# FieldShell

> The frame every text and choice field is built on: a label row with icon actions at its end, the control, then a status message and a helper line.

- Status: beta
- Group: form
- Page: https://www.digitaltableteur.com/design-system/components/field-shell
- Contract: https://www.digitaltableteur.com/contracts/v1/FieldShell.contract.json

## When to use

The frame every text and choice field is built on: a label row with icon actions at its end, the control, then a status message and a helper line.

## When not to use

- Do not wrap a DS field (TextInput, TextArea, Select, Combobox, MultiCombobox, PhoneInput) in another FieldShell; they render their own.
- Do not put text buttons or links in actions; actions are icon buttons that run an operation or open a menu of operations.
- Do not use it for a group of controls; FormField's fieldset owns the group case.

## Look-alikes

The contract names no look-alike with a deciding condition.

## Props

| Prop | Type | Default | Description | Required |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| `controlId` | `string` | none | Id of the control inside; the label, status and helper ids derive from it. | Yes |
| `label` | `string` | none | Visible field label. | Yes |
| `children` | `React.ReactNode` | none | The control: an input, textarea, select or composite control. | Yes |
| `status` | `"success" \| "warning" \| "error"` | none | Semantic state; pairs with `statusMessage`. | No |
| `statusMessage` | `string` | none | Message under the control, styled and announced for `status`. | No |
| `helperText` | `string` | none | Supporting copy under the control, after the status message. | No |
| `actions` | `FieldAction[]` | none | Icon buttons at the end of the label row, level with the label. | No |
| `required` | `boolean` | `false` | Shows the required marker on the label. | No |
| `disabled` | `boolean` | `false` | Dims the label and disables every action. | No |
| `hideLabel` | `boolean` | `false` | Visually hides the label; it stays the control's accessible name. | No |
| `className` | `string` | none | Merged onto the field wrapper. | No |

## Variants

- Allowed `status` values: `success`, `warning`, `error`.

## Invalid combinations

The contract records no invalid combinations.

## Keyboard

| Key | Behaviour |
| --- | --- |
| General | Label-row actions come before the control in Tab order, as they sit above it. |
| General | An action with items opens a menu on Enter, Space or ArrowDown; arrow keys move through the items and Escape closes it. |

## Rules

Every item under When not to use is a MUST NOT. MUST and SHOULD follow RFC 2119.

| Level | Rule | How it is checked |
| --- | --- | --- |
| MUST | ARIA: The label is a <label for> the control and carries the id `${controlId}-label` for controls named with aria-labelledby. | Not yet verified: no evidence record. WCAG 4.1.2. |
| MUST | ARIA: The control's aria-describedby lists the status message and then the helper line (fieldDescribedBy builds it). | Not yet verified: no evidence record. WCAG 4.1.2. |
| MUST | ARIA: An error message is announced as an alert; aria-invalid is set by the control only for status error. | Not yet verified: no evidence record. WCAG 4.1.2. |
| MUST | ARIA: Each action is an icon button named by its label, which is also its tooltip. | Not yet verified: no evidence record. WCAG 4.1.2. |
| MUST | Required stories produce no axe violations at the configured severity. | Automated by `npm run test:stories:matrix:ci`. WCAG 2.5.8. |
| MUST | The accessibility tree (role, name, state) matches the committed snapshot for every required story. | Automated by `npm run test:stories:matrix:ci`. WCAG 1.3.1, 4.1.2. |
| MUST | The component remains legible and operable under a real browser forced-colors: active pass. | Automated by `npm run test:stories:hc`. |
| MUST | Every documented keyboard interaction works as specified. | Not yet verified: no evidence record. WCAG 2.1.1, 2.1.2. |
| MUST | A human completed an end-to-end accessibility review of this component. | Manual review, last on 2026-10-30. |

## Install and import

- Install: `npm install @digitaltableteur/react` (version 0.9.1, restricted access on npm).
- Import: `import { FieldShell } from "@digitaltableteur/react";`
- Entry point: `@digitaltableteur/react/forms` exports it too.
- Styles: import `@digitaltableteur/react/style.css` once at the app boundary.

## Links

- Machine-readable contract (Design System Contract 1.0): https://www.digitaltableteur.com/contracts/v1/FieldShell.contract.json
- Markdown version of this page: https://www.digitaltableteur.com/design-system/components/field-shell.md
- Component index as JSON: https://www.digitaltableteur.com/design-system/components.json
- All components: https://www.digitaltableteur.com/design-system/components
- Source: The implementation lives in a private repository. This page, its Markdown twin and the contract are generated from it at build time and are the public source of truth.