1. Component Guide
  2. Form error summary
Component

Form error summary

Used at the top of the page, to summarise validation errors.

Search for usage of this component on GitHub.

How it looks (preview) (preview all)

How to call this component

<%= render "govuk_publishing_components/components/error_summary", {
  id: "error-summary",
  title: "Message to alert the user to a problem goes here",
  description: "Optional description of the errors and how to correct them",
  items: [
    {
      text: "Descriptive link to the question with an error",
      href: "#example-error-1"
    }
  ]
} %>

Accessibility acceptance criteria

  • should be focused on page load, to ensure this error is noticed by assistive tech
  • list of errors should be clickable and focus the inputs with errors

Links in the component must:

  • accept focus
  • be focusable with a keyboard
  • be usable with a keyboard
  • indicate when they have focus
  • change in appearance when touched (in the touch-down state)
  • change in appearance when hovered
  • be usable with touch
  • be usable with voice commands
  • have visible text
  • have meaningful text

Other examples

With many errors (preview) 

<%= render "govuk_publishing_components/components/error_summary", {
  title: "Message to alert the user to a problem goes here",
  description: "Optional description of the errors and how to correct them",
  items: [
    {
      text: "Descriptive link to the question with an error 1",
      href: "#example-error-1",
      data_attributes: {
        tracking: "GTM-123AA"
      }
    },
    {
      text: "Descriptive link to the question with an error 2",
      href: "#example-error-2",
      data_attributes: {
        tracking: "GTM-123AB"
      }
    },
    {
      text: "Description of error without link",
      data_attributes: {
        tracking: "GTM-123AC"
      }
    }
  ]
} %>

With data attributes (preview) 

<%= render "govuk_publishing_components/components/error_summary", {
  title: "Message to alert the user to a problem goes here",
  description: "Optional description of the errors and how to correct them",
  data_attributes: {
    tracking: "GTM-123AB"
  },
  items: [
    {
      text: "Descriptive link to the question with an error 1"
    }
  ]
} %>

With custom target on links (preview) 

<%= render "govuk_publishing_components/components/error_summary", {
  title: "Message to alert the user to a problem goes here",
  description: "Optional description of the errors and how to correct them",
  items: [
    {
      text: "Descriptive link to the question with an error oppening in a new window",
      href: "#example-error-1",
      target: "_blank"
    },
    {
      text: "Descriptive link to the question with an error oppening in the same window",
      href: "#example-error-2",
      target: "_self"
    }
  ]
} %>