Overview

An <sp-color-slider> lets users visually change an individual channel of a color. The background of the <sp-color-slider> is a visual representation of the range of values a user can select from. This can represent color properties such as hues, color channel values (such as RGB or CMYK levels), or opacity. Currently, the slider only supports leveraging the hue property.

Usage

yarn add @spectrum-web-components/color-slider

Import the side effectful registration of <sp-color-slider> via:

import '@spectrum-web-components/color-slider/sp-color-slider.js';

When looking to leverage the ColorSlider base class as a type and/or for extension purposes, do so via:

import { ColorSlider } from '@spectrum-web-components/color-slider';

Anatomy

The color slider consists of several key parts:

• A gradient track showing the range of color values
• A draggable handle that indicates the current color position
• An accessible label for screen readers

<sp-color-slider></sp-color-slider>

Options

Orientation

By default, the color slider is displayed horizontally. You can change the orientation to vertical using the vertical attribute:

<sp-color-slider vertical></sp-color-slider>

States

Standard

The standard color slider allows users to select hue values from 0 to 360 degrees:

<sp-color-slider></sp-color-slider>

Disabled

A color slider in a disabled state shows that an input exists, but is not available in that circumstance. This can be used to maintain layout continuity and communicate that the slider may become available later.

<sp-color-slider disabled></sp-color-slider>

Behaviors

Color Formatting

When using the color elements, use el.color to access the color property, which should manage itself in the colour format supplied. If you supply a color in rgb() format, el.color should return the color in rgb() format, as well.

The current color formats supported are as follows:

• Hex3, Hex4, Hex6, Hex8
• HSV, HSVA
• HSL, HSLA
• RGB, RGBA
• Strings (eg "red", "blue")

For a complete list of supported color formats, see the ColorController documentation.

Please note for the following formats: HSV, HSVA, HSL, HSLA

When using the HSL or HSV formats, and a color's value (in HSV) is set to 0, or its luminosity (in HSL) is set to 0 or 1, the hue and saturation values may not be preserved by the element's color property. This is detailed in the colorjs documentation. Seperately, the element's value property is directly managed by the hue as represented in the interface.

Accessibility

The <sp-color-slider> is rendered with appropriate ARIA attributes to ensure accessibility:

• Uses native input[type="range"] element with implicit "slider" role
• Provides value text announcements for screen readers
• Supports full keyboard navigation

Accessible Labels

The color slider includes an accessible label that describes what the slider controls. By default, the label is set to "hue", but you can customize it using the label attribute:

<!-- Default label -->
<sp-color-slider></sp-color-slider>

<!-- Custom label -->
<sp-color-slider label="Color hue"></sp-color-slider>
<sp-color-slider label="Saturation level"></sp-color-slider>

The label serves several important accessibility purposes:

• Screen Reader Announcements: Screen readers announce the label when the slider receives focus, helping users understand what they're adjusting
• ARIA Labeling: The label is used as the aria-label attribute on the internal range input
• Context for Value Changes: When the slider value changes, screen readers announce both the current value and the label for context

For example, when a user focuses on a color slider with label="Color hue", screen readers will announce something like "Color hue slider, 180 degrees" to provide clear context about what the control does and its current value.

Keyboard Navigation