Lily Design System

Submit Input

A submit input is a UI/UX component that provides a form submission button using the native HTML <input type="submit"> element. When clicked within a form, it triggers the form's submit event. The component supports custom button text through the value prop and can be disabled to prevent premature submission.

Submit inputs provide a simple, semantic way to add form submission capability that works with the browser's built-in form handling. They are the standard mechanism for triggering form validation and submission in HTML forms.

Implementation Notes

  • Renders a single <input type="submit"> element for native form submission behavior
  • The browser automatically triggers the containing form's submit event when clicked
  • Default button text is "Submit", configurable via the value prop
  • Supports rest props via ...restProps for extensibility (e.g., id, name, class)
  • No ARIA attributes needed beyond the native semantics of <input type="submit">
  • When used within a form, clicking this input also triggers built-in browser validation

Props

  • value: string (default: "Submit") -- the visible button text
  • disabled: boolean (default: false) -- whether the button is disabled
  • ...restProps: spread onto the <input> element

Usage

Form with a descriptive submit label:

<Form label="Contact us" onsubmit={handleSubmit}>
  <Field label="Message" required>
    <TextAreaInput label="Message" value={message} required />
  </Field>
  <SubmitInput value="Send message" />
</Form>

Disabled submit until form is valid:

<SubmitInput value="Save changes" disabled={!formValid} />

Simple submit with default label:

<SubmitInput />

Keyboard Interactions

  • Enter: activates the submit button
  • Space: activates the submit button

Note: keyboard interactions are provided natively by the <input type="submit"> element.

ARIA

No additional ARIA attributes are needed. The native <input type="submit"> element has an implicit button role and the value attribute serves as its accessible name.

When to Use

  • Use as a form-native submit button via <input type="submit">.
  • Use when a plain text label is sufficient for the submission action.
  • Use as the primary submission trigger inside HTML forms to trigger built-in browser validation.

When Not to Use

  • Do not use when you need rich content inside the button (icons, multiple elements) -- use Button with type="submit" instead.
  • Do not use for non-form actions -- use Button instead.
  • Do not use when the button needs to show a loading spinner or other dynamic content.

Headless

This headless component renders a native <input type="submit"> element with configurable value text and disabled state. It provides built-in form submission and validation behavior with no additional ARIA needed. The consumer provides all visual styling including colors, padding, borders, and hover/focus states.

Styles

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

Testing

  • Verify the component renders a <input> element with class submit-input
  • Verify keyboard interactions work correctly
  • Verify pass-through attributes are applied

Advice

  • Designers: Use a clear, action-oriented label (e.g., "Save changes", "Send message") rather than generic text like "Submit". Visually distinguish the submit button from other form controls.
  • Developers: Disable the submit button while the form is processing to prevent duplicate submissions. Place the SubmitInput at the end of the form for a logical tab order.

Related components

  • reset-input — a button input that resets a form to default values <input type="reset">
  • button-input — an input element of type button for form actions <input type="button">
  • button — a generic clickable button element
  • form — a form element for collecting and submitting user data

References

  • MDN input type="submit": https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/docs/Web/HTML/Element/input/submit