Comfortable</option><option value='compact'>Compact</option>
</select></Field>

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: The system does not ship an asynchronous Select/combobox. Loading options, stale-value handling and errors belong to the product. Select-only language changes apply locally even if account persistence fails; report that precisely.

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

Radio · TextField and SearchField · Menu. 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.