Menu Button
A button that opens a menu of actions or options.
🤖 AI Implementation GuideDemo
Basic Menu Button
Click the button or use keyboard to open the menu.
Last action: None
With Disabled Items
Disabled items are skipped during keyboard navigation.
Last action: None
Note: "Export" is disabled and will be skipped during keyboard navigation
Accessibility Features
WAI-ARIA Roles
| Role | Target Element | Description |
|---|---|---|
button | Trigger (<button>) | The trigger that opens the menu (implicit via <button> element) |
menu | Container (<ul>) | A widget offering a list of choices to the user |
menuitem | Each item (<li>) | An option in a menu |
WAI-ARIA menu role (opens in new tab)
WAI-ARIA Properties (Button)
| Attribute | Values | Required | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
aria-haspopup | "menu" | Yes | Indicates the button opens a menu |
aria-expanded | true | false | Yes | Indicates whether the menu is open |
aria-controls | ID reference | No | References the menu element |
WAI-ARIA Properties (Menu)
| Attribute | Target | Values | Required | Description |
|---|---|---|---|---|
aria-labelledby | menu | ID reference | Yes* | References the button that opens the menu |
aria-label | menu | String | Yes* | Provides an accessible name for the menu |
aria-disabled | menuitem | true | No | Indicates the menu item is disabled |
* Either aria-labelledby or aria-label is required for an accessible name
Keyboard Support
Button (Closed Menu)
| Key | Action |
|---|---|
| Enter / Space | Open menu and focus first item |
| Down Arrow | Open menu and focus first item |
| Up Arrow | Open menu and focus last item |
Menu (Open)
| Key | Action |
|---|---|
| Down Arrow | Move focus to next item (wraps to first) |
| Up Arrow | Move focus to previous item (wraps to last) |
| Home | Move focus to first item |
| End | Move focus to last item |
| Escape | Close menu and return focus to button |
| Tab | Close menu and move focus to next focusable element |
| Enter / Space | Activate focused item and close menu |
| Type character | Type-ahead: focus item starting with typed character(s) |
Focus Management
This component uses the Roving Tabindex pattern for focus management:
- Only one menu item has
tabindex="0"at a time - Other menu items have
tabindex="-1" - Arrow keys move focus between items with wrapping
- Disabled items are skipped during navigation
- Focus returns to button when menu closes
Hidden State
When closed, the menu uses both hidden and inert attributes to:
- Hide the menu from visual display
- Remove the menu from the accessibility tree
- Prevent keyboard and mouse interaction with hidden items
Source Code
MenuButton.tsx
import type { ButtonHTMLAttributes, KeyboardEvent, ReactElement } from 'react';
import { useCallback, useEffect, useId, useMemo, useRef, useState } from 'react';
export interface MenuItem {
id: string;
label: string;
disabled?: boolean;
}
export interface MenuButtonProps extends Omit<
ButtonHTMLAttributes<HTMLButtonElement>,
'aria-haspopup' | 'aria-expanded' | 'aria-controls' | 'type'
> {
items: MenuItem[];
label: string;
onItemSelect?: (itemId: string) => void;
defaultOpen?: boolean;
}
export function MenuButton({
items,
label,
onItemSelect,
defaultOpen = false,
className = '',
...restProps
}: MenuButtonProps): ReactElement {
const instanceId = useId();
const buttonId = `${instanceId}-button`;
const menuId = `${instanceId}-menu`;
const [isOpen, setIsOpen] = useState(defaultOpen);
const [focusedIndex, setFocusedIndex] = useState(-1);
const containerRef = useRef<HTMLDivElement>(null);
const buttonRef = useRef<HTMLButtonElement>(null);
const menuItemRefs = useRef<Map<string, HTMLLIElement>>(new Map());
const typeAheadBuffer = useRef<string>('');
const typeAheadTimeoutId = useRef<number | null>(null);
const typeAheadTimeout = 500;
// Get available (non-disabled) items
const availableItems = useMemo(() => items.filter((item) => !item.disabled), [items]);
// Map of item id to index in availableItems for O(1) lookup
const availableIndexMap = useMemo(() => {
const map = new Map<string, number>();
availableItems.forEach(({ id }, index) => map.set(id, index));
return map;
}, [availableItems]);
const closeMenu = useCallback(() => {
setIsOpen(false);
setFocusedIndex(-1);
// Clear type-ahead state to prevent stale buffer on reopen
typeAheadBuffer.current = '';
if (typeAheadTimeoutId.current !== null) {
clearTimeout(typeAheadTimeoutId.current);
typeAheadTimeoutId.current = null;
}
}, []);
const openMenu = useCallback(
(focusPosition: 'first' | 'last') => {
if (availableItems.length === 0) {
// All items disabled, open menu but keep focus on button
setIsOpen(true);
return;
}
setIsOpen(true);
const targetIndex = focusPosition === 'first' ? 0 : availableItems.length - 1;
setFocusedIndex(targetIndex);
},
[availableItems]
);
// Focus menu item when focusedIndex changes and menu is open
useEffect(() => {
if (!isOpen || focusedIndex < 0) return;
const targetItem = availableItems[focusedIndex];
if (targetItem) {
menuItemRefs.current.get(targetItem.id)?.focus();
}
}, [isOpen, focusedIndex, availableItems]);
const toggleMenu = useCallback(() => {
if (isOpen) {
closeMenu();
} else {
openMenu('first');
}
}, [isOpen, closeMenu, openMenu]);
const handleItemClick = useCallback(
(item: MenuItem) => {
if (item.disabled) return;
onItemSelect?.(item.id);
closeMenu();
buttonRef.current?.focus();
},
[onItemSelect, closeMenu]
);
const handleButtonKeyDown = useCallback(
(event: KeyboardEvent<HTMLButtonElement>) => {
switch (event.key) {
case 'Enter':
case ' ':
event.preventDefault();
openMenu('first');
break;
case 'ArrowDown':
event.preventDefault();
openMenu('first');
break;
case 'ArrowUp':
event.preventDefault();
openMenu('last');
break;
}
},
[openMenu]
);
const handleTypeAhead = useCallback(
(char: string) => {
if (availableItems.length === 0) return;
// Clear existing timeout
if (typeAheadTimeoutId.current !== null) {
clearTimeout(typeAheadTimeoutId.current);
}
// Add character to buffer
typeAheadBuffer.current += char.toLowerCase();
const buffer = typeAheadBuffer.current;
const isSameChar = buffer.length > 1 && buffer.split('').every((c) => c === buffer[0]);
// For same char repeated or single char, start from next item to cycle through matches
// For multi-char string, start from current to allow refining the search
let startIndex: number;
let searchStr: string;
if (isSameChar) {
// Same character repeated: cycle through matches
typeAheadBuffer.current = buffer[0];
searchStr = buffer[0];
startIndex = focusedIndex >= 0 ? (focusedIndex + 1) % availableItems.length : 0;
} else if (buffer.length === 1) {
// Single character: start from next item to find next match
searchStr = buffer;
startIndex = focusedIndex >= 0 ? (focusedIndex + 1) % availableItems.length : 0;
} else {
// Multi-character: refine search from current position
searchStr = buffer;
startIndex = focusedIndex >= 0 ? focusedIndex : 0;
}
// Search from start index, wrapping around
for (let i = 0; i < availableItems.length; i++) {
const index = (startIndex + i) % availableItems.length;
const option = availableItems[index];
if (option.label.toLowerCase().startsWith(searchStr)) {
setFocusedIndex(index);
break;
}
}
// Set timeout to clear buffer
typeAheadTimeoutId.current = window.setTimeout(() => {
typeAheadBuffer.current = '';
typeAheadTimeoutId.current = null;
}, typeAheadTimeout);
},
[availableItems, focusedIndex]
);
const handleMenuKeyDown = useCallback(
(event: KeyboardEvent<HTMLLIElement>, item: MenuItem) => {
// Guard: no available items to navigate
if (availableItems.length === 0) {
if (event.key === 'Escape') {
event.preventDefault();
closeMenu();
buttonRef.current?.focus();
}
return;
}
const currentIndex = availableIndexMap.get(item.id) ?? -1;
// Guard: disabled item received focus (e.g., programmatic focus)
if (currentIndex < 0) {
if (event.key === 'Escape') {
event.preventDefault();
closeMenu();
buttonRef.current?.focus();
}
return;
}
switch (event.key) {
case 'ArrowDown': {
event.preventDefault();
const nextIndex = (currentIndex + 1) % availableItems.length;
setFocusedIndex(nextIndex);
break;
}
case 'ArrowUp': {
event.preventDefault();
const prevIndex = currentIndex === 0 ? availableItems.length - 1 : currentIndex - 1;
setFocusedIndex(prevIndex);
break;
}
case 'Home': {
event.preventDefault();
setFocusedIndex(0);
break;
}
case 'End': {
event.preventDefault();
setFocusedIndex(availableItems.length - 1);
break;
}
case 'Escape': {
event.preventDefault();
closeMenu();
buttonRef.current?.focus();
break;
}
case 'Tab': {
// Let the browser handle Tab, but close the menu
closeMenu();
break;
}
case 'Enter':
case ' ': {
event.preventDefault();
if (!item.disabled) {
onItemSelect?.(item.id);
closeMenu();
buttonRef.current?.focus();
}
break;
}
default: {
// Type-ahead: single printable character
const { key, ctrlKey, metaKey, altKey } = event;
if (key.length === 1 && !ctrlKey && !metaKey && !altKey) {
event.preventDefault();
handleTypeAhead(key);
}
}
}
},
[availableIndexMap, availableItems, closeMenu, onItemSelect, handleTypeAhead]
);
// Cleanup type-ahead timeout on unmount
useEffect(() => {
return () => {
if (typeAheadTimeoutId.current !== null) {
clearTimeout(typeAheadTimeoutId.current);
}
};
}, []);
// Click outside to close
useEffect(() => {
if (!isOpen) return;
const handleClickOutside = (event: MouseEvent) => {
if (
containerRef.current &&
event.target instanceof Node &&
!containerRef.current.contains(event.target)
) {
closeMenu();
}
};
document.addEventListener('mousedown', handleClickOutside);
return () => document.removeEventListener('mousedown', handleClickOutside);
}, [isOpen, closeMenu]);
return (
<div ref={containerRef} className={`apg-menu-button ${className}`.trim()}>
<button
ref={buttonRef}
id={buttonId}
type="button"
className="apg-menu-button-trigger"
aria-haspopup="menu"
aria-expanded={isOpen}
aria-controls={menuId}
onClick={toggleMenu}
onKeyDown={handleButtonKeyDown}
{...restProps}
>
{label}
</button>
<ul
id={menuId}
role="menu"
aria-labelledby={buttonId}
className="apg-menu-button-menu"
hidden={!isOpen || undefined}
inert={!isOpen || undefined}
>
{items.map((item) => {
const availableIndex = availableIndexMap.get(item.id) ?? -1;
const isFocused = availableIndex === focusedIndex;
const tabIndex = item.disabled ? -1 : isFocused ? 0 : -1;
return (
<li
key={item.id}
ref={(el) => {
if (el) {
menuItemRefs.current.set(item.id, el);
} else {
menuItemRefs.current.delete(item.id);
}
}}
role="menuitem"
tabIndex={tabIndex}
aria-disabled={item.disabled || undefined}
className="apg-menu-button-item"
onClick={() => handleItemClick(item)}
onKeyDown={(e) => handleMenuKeyDown(e, item)}
onFocus={() => {
if (!item.disabled && availableIndex >= 0) {
setFocusedIndex(availableIndex);
}
}}
>
{item.label}
</li>
);
})}
</ul>
</div>
);
}
export default MenuButton; Usage
Example
import { MenuButton } from './MenuButton';
const items = [
{ id: 'cut', label: 'Cut' },
{ id: 'copy', label: 'Copy' },
{ id: 'paste', label: 'Paste' },
{ id: 'delete', label: 'Delete', disabled: true },
];
// Basic usage
<MenuButton
items={items}
label="Actions"
onItemSelect={(id) => console.log('Selected:', id)}
/>
// With default open state
<MenuButton
items={items}
label="Actions"
defaultOpen
onItemSelect={(id) => console.log('Selected:', id)}
/> API
MenuButton Props
| Prop | Type | Default | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
items | MenuItem[] | required | Array of menu items |
label | string | required | Button label text |
defaultOpen | boolean | false | Whether menu is initially open |
onItemSelect | (id: string) => void | - | Callback when an item is selected |
className | string | '' | Additional CSS class for the container |
MenuItem Interface
Types
interface MenuItem {
id: string;
label: string;
disabled?: boolean;
} Testing
Tests verify APG compliance across keyboard interaction, ARIA attributes, and accessibility requirements.
Test Categories
High Priority: APG Mouse Interaction
| Test | Description |
|---|---|
Button click | Opens menu on button click |
Toggle | Clicking button again closes menu |
Item click | Clicking menu item activates and closes menu |
Disabled item click | Clicking disabled item does nothing |
Click outside | Clicking outside menu closes it |
High Priority: APG Keyboard Interaction (Button)
| Test | Description |
|---|---|
Enter | Opens menu, focuses first enabled item |
Space | Opens menu, focuses first enabled item |
ArrowDown | Opens menu, focuses first enabled item |
ArrowUp | Opens menu, focuses last enabled item |
High Priority: APG Keyboard Interaction (Menu)
| Test | Description |
|---|---|
ArrowDown | Moves focus to next enabled item (wraps) |
ArrowUp | Moves focus to previous enabled item (wraps) |
Home | Moves focus to first enabled item |
End | Moves focus to last enabled item |
Escape | Closes menu, returns focus to button |
Tab | Closes menu, moves focus out |
Enter/Space | Activates item and closes menu |
Disabled skip | Skips disabled items during navigation |
High Priority: Type-Ahead Search
| Test | Description |
|---|---|
Single character | Focuses first item starting with typed character |
Multiple characters | Typed within 500ms form prefix search string |
Wrap around | Search wraps from end to beginning |
Buffer reset | Buffer resets after 500ms of inactivity |
High Priority: APG ARIA Attributes
| Test | Description |
|---|---|
aria-haspopup | Button has aria-haspopup="menu" |
aria-expanded | Button reflects open state (true/false) |
aria-controls | Button references menu ID |
role="menu" | Menu container has menu role |
role="menuitem" | Each item has menuitem role |
aria-labelledby | Menu references button for accessible name |
aria-disabled | Disabled items have aria-disabled="true" |
High Priority: Focus Management (Roving Tabindex)
| Test | Description |
|---|---|
tabIndex=0 | Focused item has tabIndex=0 |
tabIndex=-1 | Non-focused items have tabIndex=-1 |
Initial focus | First enabled item receives focus when menu opens |
Focus return | Focus returns to button when menu closes |
Medium Priority: Accessibility
| Test | Description |
|---|---|
axe violations | No WCAG 2.1 AA violations (via jest-axe) |
Testing Tools
- Vitest (opens in new tab) - Test runner
- Testing Library (opens in new tab) - Framework-specific testing utilities
- jest-axe (opens in new tab) - Automated accessibility testing
See testing-strategy.md (opens in new tab) for full documentation.
Resources
- WAI-ARIA APG: Menu Button Pattern (opens in new tab)
- AI Implementation Guide (llm.md) (opens in new tab) - ARIA specs, keyboard support, test checklist