Checkbox multiselect

Checkbox multiselects adapt a standard checkbox group to become a dropdown list. They allow users to select from a larger list of checkboxes and are preferable to a a standard group of checkboxes in these instances, as they keep pages shorter. Where there are more than five options available at desktop, or three at mobile, multiselects will automatically add a scrolling facility.

Checkboxes allow users to select none, one or more items from a list of options.

The default version of this component pushes down the content on the page when it is opened, but an additional variant is available which will allow the open component to overlay other content on the page instead - see 'overlay variant' example below.

• Checkboxes should behave independently from each other.
• A single checkbox should be used where a user needs to indicate agreement (for example to terms and conditions).
• The checkbox itself, and its container are clickable, to provide a larger target area.
• Checkbox labels may wrap to a maximum of two lines.
• Standard multiselects which push down down can show/hide content or form elements.

• Do not use for mutually exclusive options - use segmented controls or drop down lists instead.
• Do not use a negative statement for a checkbox label.
• Overlay variant multiselects must not show/hide content or form elements; if used incorrectly, content/form elements would have to either populate under the overlay or after the overlay, both of which would present confusing behaviour.

For documentation on standard checkboxes see our checkbox documentation.

Examples

Notes for developers

Checkbox multiselects add their functionality with the simple addition of a data-module="m-multiselect" tag within the m-checkbox-group ul.

When creating a group of checkboxes they must be contained within their one fieldset where the legend is the question for the group of checkboxes.

Within a group of checkboxes the name attribute must be unique to the form, and the id attribute must be unique to the page.

When disabling checkboxes do not solely rely on the is-disabled class, ensure that the disabled attribute is set on all the checkboxes within the row.

If the native form validation needs to be disabled set the novalidate attribute on the form.

Important messages

To help those using assistive technologies, make sure that success/error messages which need to be announced to users have their aria attributes updated to role="alert" and/or aria-live="assertive".

Overlay variant

An additional variant is available for this component which allows it to overlay other content on the page (rather than pushing it down). This can be activated simply by adding an additional data tag - data-variant="m-multiselect--overlay" - alongside the data-module. If the component is placed at the bottom of the page, adding this class will extend the page height to allow room for the overlaid element, which may force white space below the footer; therefore, please check the outcome before finalising this use.

Using autocomplete

Users appreciate when websites save them time by automatically filling common fields like names, email addresses and other frequently used fields, plus it helps to reduce potential input errors, especially on virtual keyboards and small devices.

Browsers use many methods to determine which fields they can auto-populate based on previously specified data by the user, and you can give hints to the browser by providing both the name attribute and the autocomplete attribute on each input element.

Further details can be found in the developer notes on the form introduction page.

Changing locale settings

Default text for the checkbox multiselect ('Please select..', 'All selected' etc) can be changed for a particular locale.

var locale = {
	en: {
		multiselect: {
			pleaseSelect: 'Please select...',
			allSelected: 'All selected',
			selected: ' selected',
			selectAll: 'Select all'
		}
	}
};

For more information on this, see our page on how to change locale settings within JavaScript.

Extension component

This component forms part of the 'forms-extended-a' extension and so requires additional stylesheets to be loaded in order to be used; include the following code in the header of your page to attach the relevant additional stylesheets:

<!--[if !IE | gt IE 8]><!-->
	<link media="all" href="[ CDN Folder Path ]/css/customer/forms-extended-a.css" rel="stylesheet" />
<!--<![endif]-->
<!--[if lte IE 8]>
	<link media="all" href="[ CDN Folder Path ]/css/customer/forms-extended-a-unmq.css" rel="stylesheet" />
<![endif]-->

Notes for testers

• In this instance the label for the checkbox is the wording directly on the right of the checkbox. Clicking/pressing the explanatory text for the group of checkboxes will not transfer focus to any of the checkboxes like it would for a text input.
• The label should be displayed to the right of the checkbox and should activate the checkbox when selected (as should the checkbox itself).
• It should be really clear which label applies to which checkbox by using background shading to group the label and the checkbox together.
• Check for additional white space forced below the footer if the overlay variant is used, and confirm result with developers.

Code Examples

<fieldset class="m-form-row" role="group">
	<legend class="a-label">...</legend>
	<div class="m-form-row__content">
		<ul class="m-checkbox-group" data-module="m-multiselect">
			<li class="m-checkbox-group__item">
				<label class="a-checkbox" for="...">
					<input class="a-checkbox__input" type="checkbox" name="..." id="..." value="..." />
					<span class="a-checkbox__label"><span class="a-checkbox__label-inner">...</span></span>
					<span class="a-checkbox__ui"></span>
				</label>
			</li>
			...
		</ul>
	</div>
</fieldset>

<fieldset class="m-form-row" role="group">
	<legend class="a-label">...</legend>
	<div class="m-form-row__content">
		<ul class="m-checkbox-group" data-module="m-multiselect"  data-variant="m-multiselect--overlay">
			<li class="m-checkbox-group__item">
				<label class="a-checkbox" for="...">
					<input class="a-checkbox__input" type="checkbox" name="..." id="..." value="..." />
					<span class="a-checkbox__label"><span class="a-checkbox__label-inner">...</span></span>
					<span class="a-checkbox__ui"></span>
				</label>
			</li>
			...
		</ul>
	</div>
</fieldset>

<fieldset class="m-form-row is-valid" role="group" aria-invalid="false">
	<legend class="a-label">...</legend>
	<div class="m-form-row__content">
		<p class="m-form-row__validation-message">...</p>
		<ul class="m-checkbox-group" data-module="m-multiselect">
			<li class="m-checkbox-group__item">
				<label class="a-checkbox" for="...">
					<input class="a-checkbox__input" type="checkbox" name="..." id="..." value="..." />
					<span class="a-checkbox__label"><span class="a-checkbox__label-inner">...</span></span>
					<span class="a-checkbox__ui"></span>
				</label>
			</li>
			...
		</ul>
	</div>
</fieldset>

<fieldset class="m-form-row is-error" role="group" aria-invalid="true">
	<legend class="a-label">...</legend>
	<div class="m-form-row__content">
		<p class="m-form-row__error-message">...</p>
		<ul class="m-checkbox-group" data-module="m-multiselect">
			<li class="m-checkbox-group__item">
				<label class="a-checkbox" for="...">
					<input class="a-checkbox__input" type="checkbox" name="..." id="..." value="..." />
					<span class="a-checkbox__label"><span class="a-checkbox__label-inner">...</span></span>
					<span class="a-checkbox__ui"></span>
				</label>
			</li>
			...
		</ul>
	</div>
</fieldset>

<fieldset class="m-form-row is-disabled" role="group">
	<legend class="a-label">...</legend>
	<div class="m-form-row__content">
		<ul class="m-checkbox-group" data-module="m-multiselect">
			<li class="m-checkbox-group__item">
				<label class="a-checkbox" for="...">
					<input class="a-checkbox__input" type="checkbox" name="..." id="..." value="..." disabled />
					<span class="a-checkbox__label"><span class="a-checkbox__label-inner">...</span></span>
					<span class="a-checkbox__ui"></span>
				</label>
			</li>
			...
		</ul>
	</div>
</fieldset>

<fieldset class="m-form-row" role="group" aria-required="true">
	<legend class="a-label">...</legend>
	<div class="m-form-row__content">
		<ul class="m-checkbox-group" data-module="m-multiselect">
			...
		</ul>
	</div>
</fieldset>

Classes overview

The following table gives you a quick overview of the CSS classes that can be applied.

Keyboard operations

TAB

Tabbing to an checkbox input should make the input clearly visually different so that the focus point on the page is obvious to the user.

CURSOR KEYS

With focus on the checkbox, pressing SPACE will select/de-select the checkbox.