View source for Drop-down list

{{short description|User interface element}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=May 2013}}
{{more citations needed|date=April 2011}}

[[Image:Drop-down list example.PNG|thumb|135px|A drop-down list or drop-down menu or drop menu, with generic entries]]

A '''drop-down list''' ('''DDL'''), '''drop-down menu''' or just '''drop-down'''<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.acronymfinder.com/Drop_Down-List-(user-interface)-(DDL).html|title=DDL stands for Drop-Down List (user interface)|website=Acronymfinder}}</ref>
– also known as a '''drop menu''', '''pull-down list''', '''picklist''' – is a [[widget (GUI)|graphical control element]], similar to a [[list box]], that allows the user to choose one value from a list either by clicking or hovering over the menu. When a drop-down list is inactive, it displays a single value. When activated, it displays (drops down) a list of values, from which the user may select one. When the user selects a new value, the control reverts to its inactive state, displaying the selected value. It is often used in the design of graphical user interfaces, including [[web design]].

==Terminology==
[[File:Dewiki-suggesting-searchplugin.png|thumb|A drop-down list of [[search suggestions]]]]
This type of control is called a "pop-up menu" on the [[Apple Macintosh|Macintosh]] platform;<ref>{{cite web|url=https://developer.apple.com/library/mac/#documentation/Cocoa/Conceptual/MenuList/Articles/ManagingPopUpItems.html |title=Managing Pop-Up Buttons and Pull-Down Lists|work=Application Menu and Pop-up List Programming Topics |publisher=Mac Development Library |date=June 26, 2007 |access-date=May 15, 2013}}</ref> however, the term "pop-up menu" is used to refer to [[context menu]]s in other GUI systems. The Macintosh also has the notion of "pull-down menus". The distinction is that, when the menu is closed, a pop-up menu's title shows the last-selected item while a pull-down menu shows a static title like a menu in the menu bar. Thus, the uses are different—pop-up menus are used to select a single option from a list while pull-down menus are used to issue commands or in cases where multiple options can be selected.

==HTML==
In [[form (web)|web forms]], the [[HTML element]]s {{code|lang=html|code=<select>}} and {{code|lang=html|code=<option>}} are used to display a drop-down menu:<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.w3.org/TR/html4/interact/forms.html#h-17.6|title=The SELECT, OPTGROUP, and OPTION elements|website=W3C}}</ref>

<syntaxhighlight lang="xml">
<select>
  <option>option1</option>
  <option>option2</option>
  <option>option3</option>
</select>
</syntaxhighlight>

==GTK==
[[GTK]] 4 have the {{Mono|Gtk.DropDown}} widget.<ref>{{cite web |title=Gtk.DropDown |url=https://docs.gtk.org/gtk4/class.DropDown.html |website=docs.gtk.org |language=en}}</ref>

== See also ==
* [[Combo box]]
* [[List box]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}

{{Graphical control elements}}

[[Category:Graphical control elements]]


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