Lily Design System

Editable

An editable component allows inline text editing. It displays a value as plain text that can be clicked or activated via keyboard to enter edit mode, where it becomes an input field. Pressing Enter confirms the edit, and pressing Escape cancels it, reverting to the original value.

This headless component toggles between a display state (<span role="button">) and an edit state (<input type="text">). It maintains a draft value during editing so that cancellation restores the original text. Both the value and editing state support two-way binding.

Implementation Notes

  • Display mode renders a <span> with role="button" and tabindex="0" for keyboard activation
  • Edit mode renders an <input type="text"> bound to an internal draft value
  • Supports two-way binding for both value and editing props
  • Uses reactive state for the internal draft value during editing
  • Enter key in edit mode calls confirm() which copies draft to value
  • Escape key in edit mode calls cancel() which restores draft from value
  • Display mode responds to click, Enter, and Space for activation
  • When disabled is true, the span gets tabindex="-1" and aria-disabled
  • Accepts ...restProps for forwarding additional attributes

Props

  • value: string (default: "") -- current text value; bindable
  • label: string (required) -- accessible name for the editable control, applied via aria-label
  • editing: boolean (default: false) -- whether the component is in edit mode; bindable
  • disabled: boolean (default: false) -- whether editing is disabled

Usage

Inline-editable project name:

<Editable label="Project name" value={projectName} />

Editable status text with controlled edit state:

<Editable label="Status" value={statusText} editing={isEditing} />

Disabled editable field for read-only users:

<Editable label="Owner" value={ownerName} disabled={!canEdit} />

Keyboard Interactions

In display mode:

  • Enter: Activate edit mode
  • Space: Activate edit mode

In edit mode:

  • Enter: Confirm the edit and return to display mode
  • Escape: Cancel the edit and return to display mode

ARIA

  • aria-label={label} -- provides an accessible name in both display and edit modes
  • role="button" -- on the display span, indicates it is an activatable element
  • aria-disabled={disabled} -- on the display span when disabled, communicates the disabled state
  • tabindex="0" / tabindex="-1" -- controls focusability based on disabled state

When to Use

  • Use for inline text that toggles between view and edit modes on click.
  • Use for quick edits like renaming items, updating status text, or correcting short fields.
  • Use when navigating to a separate edit page would be disruptive to the workflow.
  • Use in data tables or lists where individual values need in-place editing.

When Not to Use

  • Do not use for complex forms with multiple fields -- use Form with Field components instead.
  • Do not use for multi-line editing -- use TextAreaInput instead.
  • Do not use when the field should always be in edit mode -- use TextInput instead.
  • Do not use when form submission semantics are needed -- use EditableForm instead.

Headless

This headless component provides a display mode (<span> with role="button") and edit mode (<input type="text">) with full keyboard support (Enter to confirm, Escape to cancel), draft value management, two-way binding on both value and editing, and disabled state handling. The consumer provides all visual styling for both display and edit modes.

Styles

The consumer provides all CSS styling. The component renders with a .editable class for targeting. No default styles are included — this is a fully headless component.

Testing

  • Verify the component renders a <div> element with class editable
  • Verify aria-label={label}` -- provides an accessible name in both display and edit modes
  • Verify role="button"` -- on the display span, indicates it is an activatable element
  • Verify keyboard interactions work correctly
  • Verify pass-through attributes are applied

Advice

  • Designers: Make the display text visually distinct from static text (e.g., with an underline or hover effect) so users know it is editable. Provide clear visual feedback when entering and exiting edit mode.
  • Developers: Use the editing bind to coordinate with other components or show save/cancel buttons. The component manages a draft value internally, so cancellation safely reverts changes.

Related components

  • editable-form — a form wrapper for inline editing of content
  • text-input — a single-line text input field <input type="text">

References

  • WAI-ARIA Button Pattern: https://www.w3.org/WAI/ARIA/apg/patterns/button/