name: Form checkboxes
description: Let users select one or more options with checkboxes.
govuk_frontend_components:
  - checkboxes
accessibility_criteria: |
  The component must:

  - accept focus
  - be focusable with a keyboard
  - be usable with a keyboard
  - be usable with touch
  - indicate when they have focus
  - have correctly associated labels

  Labels use the [label component](/component-guide/label).
examples:
  default:
    data:
      name: "favourite_colour_default"
      items:
        - label: "Red"
          value: "red_colour"
  with_multiple_checkboxes:
    description: When more than one checkbox is shown they are wrapped in a fieldset element, which requires a legend. This must be supplied to the component using the heading option.
    data:
      name: "favourite_colour"
      heading: "What is your favourite colour?"
      items:
        - label: "Red"
          value: "red"
        - label: "Green"
          value: "green"
        - label: "Blue"
          value: "blue"
  with_small_checkboxes:
    data:
      name: "favourite_small_synonym"
      heading: "What is your favourite synonym for small?"
      small: true
      items:
        - label: "Tiny"
          value: "tiny"
        - label: "Little"
          value: "little"
  with_a_heading_on_one_checkbox:
    description: One checkbox does not require a fieldset and therefore does not require a legend. However, if a heading is supplied, a fieldset will be included in the component and the heading used as the legend, as shown.
    data:
      name: "agree"
      heading: "Please tick the box to agree"
      items:
        - label: "I agree"
          value: "agree"
  with_custom_hint_text:
    description: Hint text defaults to 'Select all that apply' but can be overridden with this option. Note that a hint (and a heading) is only displayed if there is more than one checkbox.
    data:
      name: "favourite_skittle"
      heading: "What is your favourite skittle?"
      hint_text: "Taste the rainbow"
      items:
        - label: "Red"
          value: "red"
        - label: "Green"
          value: "green"
        - label: "Blue"
          value: "blue"
  with_description_text:
    description: |
      If a description text is added, it is displayed under the legend but before the hint text.
      The description text can only render text and not govspeak specific syntax.
      This is a pattern that is used across GOV.UK where a question is followed by a description.
    data:
      name: "favourite_skittle"
      heading: "Choose your favourite skittles"
      description: |
        Skittles consist of hard sugar shells imprinted with the letter "S".
        The interior consists mainly of sugar, corn syrup, and hydrogenated
        palm kernel oil along with fruit juice, citric acid, natural and artificial flavors.
      hint_text: "Taste the rainbow"
      items:
        - label: "Red"
          value: "red"
        - label: "Green"
          value: "green"
        - label: "Blue"
          value: "blue"
  with_description_text_and_header:
    description: |
      If a description text is added with a page heading, it is displayed under the heading but before the hint text.
      The description text can only render text and not govspeak specific syntax.
      This is a pattern that is used across GOV.UK where a question is followed by a description.
    data:
      name: "favourite_skittle"
      heading: "Choose your favourite skittles"
      is_page_heading: true
      description: |
        Skittles consist of hard sugar shells imprinted with the letter "S".
        The interior consists mainly of sugar, corn syrup, and hydrogenated
        palm kernel oil along with fruit juice, citric acid, natural and artificial flavors.
      hint_text: "Taste the rainbow"
      items:
        - label: "Red"
          value: "red"
        - label: "Green"
          value: "green"
        - label: "Blue"
          value: "blue"
  without_hint_text:
    description: Hint text can be removed entirely with this option. Note that this option can be combined with the visually_hide_heading option.
    data:
      name: "favourite_skittle"
      heading: "What is your favourite skittle?"
      no_hint_text: true
      items:
        - label: "Mauve"
          value: "mauve"
        - label: "Sunset orange"
          value: "sunsetorange"
  with_a_hidden_heading:
    description: If the heading/legend on the checkboxes is not required, it can be visually hidden using this option. It will still be visible to screen readers.
    data:
      name: "favourite_colour"
      heading: "What is your favourite colour?"
      visually_hide_heading: true
      items:
        - label: "Red"
          value: "red"
        - label: "Green"
          value: "green"
        - label: "Blue"
          value: "blue"
  with_a_custom_id_attribute:
    description: Note that if an id is not given one is generated automatically. In either case, the id is applied to the parent element of the checkboxes, and each checkbox is given the same id with an incremented number at the end, e.g. the checkboxes below have ids of potatoes-0 and potatoes-1.
    data:
      name: "potatoes"
      id: "potatoes"
      heading: "What kind of potatoes do you like?"
      items:
        - label: "Red"
          value: "red"
        - label: "Green"
          value: "green"
  with_custom_ids_on_individal_checkboxes:
    description: Individual checkboxes can be given specific ids if required. Note that the general id option can still be used, but the individual ids will override the general one if it is given.
    data:
      name: "carrots"
      id: "carrots"
      heading: "What kind of carrots do you like?"
      items:
        - label: "Orange"
          value: "orange"
          id: "custom-orange-id"
        - label: "Purple"
          value: "purple"
  with_legend_as_page_heading:
    description: Since the legend/heading is required, if the checkboxes are alone on a page it makes sense to use this element as the H1 on the page rather than duplicate text.
    data:
      name: "favourite_colour"
      heading: "What is your favourite colour?"
      is_page_heading: true
      items:
        - label: "Red"
          value: "red"
        - label: "Green"
          value: "green"
        - label: "Blue"
          value: "blue"
  with_custom_heading_size:
    data:
      name: "favourite_colour"
      heading: "What is your favourite colour?"
      heading_size: "s"
      items:
        - label: "Red"
          value: "red"
        - label: "Green"
          value: "green"
        - label: "Blue"
          value: "blue"
  checkboxes_with_data_attributes:
    description: Data attributes such as tracking can be applied if required. This will fire tracking identical tracking events on check and uncheck. See below to send different events on uncheck.
    data:
      name: "With tracking"
      items:
        - label: "Tracked"
          value: "tracked"
          data_attributes: {
            track_category: "checkboxClicked",
            track_label: "/news-and-communications",
            track_action: "news",
            track_options: {
              dimension28: 2,
              dimension29: "Tracked"
            }
          }
  checkboxes_with_data_attributes_and_custom_uncheck_event_category:
    description: It can send a different tracking event category for an uncheck. This is handled automatically
    data:
      name: "With tracking and a custom uncheck category"
      items:
        - label: "Tracked"
          value: "tracked"
          data_attributes: {
            track_category: "checkboxClicked",
            untrack_category: "checkboxUnchecked",
            track_label: "/news-and-communications",
            track_action: "news",
            track_options: {
              dimension28: 2,
              dimension29: "Tracked"
            }
          }
  with_aria_controls_attributes:
    description: Aria controls attributes are applied to the checkboxes only if Javascript is enabled.
    data:
      name: "aria_controls"
      heading: "What areas are you interested in?"
      items:
        - label: "Farming and the environment"
          value: "farming"
          controls: "js-live-results"
        - label: "Water recycling"
          value: "water"
          controls: "js-live-results"
  checkboxes_with_individual_hints:
    data:
      name: "nationality"
      heading: "What is your nationality?"
      hint_text: "If you have dual nationality, select all options that are relevant to you."
      items:
        - label: "British"
          value: "british"
          hint: "including English, Scottish, Welsh and Northern Irish"
        - label: "Irish"
          value: "irish"
        - label: "Other"
          value: "other"
          hint: "anything other than the above"
  checkbox_items_with_error:
    data:
      name: "nationality"
      heading: "What is your nationality?"
      error: "Select if you are British, Irish or a citizen of a different country"
      hint_text: "If you have dual nationality, select all options that are relevant to you."
      items:
        - label: "British"
          value: "british"
          hint: "including English, Scottish, Welsh and Northern Irish"
        - label: "Irish"
          value: "irish"
        - label: "Other"
          value: "other"
  checkbox_items_with_conditional_reveal:
    description: |
      Checkboxes can be configured to show additional elements when checked. This could include further components, such as text inputs as shown.

      Note that if you do insert HTML, this may cause accessibility violations if the additional elements have different name attributes to the checkboxes. No styling will be applied to the inserted content by the component.
    data:
      name: "contactingme"
      id: "contactingme"
      heading: "How would you like to be contacted?"
      hint_text: "Please select all options that are relevant to you."
      items:
        - label: "Email"
          value: "email"
          conditional: <div class="govuk-form-group"><label class="govuk-label" for="contact-by-email">Email address</label><input class="govuk-input govuk-!-width-one-third" id="contact-by-email" name="contactingme" type="email"></div>
        - label: "Phone"
          value: "phone"
          conditional: <div class="govuk-form-group"><label class="govuk-label" for="contact-by-phone">Phone number</label><input class="govuk-input govuk-!-width-one-third" id="contact-by-phone" name="contactingme" type="tel"></div>
        - label: "Other"
          value: "other"
          conditional: "See no styling."
  checkbox_items_with_checked_items:
    data:
      name: "nationality"
      heading: "What is your nationality?"
      hint_text: "If you have dual nationality, select all options that are relevant to you."
      items:
        - label: "British"
          value: "british"
          checked: true
        - label: "Irish"
          value: "irish"
        - label: "Other"
          value: "other"
  checkbox_items_with_nested_checkboxes:
    data:
      name: "favourite_colour"
      heading: "What is your favourite colour?"
      items:
        - label: "Red"
          value: "red"
          items:
            - label: "Light Red"
              value: "light_red"
            - label: "Dark Red"
              value: "dark_red"
        - label: "Blue"
          value: "blue"
          items:
            - label: "Light blue"
              value: "light_blue"
            - label: "Dark blue"
              value: "dark_blue"
        - label: "Other"
          value: "other"
          items:
            - label: "Orange"
              value: "orange"
            - label: "Puce"
              value: "puce"