ion-textarea

scoped

The textarea component is used for multi-line text input. A native textarea element is rendered inside of the component. The user experience and interactivity of the textarea component is improved by having control over the native textarea.

Unlike the native textarea element, the Ionic textarea does not support loading its value from the inner content. The textarea value should be set in the value attribute.

The textarea component accepts the native textarea attributes in addition to the Ionic properties.

Basic Usage

Labels

Labels should be used to describe the textarea. They can be used visually, and they will also be read out by screen readers when the user is focused on the textarea. This makes it easy for the user to understand the intent of the textarea. Textarea has several ways to assign a label:

• label property: used for plaintext labels
• label slot: used for custom HTML labels (experimental)
• aria-label: used to provide a label for screen readers but adds no visible label

Label Placement

Labels will take up the width of their content by default. Developers can use the labelPlacement property to control how the label is placed relative to the control.

Label Slot (experimental)

While plaintext labels should be passed in via the label property, if custom HTML is needed, it can be passed through the label slot instead.

Note that this feature is considered experimental because it relies on a simulated version of Web Component slots. As a result, the simulated behavior may not exactly match the native slot behavior.

No Visible Label

If no visible label is needed, developers should still supply an aria-label so the textarea is accessible to screen readers.

Filled Textareas

Material Design offers filled styles for a textarea. The fill property on the item can be set to either "solid" or "outline".

Filled textareas can be used on iOS by setting the textarea's mode to md.

warning

Textareas that use fill should not be used in an ion-item due to styling conflicts between the components.

Helper & Error Text

Helper and error text can be used inside of a textarea with the helperText and errorText property. The error text will not be displayed unless the ion-invalid and ion-touched classes are added to the ion-textarea. This ensures errors are not shown before the user has a chance to enter data.

In Angular, this is done automatically through form validation. In JavaScript, React and Vue, the class needs to be manually added based on your own validation.

Textarea Counter

The textarea counter is text that displays under a textarea to notify the user of how many characters have been entered out of the total that the textarea will accept. When adding counter, the default behavior is to format the value that gets displayed as inputLength / maxLength. This behavior can be customized by passing in a formatter function to the counterFormatter property.

Autogrow

When the autoGrow property is set to true, the textarea will grow and shrink based on its contents.

Clear on Edit

Setting the clearOnEdit property to true will clear the textarea after it has been blurred and then typed in again.

Start and End Slots (experimental)

The start and end slots can be used to place icons, buttons, or prefix/suffix text on either side of the textarea.

Note that this feature is considered experimental because it relies on a simulated version of Web Component slots. As a result, the simulated behavior may not exactly match the native slot behavior.

note

In most cases, Icon components placed in these slots should have aria-hidden="true". See the Icon accessibility docs for more information.

If slot content is meant to be interacted with, it should be wrapped in an interactive element such as a Button. This ensures that the content can be tabbed to.

Migrating from Legacy Textarea Syntax

A simpler textarea syntax was introduced in Ionic 7.0. This new syntax reduces the boilerplate required to setup an textarea, resolves accessibility issues, and improves the developer experience.

Developers can perform this migration one textarea at a time. While developers can continue using the legacy syntax, we recommend migrating as soon as possible.

Using the Modern Syntax

Using the modern syntax involves three steps:

1. Remove ion-label and use the label property on ion-textarea instead. The placement of the label can be configured using the labelPlacement property on ion-textarea.
2. Move textarea-specific properties from ion-item on to ion-textarea. This includes the counter, counterFormatter, fill, and shape properties.
3. Remove usages of the helper and error slots on ion-item and use the helperText and errorText properties on ion-textarea instead.

JavaScript

<!-- Label and Label Position -->

<!-- Before -->
<ion-item>
  <ion-label position="floating">Label:</ion-label>
  <ion-textarea></ion-textarea>
</ion-item>

<!-- After -->
<ion-item>
  <ion-textarea label="Label:" label-placement="floating"></ion-textarea>
</ion-item>


<!-- Fill -->

<!-- Before -->
<ion-item fill="outline" shape="round">
  <ion-label position="floating">Label:</ion-label>
  <ion-textarea></ion-textarea>
</ion-item>

<!-- After -->

<!-- Textareas using `fill` should not be placed in ion-item -->
<ion-textarea fill="outline" shape="round" label="Label:" label-placement="floating"></ion-textarea>

<!-- Textarea-specific features on ion-item -->

<!-- Before -->
<ion-item counter="true">
  <ion-label position="floating">Label:</ion-label>
  <ion-textarea maxlength="100"></ion-textarea>
  <div slot="helper">Enter text</div>
  <div slot="error">Please enter text</div>
</ion-item>

<!-- After -->

<!--
  Metadata such as counters and helper text should not
  be used when a textarea is in an item/list. If you need to
  provide more context on a textarea, consider using an ion-note
  underneath the ion-list.
-->

<ion-textarea
  label="Label:"
  counter="true"
  maxlength="100"
  helper-text="Enter text"
  error-text="Please enter text"
></ion-textarea>

Angular

<!-- Label and Label Position -->

<!-- Before -->
<ion-item>
  <ion-label position="floating">Label:</ion-label>
  <ion-textarea></ion-textarea>
</ion-item>

<!-- After -->
<ion-item>
  <ion-textarea label="Label:" labelPlacement="floating"></ion-textarea>
</ion-item>


<!-- Fill -->

<!-- Before -->
<ion-item fill="outline" shape="round">
  <ion-label position="floating">Label:</ion-label>
  <ion-textarea></ion-textarea>
</ion-item>

<!-- After -->

<!-- Textareas using `fill` should not be placed in ion-item -->
<ion-textarea fill="outline" shape="round" label="Label:" labelPlacement="floating"></ion-textarea>

<!-- Textarea-specific features on ion-item -->

<!-- Before -->
<ion-item [counter]="true">
  <ion-label position="floating">Label:</ion-label>
  <ion-textarea maxlength="100"></ion-textarea>
  <div slot="helper">Enter text</div>
  <div slot="error">Please enter text</div>
</ion-item>

<!-- After -->

<!--
  Metadata such as counters and helper text should not
  be used when a textarea is in an item/list. If you need to
  provide more context on a textarea, consider using an ion-note
  underneath the ion-list.
-->

<ion-textarea
  label="Label:"
  [counter]="true"
  maxlength="100"
  helperText="Enter text"
  errorText="Please enter text"
></ion-textarea>

React

{/* Label and Label Position */}

{/* Before */}
<IonItem>
  <IonLabel position="floating">Label:</IonLabel>
  <IonTextarea></IonTextarea>
</IonItem>

{/* After */}
<IonItem>
  <IonTextarea label="Label:" labelPlacement="floating"></IonTextarea>
</IonItem>


{/* Fill */}

{/* Before */}
<IonItem fill="outline" shape="round">
  <IonLabel position="floating">Label:</IonLabel>
  <IonTextarea></IonTextarea>
</IonItem>

{/* After */}

{/* Textareas using `fill` should not be placed in IonItem */}
<IonTextarea fill="outline" shape="round" label="Label:" labelPlacement="floating"></IonTextarea>

{/* Textarea-specific features on IonItem */}

{/* Before */}
<IonItem counter={true}>
  <IonLabel position="floating">Label:</IonLabel>
  <IonTextarea maxlength="100"></IonTextarea>
  <div slot="helper">Enter text</div>
  <div slot="error">Please enter text</div>
</IonItem>

{/* After */}

{/*
  Metadata such as counters and helper text should not
  be used when a textarea is in an item/list. If you need to
  provide more context on a textarea, consider using an IonNote
  underneath the IonList.
*/}

<IonTextarea
  label="Label:"
  counter={true}
  maxlength="100"
  helperText="Enter text"
  errorText="Please enter text"
></IonTextarea>

Vue

<!-- Label and Label Position -->

<!-- Before -->
<ion-item>
  <ion-label position="floating">Label:</ion-label>
  <ion-textarea></ion-textarea>
</ion-item>

<!-- After -->
<ion-item>
  <ion-textarea label="Label:" label-placement="floating"></ion-textarea>
</ion-item>


<!-- Fill -->

<!-- Before -->
<ion-item fill="outline" shape="round">
  <ion-label position="floating">Label:</ion-label>
  <ion-textarea></ion-textarea>
</ion-item>

<!-- After -->

<!-- Textareas using `fill` should not be placed in ion-item -->
<ion-textarea fill="outline" shape="round" label="Label:" label-placement="floating"></ion-textarea>

<!-- Textarea-specific features on ion-item -->

<!-- Before -->
<ion-item :counter="true">
  <ion-label position="floating">Label:</ion-label>
  <ion-textarea maxlength="100"></ion-textarea>
  <div slot="helper">Enter text</div>
  <div slot="error">Please enter text</div>
</ion-item>

<!-- After -->

<!--
  Metadata such as counters and helper text should not
  be used when a textarea is in an item/list. If you need to
  provide more context on a textarea, consider using an ion-note
  underneath the ion-list.
-->

<ion-textarea
  label="Label:"
  :counter="true"
  maxlength="100"
  helper-text="Enter text"
  error-text="Please enter text"
></ion-textarea>

Using the Legacy Syntax

Ionic uses heuristics to detect if an app is using the modern textarea syntax. In some instances, it may be preferable to continue using the legacy syntax. Developers can set the legacy property on ion-textarea to true to force that instance of the textarea to use the legacy syntax.

Theming

Interfaces

TextareaChangeEventDetail

interface TextareaChangeEventDetail {
  value?: string | null;
}

TextareaCustomEvent

While not required, this interface can be used in place of the CustomEvent interface for stronger typing with Ionic events emitted from this component.

interface TextareaCustomEvent extends CustomEvent {
  detail: TextareaChangeEventDetail;
  target: HTMLIonTextareaElement;
}

Properties

autoGrow

Description	If true, the textarea container will grow and shrink based on the contents of the textarea.
Attribute	auto-grow
Type	boolean
Default	false

autocapitalize

Description	Indicates whether and how the text value should be automatically capitalized as it is entered/edited by the user. Available options: "off", "none", "on", "sentences", "words", "characters".
Attribute	autocapitalize
Type	string
Default	'none'

autofocus

Description	Sets the autofocus attribute on the native input element. This may not be sufficient for the element to be focused on page load. See managing focus for more information.
Attribute	autofocus
Type	boolean
Default	false

clearOnEdit

Description	If true, the value will be cleared after focus upon edit.
Attribute	clear-on-edit
Type	boolean
Default	false

color

Description	The color to use from your application's color palette. Default options are: "primary", "secondary", "tertiary", "success", "warning", "danger", "light", "medium", and "dark". For more information on colors, see theming.
Attribute	color
Type	"danger" ｜ "dark" ｜ "light" ｜ "medium" ｜ "primary" ｜ "secondary" ｜ "success" ｜ "tertiary" ｜ "warning" ｜ string ｜ undefined
Default	undefined

cols

Description	The visible width of the text control, in average character widths. If it is specified, it must be a positive integer.
Attribute	cols
Type	number ｜ undefined
Default	undefined

counter

Description	If true, a character counter will display the ratio of characters used and the total character limit. Developers must also set the maxlength property for the counter to be calculated correctly.
Attribute	counter
Type	boolean
Default	false

counterFormatter

Description	A callback used to format the counter text. By default the counter text is set to "itemLength / maxLength". See https://ionicframework.com/docs/troubleshooting/runtime#accessing-this if you need to access this from within the callback.
Attribute	undefined
Type	((inputLength: number, maxLength: number) => string) ｜ undefined
Default	undefined

debounce

Description	Set the amount of time, in milliseconds, to wait to trigger the ionInput event after each keystroke.
Attribute	debounce
Type	number ｜ undefined
Default	undefined

disabled

Description	If true, the user cannot interact with the textarea.
Attribute	disabled
Type	boolean
Default	false

enterkeyhint

Description	A hint to the browser for which enter key to display. Possible values: "enter", "done", "go", "next", "previous", "search", and "send".
Attribute	enterkeyhint
Type	"done" ｜ "enter" ｜ "go" ｜ "next" ｜ "previous" ｜ "search" ｜ "send" ｜ undefined
Default	undefined

errorText

Description	Text that is placed under the textarea and displayed when an error is detected.
Attribute	error-text
Type	string ｜ undefined
Default	undefined

fill

Description	The fill for the item. If "solid" the item will have a background. If "outline" the item will be transparent with a border. Only available in md mode.
Attribute	fill
Type	"outline" ｜ "solid" ｜ undefined
Default	undefined

helperText

Description	Text that is placed under the textarea and displayed when no error is detected.
Attribute	helper-text
Type	string ｜ undefined
Default	undefined

inputmode

Description	A hint to the browser for which keyboard to display. Possible values: "none", "text", "tel", "url", "email", "numeric", "decimal", and "search".
Attribute	inputmode
Type	"decimal" ｜ "email" ｜ "none" ｜ "numeric" ｜ "search" ｜ "tel" ｜ "text" ｜ "url" ｜ undefined
Default	undefined

label

Description	The visible label associated with the textarea. Use this if you need to render a plaintext label. The label property will take priority over the label slot if both are used.
Attribute	label
Type	string ｜ undefined
Default	undefined

labelPlacement

Description	Where to place the label relative to the textarea. "start": The label will appear to the left of the textarea in LTR and to the right in RTL. "end": The label will appear to the right of the textarea in LTR and to the left in RTL. "floating": The label will appear smaller and above the textarea when the textarea is focused or it has a value. Otherwise it will appear on top of the textarea. "stacked": The label will appear smaller and above the textarea regardless even when the textarea is blurred or has no value. "fixed": The label has the same behavior as "start" except it also has a fixed width. Long text will be truncated with ellipses ("...").
Attribute	label-placement
Type	"end" ｜ "fixed" ｜ "floating" ｜ "stacked" ｜ "start"
Default	'start'

maxlength

Description	This attribute specifies the maximum number of characters that the user can enter.
Attribute	maxlength
Type	number ｜ undefined
Default	undefined

minlength

Description	This attribute specifies the minimum number of characters that the user can enter.
Attribute	minlength
Type	number ｜ undefined
Default	undefined

mode

Description	The mode determines which platform styles to use.
Attribute	mode
Type	"ios" ｜ "md"
Default	undefined

name

Description	The name of the control, which is submitted with the form data.
Attribute	name
Type	string
Default	this.inputId

placeholder

Description	Instructional text that shows before the input has a value.
Attribute	placeholder
Type	string ｜ undefined
Default	undefined

readonly

Description	If true, the user cannot modify the value.
Attribute	readonly
Type	boolean
Default	false

required

Description	If true, the user must fill in a value before submitting a form.
Attribute	required
Type	boolean
Default	false

rows

Description	The number of visible text lines for the control.
Attribute	rows
Type	number ｜ undefined
Default	undefined

shape

Description	The shape of the textarea. If "round" it will have an increased border radius.
Attribute	shape
Type	"round" ｜ undefined
Default	undefined

spellcheck

Description	If true, the element will have its spelling and grammar checked.
Attribute	spellcheck
Type	boolean
Default	false

value

Description	The value of the textarea.
Attribute	value
Type	null ｜ string ｜ undefined
Default	''

wrap

Description	Indicates how the control wraps text.
Attribute	wrap
Type	"hard" ｜ "off" ｜ "soft" ｜ undefined
Default	undefined

Events

Name	Description	Bubbles
ionBlur	Emitted when the input loses focus.	true
ionChange	The ionChange event is fired when the user modifies the textarea's value. Unlike the ionInput event, the ionChange event is fired when the element loses focus after its value has been modified. This event will not emit when programmatically setting the value property.	true
ionFocus	Emitted when the input has focus.	true
ionInput	The ionInput event is fired each time the user modifies the textarea's value. Unlike the ionChange event, the ionInput event is fired for each alteration to the textarea's value. This typically happens for each keystroke as the user types. When clearOnEdit is enabled, the ionInput event will be fired when the user clears the textarea by performing a keydown event.	true

Methods

getInputElement

Description	Returns the native <textarea> element used under the hood.
Signature	getInputElement() => Promise<HTMLTextAreaElement>

setFocus

Description	Sets focus on the native textarea in ion-textarea. Use this method instead of the global textarea.focus(). See managing focus for more information.
Signature	setFocus() => Promise<void>

CSS Shadow Parts

No CSS shadow parts available for this component.

CSS Custom Properties

Name	Description
--background	Background of the textarea
--border-color	Color of the border below the textarea when using helper text, error text, or counter
--border-radius	Border radius of the textarea
--border-style	Style of the border below the textarea when using helper text, error text, or counter
--border-width	Width of the border below the textarea when using helper text, error text, or counter
--color	Color of the text
--highlight-color-focused	The color of the highlight on the textarea when focused
--highlight-color-invalid	The color of the highlight on the textarea when invalid
--highlight-color-valid	The color of the highlight on the textarea when valid
--highlight-height	The height of the highlight on the textarea. Only applies to md mode.
--padding-bottom	Bottom padding of the textarea
--padding-end	Right padding if direction is left-to-right, and left padding if direction is right-to-left of the textarea
--padding-start	Left padding if direction is left-to-right, and right padding if direction is right-to-left of the textarea
--padding-top	Top padding of the textarea
--placeholder-color	Color of the placeholder text
--placeholder-font-style	Style of the placeholder text
--placeholder-font-weight	Weight of the placeholder text
--placeholder-opacity	Opacity of the placeholder text

Slots

Name	Description
end	Content to display at the trailing edge of the textarea. (EXPERIMENTAL)
label	The label text to associate with the textarea. Use the labelPlacement property to control where the label is placed relative to the textarea. Use this if you need to render a label with custom HTML. (EXPERIMENTAL)
start	Content to display at the leading edge of the textarea. (EXPERIMENTAL)