# SocialIconLink

> Icon-only social or profile link with enforced accessible name and external-safety (target=_blank + rel) by default.

- Status: alpha
- Group: navigation
- Page: https://www.digitaltableteur.com/design-system/components/social-icon-link
- Contract: https://www.digitaltableteur.com/contracts/v1/SocialIconLink.contract.json

## When to use

Icon-only social or profile link with enforced accessible name and external-safety (target=_blank + rel) by default.

## When not to use

- Do not put text children inside; this is icon-only; use Link for labeled links.
- Do not disable `external` for social profiles; same-tab is for internal routes only.

## Look-alikes

- Link: Do not put text children inside; this is icon-only; use Link for labeled links.

## Props

| Prop | Type | Default | Description | Required |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| `href` | `string` | none | Destination URL. | Yes |
| `label` | `string` | none | Accessible name; required, the control is icon-only. | Yes |
| `children` | `React.ReactNode` | none | The icon. Rendered inside an aria-hidden wrapper so only `label` names the link. | Yes |
| `variant` | `"plain" \| "chip"` | `plain` | Visual treatment: bare glyph (footers) or bordered circular chip (share rows). | No |
| `size` | `"sm" \| "md" \| "lg"` | `md` | Hit-target size token. | No |
| `external` | `boolean` | `true` | Open in a new tab with rel="noopener noreferrer". | No |
| `className` | `string` | none | Additional CSS class names. | No |

## Variants

- Available variants: `plain`, `chip` (default `plain`).
- Available sizes: `sm`, `md`, `lg` (default `md`).

## 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) |

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: Label prop is the accessible name (aria-label); the icon child is aria-hidden. | Not yet verified: no evidence record. WCAG 4.1.2. |
| MUST | ARIA: External links carry rel=noopener noreferrer. | 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. |

## Install and import

- In-repo only. SocialIconLink is not exported from `@digitaltableteur/react`, so there is no public import path.
- Alpha components are internal and never exported.

## Links

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