# SiteHeader

> Production site header with logo, primary nav, language switcher, theme toggle, an optional account avatar menu, the mobile drawer and a phone-only subnav portal slot.

- Status: stable
- Group: navigation
- Page: https://www.digitaltableteur.com/design-system/components/site-header
- Contract: https://www.digitaltableteur.com/contracts/v1/SiteHeader.contract.json

## When to use

Production site header with logo, primary nav, language switcher, theme toggle, an optional account avatar menu, the mobile drawer and a phone-only subnav portal slot.

## When not to use

- Do not swap the header's IconButtons to a filled variant. The theme and menu controls use `variant="tertiary"` to stay transparent at scroll-top; a filled variant would defeat the layered surface treatment.
- Do not nest a `<header>` inside SiteHeader. Multiple banner landmarks confuse AT users.
- Do not hard-code the language list. The `languages` array is the single source of truth (EN, FI and SV ship); a new language needs an entry with its code, `langXX` label key, native name and `languageName.xx` key.

## Look-alikes

- BlogNav: Do not use BlogNav as site-wide navigation; use SiteHeader or NavLink instead.
- ProjectNav: Do not use for site-wide navigation (that is SiteHeader)
- SiteTree: Do not use as the primary site header navigation; use `NavMenuList` / `SiteHeader` instead.

## Props

| Prop | Type | Default | Description | Required |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| `navItems` | `NavItem[]` | none | Navigation items (href, label, exact); the site default when unset. | No |
| `className` | `string` | none | Optional wrapper class. | No |
| `languageCodes` | `readonly string[]` | none | Limits the language switchers to these codes, for an area offered in fewer languages than the site (the client intake: EN and FI). All site languages when unset. | No |
| `account` | `SiteHeaderAccount` | none | The signed-in person in an account area (the client intake): an avatar with their initials that opens a menu of account actions such as signing out. Nothing renders when unset. | No |

## Variants

No variant dimensions and no props with a fixed set of values.

## Invalid combinations

The contract records no invalid combinations.

## Keyboard

| Key | Behaviour |
| --- | --- |
| Tab | Moves focus to the control and on to the next focusable element. (standard) |
| Enter | Activates the focused control. (standard) |
| Escape | Closes or dismisses the open layer. (standard) |

Rows marked (standard) name a key the contract lists without a description; the behaviour shown is the usual one for that key.

## 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: Nav landmark. | Not yet verified: no evidence record. WCAG 4.1.2. |
| MUST | ARIA: Mobile menu keyboard trap when open. | 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 2026-11-04. |

## Install and import

- In-repo only. SiteHeader 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/SiteHeader.contract.json
- Markdown version of this page: https://www.digitaltableteur.com/design-system/components/site-header.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.