# ImagePlaceholder

> Dimension-labelled placeholder for imagery in layouts, demos, and drafts; swap for real media before shipping.

- Status: beta
- Group: structure
- Page: https://www.digitaltableteur.com/design-system/components/image-placeholder
- Contract: https://www.digitaltableteur.com/contracts/v1/ImagePlaceholder.contract.json

## When to use

Dimension-labelled placeholder for imagery in layouts, demos, and drafts. Swap for real media before shipping.

## When not to use

The contract records no forbidden uses.

## Look-alikes

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

## Props

| Prop | Type | Default | Description | Required |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| `width` | `number` | none | Width in pixels. | Yes |
| `height` | `number` | none | Height in pixels. | Yes |
| `alt` | `string` | Placeholder image | Alt text for accessibility. | No |
| `caption` | `string` | none | Caption text displayed below the image. | No |
| `variant` | `"light" \| "medium" \| "dark" \| "gradient"` | `gradient` | Background color variant. | No |
| `showDimensions` | `boolean` | `true` | Display the dimensions on the placeholder. | No |
| `showIcon` | `boolean` | `true` | Display an icon on the placeholder. | No |
| `text` | `string` | none | Text to display on the placeholder. | No |
| `className` | `string` | `""` | Additional CSS class. | No |
| `style` | `React.CSSProperties` | none | Inline styles. | No |

## Variants

- Available variants: `light`, `medium`, `dark`, `gradient` (default `light`).

## Invalid combinations

The contract records no invalid combinations.

## Keyboard

The contract records no keyboard interaction.

## 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 | 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 | A human completed an end-to-end accessibility review of this component. | Manual review, last on 2026-05-28. |
| MUST NOT | Maintainers: Do not bypass design tokens or skip forced-colors verification at beta. | Release review; not machine-checked. |

## Install and import

- In-repo only. ImagePlaceholder is not exported from `@digitaltableteur/react`, so there is no public import path.

## Links

- Machine-readable contract (Design System Contract 1.0): https://www.digitaltableteur.com/contracts/v1/ImagePlaceholder.contract.json
- Markdown version of this page: https://www.digitaltableteur.com/design-system/components/image-placeholder.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.