# Dropdown [component-header:sl-dropdown] Dropdowns expose additional content that "drops down" in a panel. Dropdowns consist of a trigger and a panel. By default, activating the trigger will expose the panel and interacting outside of the panel will close it. Dropdowns are designed to work well with [menus](/components/menu) to provide a list of options the user can select from. However, dropdowns can also be used in lower-level applications (e.g. [color picker](/components/color-picker) and [select](/components/select)). The API gives you complete control over showing, hiding, and positioning the panel. ```html preview Dropdown Dropdown Item 1 Dropdown Item 2 Dropdown Item 3 Checked Disabled Prefix Suffix Icon ``` ```jsx react import { SlButton, SlDivider, SlDropdown, SlIcon, SlMenu, SlMenuItem } from '@shoelace-style/shoelace/dist/react'; const App = () => ( Dropdown Dropdown Item 1 Dropdown Item 2 Dropdown Item 3 Checked Disabled Prefix Suffix Icon ); ``` ## Examples ### Getting the Selected Item When dropdowns are used with [menus](/components/menu), you can listen for the `sl-select` event to determine which menu item was selected. The menu item element will be exposed in `event.detail.item`. You can set `value` props to make it easier to identify commands. ```html preview ``` ```jsx react import { SlButton, SlDropdown, SlMenu, SlMenuItem } from '@shoelace-style/shoelace/dist/react'; const App = () => { function handleSelect(event) { const selectedItem = event.detail.item; console.log(selectedItem.value); } return ( Edit Cut Copy Paste ); }; ``` Alternatively, you can listen for the `click` event on individual menu items. Note that, using this approach, disabled menu items will still emit a `click` event. ```html preview ``` ```jsx react import { SlButton, SlDropdown, SlMenu, SlMenuItem } from '@shoelace-style/shoelace/dist/react'; const App = () => { function handleCut() { console.log('cut'); } function handleCopy() { console.log('copy'); } function handlePaste() { console.log('paste'); } return ( Edit Cut Copy Paste ); }; ``` ### Placement The preferred placement of the dropdown can be set with the `placement` attribute. Note that the actual position may vary to ensure the panel remains in the viewport. ```html preview Edit Cut Copy Paste Find Replace ``` ```jsx react import { SlButton, SlDivider, SlDropdown, SlMenu, SlMenuItem } from '@shoelace-style/shoelace/dist/react'; const App = () => ( Edit Cut Copy Paste Find Replace ); ``` ### Distance The distance from the panel to the trigger can be customized using the `distance` attribute. This value is specified in pixels. ```html preview Edit Cut Copy Paste Find Replace ``` ```jsx react import { SlButton, SlDivider, SlDropdown, SlMenu, SlMenuItem } from '@shoelace-style/shoelace/dist/react'; const App = () => ( Edit Cut Copy Paste Find Replace ); ``` ### Skidding The offset of the panel along the trigger can be customized using the `skidding` attribute. This value is specified in pixels. ```html preview Edit Cut Copy Paste Find Replace ``` ```jsx react import { SlButton, SlDivider, SlDropdown, SlMenu, SlMenuItem } from '@shoelace-style/shoelace/dist/react'; const App = () => ( Edit Cut Copy Paste Find Replace ); ``` ### Hoisting Dropdown panels will be clipped if they're inside a container that has `overflow: auto|hidden`. The `hoist` attribute forces the panel to use a fixed positioning strategy, allowing it to break out of the container. In this case, the panel will be positioned relative to its containing block, which is usually the viewport unless an ancestor uses a `transform`, `perspective`, or `filter`. [Refer to this page](https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/docs/Web/CSS/position#fixed) for more details. ```html preview ``` ```jsx react import { SlButton, SlDivider, SlDropdown, SlIcon, SlMenu, SlMenuItem } from '@shoelace-style/shoelace/dist/react'; const css = ` .dropdown-hoist { border: solid 2px var(--sl-panel-border-color); padding: var(--sl-spacing-medium); overflow: hidden; } `; const App = () => ( <>
No Hoist Item 1 Item 2 Item 3 Hoist Item 1 Item 2 Item 3
); ``` [component-metadata:sl-dropdown]