# Spinner

> Indeterminate loading spinner for async UI.

- Status: stable
- Group: feedback
- Page: https://www.digitaltableteur.com/design-system/components/spinner
- Contract: https://www.digitaltableteur.com/contracts/v1/Spinner.contract.json

## When to use

Spinner is the smallest loading primitive: a bare animated ring with role=status and an accessible label, sized to sit inline next to inputs, inside buttons, or centered in a small region. Use it for short waits of unknown duration (roughly a second or less). When completion is measurable or the wait is long, use Progress; when a layout is loading, mirror it with Skeleton. It renders no visible text; compose one alongside when sighted users also need the word.

## When not to use

- Do not leave a spinner running past a couple of seconds without escalating; long waits need Progress or a Skeleton layout.
- Do not render more than one spinner per region; wrap the whole region in a single status instead.
- Do not use Spinner for waits you can measure or that routinely exceed a couple of seconds; that is Progress territory.

## Look-alikes

- Center: Use it for single focal content: Spinner, EmptyState, a logo lockup.
- Progress: Do not use Spinner for waits you can measure or that routinely exceed a couple of seconds; that is Progress territory.
- Skeleton: Do not scatter one spinner per element while a view loads; use a Skeleton layout or one region-level spinner.

## Props

| Prop | Type | Default | Description | Required |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| `label` | `string` | none | Accessible name and announced text (required for standalone spinners). Defaults to the translated "Loading" (`busyIndicator.loading`). | No |
| `size` | `"sm" \| "md" \| "lg"` | `md` | Size token: sm fits inside inputs/buttons, lg reads at region level. | No |
| `className` | `string` | none | Optional utility classes on the root. | No |

## Variants

- Available sizes: `sm`, `md`, `lg` (default `md`). Forwarded to CSS module size classes on Spinner.module.css.

## 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 | ARIA: Aria-label from the label prop, which defaults to the translated "Loading" (`busyIndicator.loading`); there is no aria-labelledby path. | Not yet verified: no evidence record. WCAG 4.1.2. |
| MUST | ARIA: Role=status that also holds the label as visually hidden text, so the live region has content to announce, not only a name. Announcement on insertion still depends on the screen reader; a status region that is already mounted when the label changes is announced most reliably. | 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 | A human completed an end-to-end accessibility review of this component. | Manual review, last on 2026-11-04. |
| SHOULD | Name the wait in the label prop ("Validating password", not "Loading"); it is the accessible name AT users hear. | Not stated in the contract. |
| SHOULD | Match size to the host control: sm inside inputs and buttons, md standalone, lg for region-level waits. | Not stated in the contract. |
| SHOULD | Compose a visible Text label alongside for waits sighted users watch (see AppLoading); mark the visible copy aria-hidden so the announcement is single. The spinner still announces its own hidden label text. | Not stated in the contract. |
| SHOULD | Swap the spinner for a concrete outcome (success icon, error text) as soon as the wait resolves; do not leave it as the end state. | Not stated in the contract. |
| SHOULD NOT | Do not scatter one spinner per element while a view loads; use a Skeleton layout or one region-level spinner. | Not stated in the contract. |

## Install and import

- Install: `npm install @digitaltableteur/react` (version 0.9.1, restricted access on npm).
- Import: `import { Spinner } from "@digitaltableteur/react";`
- Entry point: `@digitaltableteur/react/feedback` exports it too.
- Styles: import `@digitaltableteur/react/style.css` once at the app boundary.
- Also available as the custom element `<dt-spinner>`; see the custom elements manifest.

## Links

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