Breadcrumbs are a secondary navigation component used to show a user's location in a hierarchical structure. They communicate the path a user has taken to the current page and offer a quick way to navigate back up the path.
Usage
Do’s
Use when the users location in a hierarchical structure is a useful piece of information to communicate to a user.
Dont’s
Don’t use when more appropriate navigation components are available.
Never use breadcrumbs to replace the main navigation on a page.
Anatomy
Item | Component type | Content type | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Link | Text | ||
2 | Separator | Text | ||
3 | Overflow button | n/a | ||
4 | Overflow menu | n/a | n/a | |
- | Navigation name (not shown) | n/a | Text | |
- | Overflow button aria-label (not shown) |
Editorial
Content editors may be given the option to define a ‘short’ version of the page title to be used in some navigational components. If this name has been defined then it should be used instead of the default page title.
Behaviour
General:
The current page is always the last item in the list and breadcrumbs should never display children of the current page unless it’s proximate to the page title (see visibility controls).
Breadcrumbs should never wrap onto a new line. If the width of the breadcrumbs breaks out of the parent container (or max width), breadcrumbs should adopt the overflow behaviour (see overflow).
Overflow
Without JS:
Breadcrumbs don’t overflow and instead wrap onto the next line.
With JS:
When the number of items in the breadcrumb list exceeds the width of its parent container, or specified max width, or specified number of items, breadcrumbs should truncate displaying only the first and last navigation items and a truncation menu button (…).
The truncation menu displays all options that are no longer visible in the following ways:
Option 1
The truncation menu displays all options that are no longer visible. Leaving ‘root' and 'current page’
Option 2 - If current page is visually hidden (see visibility controls)
The truncation menu displays all options that are no longer visible. Leaving ‘root' and the current page’s 'parent page'
Items are listed with the hierarchy ordered from top (root) to bottom.
Overflows are accessed by clicking the overflow button (…) or appropriate keyboard control.
Overflows are ‘pop-overs'. They site above site content and don’t change/push/interact with any content on the page.
Tabbing
When tabbing though the list of links a user is able to tab into the truncation menu as if it were the next item in the list.
When the user reaches the last item in the list, the next tab will close the list and move focus onto the next item.
Accessibility
tdb…