Getting Started with Vue DropDownList Component

Smart UI Vue examples target Vue 3 and Vite; enable TypeScript in create-vue when you want typed SFCs.

Demo source (Smart UI repo): vue/vue-3/src/dropdownlist/basic/App.vue

Scaffold with Vite (Vue 3)

Run the official scaffolding tool:

npm create vue@latest

You will be prompted for TypeScript, Router, Pinia, and other options. When unsure, accept defaults and enable features later.

cd <your-project-name>
npm install
npm install smart-webcomponents
npm run dev
	

Vue + TypeScript

If you enabled TypeScript, use vite.config.ts with the same isCustomElement configuration as below so the compiler treats Smart UI tags as native custom elements.

Teach Vue about custom elements

Without this, Vue warns about unknown custom elements. Open vite.config.js or vite.config.ts and configure the Vue plugin so smart-* and legacy jqx-* tags are passed through to the DOM:

import { fileURLToPath, URL } from 'node:url'

import { defineConfig } from 'vite'
import vue from '@vitejs/plugin-vue'

export default defineConfig({
  plugins: [
    vue({
      template: {
        compilerOptions: {
          isCustomElement: tag => tag.startsWith('smart-') || tag.startsWith('jqx-')
        }
      }
    })
  ],
  resolve: {
    alias: {
      '@': fileURLToPath(new URL('./src', import.meta.url))
    }
  }
})
	

App.vue example

Example from Smart UI Vue 3 demos for this widget:

<template>
  <div class="vue-root">
    <smart-drop-down-list selected-indexes="[0]">
      <smart-list-item value="1">Affogato</smart-list-item>
      <smart-list-item value="2">Americano</smart-list-item>
      <smart-list-item value="3">Bicerin</smart-list-item>
      <smart-list-item value="4">Breve</smart-list-item>
      <smart-list-item value="5">Cappuccino</smart-list-item>
      <smart-list-item value="6">Cafe Crema</smart-list-item>
      <smart-list-item value="7">Cafe Corretto</smart-list-item>
      <smart-list-item value="8">Cafe macchiato</smart-list-item>
      <smart-list-item value="9">Cafe mocha</smart-list-item>
      <smart-list-item value="10">Cortado</smart-list-item>
      <smart-list-item value="11">Cuban espresso</smart-list-item>
      <smart-list-item value="12">Espresso</smart-list-item>
      <smart-list-item value="13">Eiskaffee</smart-list-item>
      <smart-list-item value="14">Frappuccino</smart-list-item>
      <smart-list-item value="15">Galao</smart-list-item>
      <smart-list-item value="16">Greek frappe coffee</smart-list-item>
      <smart-list-item value="17">Iced Coffee</smart-list-item>
      <smart-list-item value="18">Instant Coffee</smart-list-item>
      <smart-list-item value="19">Latte</smart-list-item>
      <smart-list-item value="20">Liqueur coffee</smart-list-item>
    </smart-drop-down-list>
  </div>
</template>

<script>
import { onMounted } from "vue";
import "smart-webcomponents/source/styles/smart.default.css";
import "smart-webcomponents/source/modules/smart.dropdownlist.js";

export default {
  name: "app",
  setup() {
    onMounted(() => {});
  }
};
</script>

<style>
smart-drop-down-list {
  min-height: 35px;
  height: auto;
  width: 300px;
}
</style>
	

You can now use smart-drop-down-list in templates; bindings and events follow Vue's normal syntax.

Run and build

Development server:

npm run dev

Then open http://localhost:5173/.

Production build:

npm run build

Output goes to ./dist.

Read more about using Smart UI for Vue.

Common Use Cases

  • Populate from API

    Load dropdown options from a REST endpoint

    const options = await fetch('/api/options').then(r => r.json());
    dropDownList.dataSource = options;
  • Get selected value

    Retrieve the currently selected item

    const selected = dropDownList.selectedValues[0];

Troubleshooting

How do I set a default selected value?
Set the selectedValues property to an array containing the default value(s): selectedValues = ['defaultValue'].
How do I disable specific items?
Add disabled: true to items in your dataSource that should not be selectable.

Accessibility

The DropDownList component follows WAI-ARIA best practices:

  • Keyboard navigation - Tab, Arrow keys, Enter, and Escape are supported
  • ARIA roles - Appropriate roles and labels are applied automatically
  • Focus management - Visible focus indicators for keyboard users
  • Screen readers - State changes are announced to assistive technology
  • High contrast - Supports Windows High Contrast Mode and forced colors

For custom labeling, set aria-label or aria-labelledby attributes on the component.

Live demos

Supported stacks: Smart UI targets Angular 17+, React 18+, Vue 3+, Node 18 LTS, and evergreen browsers; pin exact package versions to your org policy.