Textarea
A field for free text over several lines.
In Multi-brand
See it live
Start Storybook to see it live:
npm run storybookWhen to use it
In Multi-brand: Messages to support.
- Use it when: Comments, descriptions, anything longer than one line.
- Not when: A one-line value (input), or a known set of options.
Instead:
- Input: One line.
How Multi-brand uses it
Field label or column header
Use type.label
Not type.caption
Labels stay readable in every brand.
Words
- Shared structure: object, state, next step.
- Brand tone lives in headlines and marketing copy, not in errors.
- Errors and confirmations read the same in every brand.
- Use: Get started, Plan, Order. Avoid: Brand-specific words in errors, Jargon.
The labels components use, from the voice tokens:
content.action.commit: Savecontent.action.cancel: Cancelcontent.action.destroy: Removecontent.action.retry: Try againcontent.action.empty-action: Get started
See Voice and tone for the whole voice.
Accessibility and keyboard
Test before you ship:
- It has a visible label; a limit is announced as people type. undefined
Use it in code
npx open-ds add textarea
The component reads only component keys and semantic tokens, so it follows the brand and mode on <html>.
Tokens it reads
Textarea reads 14 tokens of its own, each an alias of a semantic token. Each row is one part: its own token, the semantic it aliases, and the value it ends at. Change a semantic and every component that reads it follows; override one of Textarea's tokens to change Textarea alone.
Changes with theme
Multi-brand decides what changes when you switch theme. Here a switch changes colors, type and shape, so the marked rows differ between its brands and between light and dark; everything else holds steady.
| Part | Its token and the semantic it aliases | Value |
|---|---|---|
| Textarea | ||
| Corner Changes with theme | component.textarea.radiusradius.controlvar(--textarea-radius) | Aster Lightradius.4:0.25remAster Darkradius.4:0.25remBirch Lightradius.12:0.75remBirch Darkradius.12:0.75remCoral Lightradius.999:9999pxCoral Darkradius.999:9999px |
| Border Changes with theme | component.textarea.bordercolor.border.strongvar(--textarea-border) | Aster Lightslate-deep.light.500:#64748BAster Darkslate-deep.dark.400:#96A3B5Birch Lightslate-deep.light.500:#64748BBirch Darkslate-deep.dark.400:#96A3B5Coral Lightslate-deep.light.500:#64748BCoral Darkslate-deep.dark.400:#96A3B5 |
| Padding, left and right | component.textarea.padding-xspace.inset.control-xvar(--textarea-padding-x) | space.16:1rem |
| Padding, top and bottom | component.textarea.padding-ycomponent-spacing-map.x2var(--textarea-padding-y) | space.8:0.5rem |
| Text size | component.textarea.font-sizetype.body.font-sizevar(--textarea-font-size) | font.size.16:1rem |
| Shadow Changes with theme | component.textarea.shadowelevation.cardvar(--textarea-shadow) | Aster Lightshadow.cardAster Darkshadow.card-darkBirch Lightshadow.cardBirch Darkshadow.card-darkCoral Lightshadow.cardCoral Darkshadow.card-dark |
| Label placeholder Changes with theme | component.textarea.label-placeholdercolor.text.mutedvar(--textarea-label-placeholder) | Aster Lightslate-deep.light.600:#4B5A6FAster Darkslate-deep.dark.400:#96A3B5Birch Lightslate-deep.light.600:#4B5A6FBirch Darkslate-deep.dark.400:#96A3B5Coral Lightslate-deep.light.600:#4B5A6FCoral Darkslate-deep.dark.400:#96A3B5 |
| Border focus Changes with theme on focus | component.textarea.border-focuscolor.border.focusvar(--textarea-border-focus) | Aster Lightteal.light.600:#0F766EAster Darkteal.dark.600:#7FCFC6Birch Lightpurple.light.600:#6D28D9Birch Darkpurple.dark.600:#B79DF7Coral Lightorange.light.600:#C2410CCoral Darkorange.dark.600:#F7A67F |
| Disabled opacity disabled when disabled | component.textarea.disabled-opacity-disabledopacity.disabledvar(--textarea-disabled-opacity-disabled) | opacity.40:0.4 |
| Border invalid Changes with theme when invalid | component.textarea.border-invalidcolor.status.dangervar(--textarea-border-invalid) | Aster Lightred.light.600:#C42B2BAster Darkred.dark.600:#F28B8BBirch Lightred.light.600:#C42B2BBirch Darkred.dark.600:#F28B8BCoral Lightred.light.600:#C42B2BCoral Darkred.dark.600:#F28B8B |
| Focus ring invalid Changes with theme when invalid | component.textarea.focus-ring-invalidcolor.status.dangervar(--textarea-focus-ring-invalid) | Aster Lightred.light.600:#C42B2BAster Darkred.dark.600:#F28B8BBirch Lightred.light.600:#C42B2BBirch Darkred.dark.600:#F28B8BCoral Lightred.light.600:#C42B2BCoral Darkred.dark.600:#F28B8B |
| Focus on focus | component.textarea.focusborder-width.focusvar(--textarea-focus) | border-width.2:2px |
| Focus ring focus Changes with theme on focus | component.textarea.focus-ring-focuscolor.border.focusvar(--textarea-focus-ring-focus) | Aster Lightteal.light.600:#0F766EAster Darkteal.dark.600:#7FCFC6Birch Lightpurple.light.600:#6D28D9Birch Darkpurple.dark.600:#B79DF7Coral Lightorange.light.600:#C2410CCoral Darkorange.dark.600:#F7A67F |
| Focus ring offset focus Changes with theme on focus | component.textarea.focus-ring-offset-focuscolor.surface.canvasvar(--textarea-focus-ring-offset-focus) | Aster Lightslate-deep.light.50:#F8FAFCAster Darkslate-deep.dark.0:#020617Birch Lightslate-deep.light.50:#F8FAFCBirch Darkslate-deep.dark.0:#020617Coral Lightslate-deep.light.50:#F8FAFCCoral Darkslate-deep.dark.0:#020617 |
| From the system | ||
| Edge Changes with theme | color.border.default straight from the system, through --border | Aster Lightslate-deep.light.200 · #E2E8F0Aster Darkslate-deep.dark.100 · #1E293BBirch Lightslate-deep.light.200 · #E2E8F0Birch Darkslate-deep.dark.100 · #1E293BCoral Lightslate-deep.light.200 · #E2E8F0Coral Darkslate-deep.dark.100 · #1E293B |