Version: v8 (beta)

ion-select

Selects are form controls to select an option, or options, from a set of options. When a user taps the select, a dialog appears with all of the options in a large, easy to select list.

A select should be used with child <ion-select-option> elements. If the child option is not given a value attribute then its text will be used as the value.

If value is set on the <ion-select>, the selected option will be chosen based on that value.

Labels

Labels should be used to describe the select. They can be used visually, and they will also be read out by screen readers when the user is focused on the select. This makes it easy for the user to understand the intent of the select. Select has several ways to assign a label:

Select has several options for supplying a label for the component:

label property: used for plaintext labels
label slot: used for custom HTML labels
aria-label: used to provide a label for screen readers but adds no visible label

Label Placement

Labels will take up the width of their content by default. Developers can use the labelPlacement property to control how the label is placed relative to the control. While the label property is used here, labelPlacement can also be used with the label slot.

Label Slot

While plaintext labels should be passed in via the label property, if custom HTML is needed, it can be passed through the label slot instead.

No Visible Label

If no visible label is needed, developers should still supply an aria-label so the select is accessible to screen readers.

Single Selection

By default, the select allows the user to select only one option. The alert interface presents users with a radio button styled list of options. The select component's value receives the value of the selected option's value.

Keyboard interactions for single selection are described in the Keyboard Interactions section below.

Multiple Selection

By adding the multiple attribute to select, users are able to select multiple options. When multiple options can be selected, the alert or popover overlay presents users with a checkbox styled list of options. The select component's value receives an array of all of the selected option values.

note

The action-sheet interface is not supported with multiple selection.

Keyboard interactions for multiple selection are described in the Keyboard Interactions section below.

Interfaces

By default, select uses ion-alert to open up the overlay of options in an alert. The interface can be changed to use ion-action-sheet or ion-popover by passing action-sheet or popover, respectively, to the interface property. Read on to the other sections for the limitations of the different interfaces.

Alert

Action Sheet

Responding to Interaction

The main ways of handling user interaction with the select are the ionChange, ionDismiss, and ionCancel events. See Events for more details on these and other events that select fires.

Console

Console messages will appear here when logged from the example above.

Object Value References

When using objects for select values, it is possible for the identities of these objects to change if they are coming from a server or database, while the selected value's identity remains the same. For example, this can occur when an existing record with the desired object value is loaded into the select, but the newly retrieved select options now have different identities. This will result in the select appearing to have no value at all, even though the original selection in still intact.

By default, the select uses strict equality (===) to determine if an option is selected. This can be overridden by providing a property name or a function to the compareWith property.

Using compareWith

Console

Console messages will appear here when logged from the example above.

Object Values and Multiple Selection

Console

Console messages will appear here when logged from the example above.

Justification

Developers can use the justify property to control how the label and control are packed on a line.

Filled Selects

Material Design offers filled styles for a select. The fill property on the select can be set to either "solid" or "outline".

Since the fill styles visually defines the select container, selects that use fill should not be used in ion-item.

Select Buttons

The alert supports two buttons: Cancel and OK. Each button's text can be customized using the cancelText and okText properties.

The action-sheet and popover interfaces do not have an OK button, clicking on any of the options will automatically close the overlay and select that value. The popover interface does not have a Cancel button, clicking on the backdrop will close the overlay.

Interface Options

Since select uses the alert, action sheet and popover interfaces, options can be passed to these components through the interfaceOptions property. This can be used to pass a custom header, subheader, css class, and more.

See the ion-alert docs, ion-action-sheet docs, and ion-popover docs for the properties that each interface accepts.

Note: interfaceOptions will not override inputs or buttons with the alert interface.

Start and End Slots

The start and end slots can be used to place icons, buttons, or prefix/suffix text on either side of the select. If the slot content is clicked, the select will not open.

note

In most cases, Icon components placed in these slots should have aria-hidden="true". See the Icon accessibility docs for more information.

If slot content is meant to be interacted with, it should be wrapped in an interactive element such as a Button. This ensures that the content can be tabbed to.

Customization

There are two units that make up the Select component and each need to be styled separately. The ion-select element is represented on the view by the selected value(s), or placeholder if there is none, and dropdown icon. The interface, which is defined in the Interfaces section above, is the dialog that opens when clicking on the ion-select. The interface contains all of the options defined by adding ion-select-option elements. The following sections will go over the differences between styling these.

Styling Select Element

As mentioned, the ion-select element consists only of the value(s), or placeholder, and icon that is displayed on the view. To customize this, style using a combination of CSS and any of the CSS custom properties.

Alternatively, depending on the browser support needed, CSS shadow parts can be used to style the select. Notice that by using ::part, any CSS property on the element can be targeted.

Styling Select Interface

Customizing the interface dialog should be done by following the Customization section in that interface's documentation:

However, the Select Option does set a class for easier styling and allows for the ability to pass a class to the overlay option, see the Select Options documentation for usage examples of customizing options.

Custom Toggle Icons

The icon that displays next to the select text can be set to any Ionicon using the toggleIcon and/or expandedIcon properties.

Icon Flip Behavior

By default, when the select is open, the toggle icon will automatically rotate on md mode and remain static on ios mode. This behavior can be customized using CSS.

The below example also uses a custom toggleIcon to better demonstrate the flip behavior on ios, since the default icon is vertically symmetrical.

Typeahead Component

Typeahead or autocomplete functionality can be built using existing Ionic components. We recommend using an ion-modal to make the best use of the available screen space.

Interfaces

SelectChangeEventDetail

interface SelectChangeEventDetail<T = any> {
  value: T;
}

SelectCustomEvent

While not required, this interface can be used in place of the CustomEvent interface for stronger typing with Ionic events emitted from this component.

interface SelectCustomEvent<T = any> extends CustomEvent {
  detail: SelectChangeEventDetail<T>;
  target: HTMLIonSelectElement;
}

Migrating from Legacy Select Syntax

A simpler select syntax was introduced in Ionic 7.0. This new syntax reduces the boilerplate required to setup an select, resolves accessibility issues, and improves the developer experience.

Developers can perform this migration one select at a time. While developers can continue using the legacy syntax, we recommend migrating as soon as possible.

Using the Modern Syntax

Using the modern syntax involves two steps:

Remove ion-label and use the label property on ion-select instead. The placement of the label can be configured using the labelPlacement property on ion-select.
Move any usage of fill and shape from ion-item on to ion-select.

JavaScript
Angular
React
Vue

<!-- Label and Label Position -->

<!-- Before -->
<ion-item>
  <ion-label position="floating">Favorite Fruit:</ion-label>
  <ion-select>...</ion-select>
</ion-item>

<!-- After -->
<ion-item>
  <ion-select label="Favorite Fruit:" label-placement="floating">...</ion-select>
</ion-item>


<!-- Fill -->

<!-- Before -->
<ion-item fill="outline" shape="round">
  <ion-label position="floating">Favorite Fruit:</ion-label>
  <ion-select>...</ion-select>
</ion-item>

<!-- After -->

<!-- Inputs using `fill` should not be placed in ion-item -->
<ion-select fill="outline" shape="round" label="Favorite Fruit:" label-placement="floating">...</ion-select>

<!-- Label and Label Position -->

<!-- Before -->
<ion-item>
  <ion-label position="floating">Favorite Fruit:</ion-label>
  <ion-select>...</ion-select>
</ion-item>

<!-- After -->
<ion-item>
  <ion-select label="Favorite Fruit:" labelPlacement="floating">...</ion-select>
</ion-item>


<!-- Fill -->

<!-- Before -->
<ion-item fill="outline" shape="round">
  <ion-label position="floating">Favorite Fruit:</ion-label>
  <ion-select>...</ion-select>
</ion-item>

<!-- After -->

<!-- Inputs using `fill` should not be placed in ion-item -->
<ion-select fill="outline" shape="round" label="Favorite Fruit:" labelPlacement="floating">...</ion-select>

{/* Label and Label Position */}

{/* Before */}
<IonItem>
  <IonLabel position="floating">Favorite Fruit:</IonLabel>
  <IonSelect>...</IonSelect>
</IonItem>

{/* After */}
<IonItem>
  <IonSelect label="Favorite Fruit:" labelPlacement="floating">...</IonSelect>
</IonItem>


{/* Fill */}

{/* Before */}
<IonItem fill="outline" shape="round">
  <IonLabel position="floating">Favorite Fruit:</IonLabel>
  <IonSelect>...</IonSelect>
</IonItem>

{/* After */}

{/* Inputs using `fill` should not be placed in IonItem */}
<IonSelect fill="outline" shape="round" label="Favorite Fruit:" labelPlacement="floating">...</IonSelect>

<!-- Label and Label Position -->

<!-- Before -->
<ion-item>
  <ion-label position="floating">Favorite Fruit:</ion-label>
  <ion-select>...</ion-select>
</ion-item>

<!-- After -->
<ion-item>
  <ion-select label="Favorite Fruit:" label-placement="floating">...</ion-select>
</ion-item>


<!-- Fill -->

<!-- Before -->
<ion-item fill="outline" shape="round">
  <ion-label position="floating">Favorite Fruit:</ion-label>
  <ion-select>...</ion-select>
</ion-item>

<!-- After -->

<!-- Inputs using `fill` should not be placed in ion-item -->
<ion-select fill="outline" shape="round" label="Favorite Fruit:" label-placement="floating">...</ion-select>

Using the Legacy Syntax

Ionic uses heuristics to detect if an app is using the modern select syntax. In some instances, it may be preferable to continue using the legacy syntax. Developers can set the legacy property on ion-select to true to force that instance of the input to use the legacy syntax.

Accessibility

Keyboard Interactions

Ionic's keyboard interactions follow the implementation patterns of the web instead of the native iOS select for a consistent experience across all platforms.

These keyboard interactions apply to all ion-select elements when the following conditions are met:

The select is closed.
The select is focused.
The select is not disabled.

Key	Description
`Enter`	Opens the overlay and focuses on the first selected option. If there is no selected option, then it focuses on the first option.
`Space`	Opens the overlay and focuses on the first selected option. If there is no selected option, then it focuses on the first option.

Single Selection

Single selection keyboard interaction follows the ARIA implementation patterns of a radio.

These keyboard interactions apply to ion-action-sheet, ion-alert, and ion-popover elements when the overlay is presented and focused.

Key	Description
`ArrowDown`	Focuses and selects the next option in the list. If there is no next option, selection will cycle to the first option.
`ArrowLeft`	Focuses and selects the previous option in the list. If there is no previous option, selection will cycle to the last option.
`ArrowRight`	Focuses and selects the next option in the list. If there is no next option, selection will cycle to the first option.
`ArrowUp`	Focuses and selects the previous option in the list. If there is no previous option, selection will cycle to the last option.
`Enter`	If an option is focused, it will select the option. Overlays without an 'OK' button will commit the value immediately, dismiss the overlay and return focus to the `ion-select` element. If the 'OK' button is focused, it will save the user's selection, dismiss the overlay and return focus to the `ion-select` element.
`Escape`	Closes the overlay without changing the submitted option. Returns the focus back to the `ion-select` element.
`Space`	If the focused radio button is not checked, unchecks the currently checked radio button and checks the focused radio button. Otherwise, does nothing. If the overlay does not have an 'OK' button, the value will be committed immediately and the overlay will dismiss.
`Tab`	Moves focus to the next focusable element (cancel button, 'OK' button, or either the selection or the first option) on the overlay. If the next focusable element is an option, then it will focus on the selected option, otherwise it will focus the first option.

Multiple Selection

Multiple selection keyboard interaction follows the ARIA implementation patterns of a checkbox.

These keyboard interactions apply to ion-alert and ion-popover elements when the overlay is presented and multiple selection is enabled.

Key	Description
`Enter`	When the 'OK' button is focused, it will save the user's selection, dismiss the overlay, and return focus to the `ion-select` element.
`Escape`	Closes the overlay without changing the submitted option(s). Returns the focus back to the `ion-select` element.
`Space`	Selects or deselects the currently focused option. This does not deselect the other selected options. If the overlay does not have an 'OK' button, the value will be committed immediately.
`Tab`	Move focus to the next focusable element (cancel button, 'OK' button, or any of the options) on the overlay. If the next focusable element is the options list, then it should iterate through each option.

Properties

cancelText

Description	The text to display on the cancel button.
Attribute	`cancel-text`
Type	`string`
Default	`'Cancel'`

color

Description	The color to use from your application's color palette. Default options are: `"primary"`, `"secondary"`, `"tertiary"`, `"success"`, `"warning"`, `"danger"`, `"light"`, `"medium"`, and `"dark"`. For more information on colors, see theming. This property is only available when using the modern select syntax.
Attribute	`color`
Type	`"danger" ｜ "dark" ｜ "light" ｜ "medium" ｜ "primary" ｜ "secondary" ｜ "success" ｜ "tertiary" ｜ "warning" ｜ string ｜ undefined`
Default	`undefined`

compareWith

Description	This property allows developers to specify a custom function or property name for comparing objects when determining the selected option in the ion-select. When not specified, the default behavior will use strict equality (===) for comparison.
Attribute	`compare-with`
Type	`((currentValue: any, compareValue: any) => boolean) ｜ null ｜ string ｜ undefined`
Default	`undefined`

disabled

Description	If `true`, the user cannot interact with the select.
Attribute	`disabled`
Type	`boolean`
Default	`false`

expandedIcon

Description	The toggle icon to show when the select is open. If defined, the icon rotation behavior in `md` mode will be disabled. If undefined, `toggleIcon` will be used for when the select is both open and closed.
Attribute	`expanded-icon`
Type	`string ｜ undefined`
Default	`undefined`

fill

Description	The fill for the item. If `"solid"` the item will have a background. If `"outline"` the item will be transparent with a border. Only available in `md` mode.
Attribute	`fill`
Type	`"outline" ｜ "solid" ｜ undefined`
Default	`undefined`

interface

Description	The interface the select should use: `action-sheet`, `popover` or `alert`.
Attribute	`interface`
Type	`"action-sheet" ｜ "alert" ｜ "popover"`
Default	`'alert'`

interfaceOptions

Description	Any additional options that the `alert`, `action-sheet` or `popover` interface can take. See the ion-alert docs, the ion-action-sheet docs and the ion-popover docs for the create options for each interface. Note: `interfaceOptions` will not override `inputs` or `buttons` with the `alert` interface.
Attribute	`interface-options`
Type	`any`
Default	`{}`

justify

Description	How to pack the label and select within a line. `justify` does not apply when the label and select are on different lines when `labelPlacement` is set to `"floating"` or `"stacked"`. `"start"`: The label and select will appear on the left in LTR and on the right in RTL. `"end"`: The label and select will appear on the right in LTR and on the left in RTL. `"space-between"`: The label and select will appear on opposite ends of the line with space between the two elements.
Attribute	`justify`
Type	`"end" ｜ "space-between" ｜ "start"`
Default	`'space-between'`

label

Description	The visible label associated with the select. Use this if you need to render a plaintext label. The `label` property will take priority over the `label` slot if both are used.
Attribute	`label`
Type	`string ｜ undefined`
Default	`undefined`

labelPlacement

Description	Where to place the label relative to the select. `"start"`: The label will appear to the left of the select in LTR and to the right in RTL. `"end"`: The label will appear to the right of the select in LTR and to the left in RTL. `"floating"`: The label will appear smaller and above the select when the select is focused or it has a value. Otherwise it will appear on top of the select. `"stacked"`: The label will appear smaller and above the select regardless even when the select is blurred or has no value. `"fixed"`: The label has the same behavior as `"start"` except it also has a fixed width. Long text will be truncated with ellipses ("..."). When using `"floating"` or `"stacked"` we recommend initializing the select with either a `value` or a `placeholder`.
Attribute	`label-placement`
Type	`"end" ｜ "fixed" ｜ "floating" ｜ "stacked" ｜ "start" ｜ undefined`
Default	`'start'`

mode

Description	The mode determines which platform styles to use.
Attribute	`mode`
Type	`"ios" ｜ "md"`
Default	`undefined`

multiple

Description	If `true`, the select can accept multiple values.
Attribute	`multiple`
Type	`boolean`
Default	`false`

name

Description	The name of the control, which is submitted with the form data.
Attribute	`name`
Type	`string`
Default	`this.inputId`

okText

Description	The text to display on the ok button.
Attribute	`ok-text`
Type	`string`
Default	`'OK'`

placeholder

Description	The text to display when the select is empty.
Attribute	`placeholder`
Type	`string ｜ undefined`
Default	`undefined`

selectedText

Description	The text to display instead of the selected option's value.
Attribute	`selected-text`
Type	`null ｜ string ｜ undefined`
Default	`undefined`

shape

Description	The shape of the select. If "round" it will have an increased border radius.
Attribute	`shape`
Type	`"round" ｜ undefined`
Default	`undefined`

toggleIcon

Description	The toggle icon to use. Defaults to `chevronExpand` for `ios` mode, or `caretDownSharp` for `md` mode.
Attribute	`toggle-icon`
Type	`string ｜ undefined`
Default	`undefined`

value

Description	The value of the select.
Attribute	`value`
Type	`any`
Default	`undefined`

Events

Name	Description	Bubbles
`ionBlur`	Emitted when the select loses focus.	`true`
`ionCancel`	Emitted when the selection is cancelled.	`true`
`ionChange`	Emitted when the value has changed.	`true`
`ionDismiss`	Emitted when the overlay is dismissed.	`true`
`ionFocus`	Emitted when the select has focus.	`true`

Methods

open

Description	Open the select overlay. The overlay is either an alert, action sheet, or popover, depending on the `interface` property on the `ion-select`.
Signature	`open(event?: UIEvent) => Promise<any>`

CSS Shadow Parts

Name	Description
`container`	The container for the selected text or placeholder.
`icon`	The select icon container.
`label`	The label text describing the select.
`placeholder`	The text displayed in the select when there is no value.
`text`	The displayed value of the select.

CSS Custom Properties

Name	Description
`--background`	Background of the select
`--border-color`	Color of the select border
`--border-radius`	Radius of the select border. A large radius may display unevenly when using fill="outline"; if needed, use shape="round" instead or increase --padding-start.
`--border-style`	Style of the select border
`--border-width`	Width of the select border
`--highlight-color-focused`	The color of the highlight on the select when focused
`--highlight-color-invalid`	The color of the highlight on the select when invalid
`--highlight-color-valid`	The color of the highlight on the select when valid
`--highlight-height`	The height of the highlight on the select. Only applies to md mode.
`--padding-bottom`	Bottom padding of the select
`--padding-end`	Right padding if direction is left-to-right, and left padding if direction is right-to-left of the select
`--padding-start`	Left padding if direction is left-to-right, and right padding if direction is right-to-left of the select
`--padding-top`	Top padding of the select
`--placeholder-color`	Color of the select placeholder text
`--placeholder-opacity`	Opacity of the select placeholder text
`--ripple-color`	The color of the ripple effect on MD mode.

Slots

Name	Description
`end`	Content to display at the trailing edge of the select.
`label`	The label text to associate with the select. Use the `labelPlacement` property to control where the label is placed relative to the select. Use this if you need to render a label with custom HTML.
`start`	Content to display at the leading edge of the select.

Labels​

Label Placement​

Label Slot​

No Visible Label​

Single Selection​

Multiple Selection​

Interfaces​

Alert​

Action Sheet​

Popover​

Responding to Interaction​

Object Value References​

Using compareWith​

Object Values and Multiple Selection​

Justification​

Filled Selects​

Select Buttons​

Interface Options​

Start and End Slots​

Customization​

Styling Select Element​

Styling Select Interface​

Custom Toggle Icons​

Icon Flip Behavior​

Typeahead Component​

Interfaces​

SelectChangeEventDetail​

SelectCustomEvent​

Migrating from Legacy Select Syntax​

Using the Modern Syntax​

Using the Legacy Syntax​

Accessibility​

Keyboard Interactions​

Single Selection​

Multiple Selection​

Properties​

cancelText​

color​

compareWith​

disabled​

expandedIcon​

fill​

interface​

interfaceOptions​

justify​

label​

labelPlacement​

mode​

multiple​

name​

okText​

placeholder​

selectedText​

shape​

toggleIcon​

value​

Events​

Methods​

open​

CSS Shadow Parts​

CSS Custom Properties​

Slots​

Contents

Labels

Label Placement

Label Slot

No Visible Label

Single Selection

Multiple Selection

Interfaces

Alert

Action Sheet

Popover

Responding to Interaction

Object Value References

Using compareWith

Object Values and Multiple Selection

Justification

Filled Selects

Select Buttons

Interface Options

Start and End Slots

Customization

Styling Select Element

Styling Select Interface

Custom Toggle Icons

Icon Flip Behavior

Typeahead Component

Interfaces

SelectChangeEventDetail

SelectCustomEvent

Migrating from Legacy Select Syntax

Using the Modern Syntax

Using the Legacy Syntax

Accessibility

Keyboard Interactions

Single Selection

Multiple Selection

Properties

cancelText

color

compareWith

disabled

expandedIcon

fill

interface

interfaceOptions

justify

label

labelPlacement

mode

multiple

name

okText

placeholder

selectedText

shape

toggleIcon

value

Events

Methods

open

CSS Shadow Parts

CSS Custom Properties

Slots