Components
Select
Use: Best practice English, Spanish
USWDS v3
A select component allows users to choose one option from a menu.
Examples
Default
View va-select default in Storybook
View va-select default in StorybookRequired
View va-select required in Storybook
Hint text
View va-select with hint text in Storybook
Read only
View va-select inert, or read only in Storybook
Error
View va-select error message in Storybook
Dynamic options
View va-select dynamic options in Storybook
Internationalization
View va-select internationalization in Storybook
Widths
View va-select widths in Storybook
Usage
Refer to the U.S. Web Design System for usage guidance
Additional guidance for VA
Choosing the right component for the task
Consider how many options the user will have when choosing the right component. The number of options will determine what component is right for the task.
- 2 - 5: Radio Buttons. Use radio buttons when there are only a few options that can all be exposed at once.
- 6 - 15: Select. Use a select for a limited number of options.
- 16 - 100: Combo Box. For over 15 items, use a combo box that combines a select with typeahead.
- 101 - ∞: Search Input typeahead. Over 100 items, use the search input component with typeahead.
Some exceptions when choosing the right component
Some exceptions can be considered when choosing the right component.
- When the options are known and memorable. Use the combo box when the user will know what to expect as options in the dropdown. Some examples of this would be a list of countries or states. See the USWDS address pattern for an example.
- When the radio button labels are long or radio tiles contain descriptive text. Using long labels within a dropdown might create an issue where the information needed to make a selection is lost. There’s also descriptive text added within radio tiles that can’t be used in a dropdown. In those use cases a radio button might be required instead of a dropdown opton.
These are some things to consider when choosing between different components. Contact the Design System team for help if you have other use cases that are considered exceptions.
Errors
- Refer to the specific error example above.
View form error handling for additional guidance
Hint text
- Refer to the hint text example above.
View label hint text for additional guidance
Code usage
Attributes and Properties
| Property | Attribute | Type | Default | Description |
|---|---|---|---|---|
enableAnalytics |
enable-analytics |
boolean |
false |
Whether or not to fire the analytics events |
error |
error |
string |
Error message to display. When defined, this indicates an error. | |
hint |
hint |
string |
Optional hint text. | |
invalid |
invalid |
boolean |
false |
Whether or not `aria-invalid` will be set on the inner select. Useful when composing the component into something larger, like a date component. |
label |
label |
string |
Text label for the field. | |
messageAriaDescribedby |
message-aria-describedby |
string |
An optional message that will be read by screen readers when the select is focused. | |
name |
name |
string |
Name attribute for the select field. | |
reflectInputError |
reflect-input-error |
boolean |
false |
Whether or not to add usa-input--error as class if error message is outside of component |
required |
required |
boolean |
false |
Whether or not this is a required field. |
showError |
show-error |
boolean |
true |
Whether an error message should be shown - set to false when this component is used inside va-date or va-memorable-date in which the error for the va-select will be rendered outside of va-select |
value |
value |
string |
Selected value (will get updated on select). | |
width |
width |
string |
Displays the select at a specific width. Accepts 2xs (4ex), xs (7ex), sm or small (10ex), md or medium (20ex), lg (30ex), xl (40ex), and 2xl (50ex). |
Events
| Name | Description |
|---|---|
component-library-analytics |
The event used to track usage of the component. This is emitted when an option is selected and enableAnalytics is true. |
vaKeyDown |
The event attached to select's onkeydown |
vaSelect |
The event emitted when the selected value changes |
Native Events
- The native onKeyDown event is available on this component. It can be used by adding the event handler to your component and it will then listen to the event and respond accordingly when the event fires.
Accessibility considerations
Refer to the U.S. Web Design System for accessibility guidance
Component checklist
Maturity
- Guidance
- Examples, usage, code usage, content considerations, and accessibility considerations are all complete.
- Research
- VFS team conducted research on this component which is linked from this page.
- Stability
- Component has been in production for more than 3 months with no significant issues found.
- Adoption
- Multiple teams have adopted this component.
Accessibility
While this component has been previously tested against older criteria, it has not yet been audited with the updated testing criteria.
Code assets
- Variations
- Storybook includes all variations (style, size, orientation, optional iconography, selection, error state, etc.)
- Responsive
- Component depicted in all responsive breakpoints.
- Interactive states
- Includes all interactive states that are applicable (hover, active, focus, keyboard focus, disabled).
- Tokens
- All design attributes (color, typography, layout, etc.) are available as tokens.
- Internationalization
- Describes i18n attributes.
Visual assets
- Variations
- Sketch library includes all variations (style, size, orientation, optional iconography, selection, error state, etc.)
- Responsive
- Component designed to work in all responsive breakpoints.
- Interactive states
- Includes all interactive states that are applicable (hover, active, focus, keyboard focus, disabled).
- Tokens
- All design attributes (color, typography, layout, etc.) are available as tokens.
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