Drop zone

The drop zone component lets users upload files by dragging and dropping the files into an area on a page, or activating a button.

Drop zone component examples

Use to allow merchants to upload files. They can drag and drop files into the dashed area, or upload traditionally by clicking the “Add file” button or anywhere inside the dashed area.

import {DropZone, LegacyStack, Thumbnail, Text} from '@shopify/polaris';
import {NoteIcon} from '@shopify/polaris-icons';
import {useState, useCallback} from 'react';

function DropZoneExample() {
  const [files, setFiles] = useState<File[]>([]);

  const handleDropZoneDrop = useCallback(
    (_dropFiles: File[], acceptedFiles: File[], _rejectedFiles: File[]) =>
      setFiles((files) => [...files, ...acceptedFiles]),
    [],
  );

  const validImageTypes = ['image/gif', 'image/jpeg', 'image/png'];

  const fileUpload = !files.length && <DropZone.FileUpload />;
  const uploadedFiles = files.length > 0 && (
    <div style={{padding: '0'}}>
      <LegacyStack vertical>
        {files.map((file, index) => (
          <LegacyStack alignment="center" key={index}>
            <Thumbnail
              size="small"
              alt={file.name}
              source={
                validImageTypes.includes(file.type)
                  ? window.URL.createObjectURL(file)
                  : NoteIcon
              }
            />
            <div>
              {file.name}{' '}
              <Text variant="bodySm" as="p">
                {file.size} bytes
              </Text>
            </div>
          </LegacyStack>
        ))}
      </LegacyStack>
    </div>
  );

  return (
    <DropZone onDrop={handleDropZoneDrop}>
      {uploadedFiles}
      {fileUpload}
    </DropZone>
  );
}

Props

interface DropZoneProps
label?React.ReactNode

Label for the file input.

labelAction?

Adds an action to the label.

labelHidden?boolean

Visually hide the label.

id?string

ID for file input.

accept?string

Allowed file types.

type?'file' | 'image' | 'video'

Whether is a file or an image.

Defaults to 'file'.

active?boolean

Sets an active state.

error?boolean

Sets an error state.

outline?boolean

Displays an outline border.

Defaults to true.

overlay?boolean

Displays an overlay on hover.

Defaults to true.

overlayText?string

Text that appears in the overlay.

errorOverlayText?string

Text that appears in the overlay when set in error state.

allowMultiple?boolean

Allows multiple files to be uploaded at once.

Defaults to true.

disabled?boolean

Sets a disabled state.

children?any

The child elements to render in the dropzone.

dropOnPage?boolean

Allows a file to be dropped anywhere on the page.

openFileDialog?boolean

Sets the default file dialog state.

variableHeight?boolean

Allows child content to adjust height.

customValidator?(file: File) => boolean

Adds custom validations.

onClick?(event: React.MouseEvent<HTMLElement>) => void

Callback triggered on click.

onDrop?(files: File[], acceptedFiles: File[], rejectedFiles: File[]) => void

Callback triggered on any file drop.

onDropAccepted?(acceptedFiles: File[]) => void

Callback triggered when at least one of the files dropped was accepted.

onDropRejected?(rejectedFiles: File[]) => void

Callback triggered when at least one of the files dropped was rejected.

onDragOver?() => void

Callback triggered when one or more files are dragging over the drag area.

onDragEnter?() => void

Callback triggered when one or more files entered the drag area.

onDragLeave?() => void

Callback triggered when one or more files left the drag area.

onFileDialogClose?() => void

Callback triggered when the file dialog is canceled.

Best practices

Drop zone

Drop zones should:

  • Inform merchants when the file(s) can’t be uploaded:
    • When possible, use validation errors on drag to detect and explain things like file size limits or file types accepted.
    • Use the banner component with a critical status to communicate errors that happen on the server.
  • Provide feedback once the file(s) have been dropped and uploading begins.
  • For convenience, allow files to be dropped anywhere on the page by enabling dropOnPage.
  • Provide a file upload button to allow merchants to select files for upload in a traditional way. Do this by using the DropZone.FileUpload subcomponent.

Validation errors

The drop zone component validates file type by default. File types you wish to accept can be defined by editing the accept property. This component also accepts custom validations using the customValidator property. When validation fails, the component sets itself to error mode.


Content guidelines

Client-side validation error messages

Client-side validation errors give instant feedback.

Validation error messages should be:

  • Explicit: help merchants understand why their file can’t be uploaded and what they should change to successfully upload their file
  • In sentence case: capitalize only the first word in the message
  • Concise: use simple, clear language that can be read at a glance. For example:

File size must be less than 20MB

File type must be .gif, .jpg, .png or .svg

Server-side upload error messages

Server-side upload errors give feedback after file submission.

Upload error messages should:

  • Be displayed as a banner with a critical status
  • Show the name of the file(s) that were not uploaded successfully
  • Describe why the file(s) couldn’t be uploaded and what merchants should change to upload their file successfully, as seen below
Example
The following images couldn’t be uploaded:

* “keep-it-real.png” is too large. Try a file size less than 20MB.
* “realer-than-real.zip” is not supported. File type must be .gif, .jpg, .png or .svg.
* “so-so-real.png” was interrupted due to weak network connection, [retry upload](#)

Drop zone file upload

Use file upload with the drop zone component to let merchants select files for upload in a traditional way.

File upload properties

PropTypeDescriptionDefault
actionTitlestringString that appears in file upload'Add file'
actionHintstringString that appears in file upload'or drop files to upload'


Accessibility

The drop zone component builds on the native HTML <input type="upload"> element. It includes a visual<button> as well as a drag and drop area that can receive keyboard focus.

Keyboard support

To upload a file with the keyboard, merchants can interact with the drag-and-drop region.

  • To give the input keyboard focus, use the tab key (or shift + tab when tabbing backwards)
  • To activate the input, use the enter/return or space keys

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