A selection list is a form control for choosing from several options. It usually appears as a dropdown: clicking it opens a menu of available choices. section 8.3.7
Use a selection list when a form offers five or more choices. It keeps a large set of options from becoming confusing or taking up too much page space, unlike a long group of radio buttons. section 8.3.7 section 8.7
Customize a selection list by specifying:
- The option selected when the form first appears. section 8.3.7
- Whether users can select multiple options with Ctrl on Windows or Cmd on macOS. section 8.3.7
- The number of visible rows. A smaller height creates a scrollable list box instead of a dropdown. section 8.3.7
Useful selection-list prompts
Ask for a mood list with Happy, Content, Neutral, Melancholy, and Sad, making Neutral the initial choice. For a multiple-choice list, label it “Philosophers You've Read” and include Plato, Aristotle, Blaise Pascal, Friedrich Nietzsche, and Jean-Paul Sartre. To display all five vacation choices at once, give a “Dream Vacation” list a height of five rows.
