Emphasis

Footnote

Connects content to supplemental information or a source note.

plannedReference catalogsup + a + olInlineSpan + Semantics

Overview

Connects content to supplemental information or a source note. Its semantic foundation is Bidirectional links between reference and note. Source scope: Reference catalog.

This element owns a standalone primitive contract and does not depend on a product-specific component.

Visual Example

Supplemental evidence¹

Source note with return link. ↩

When to Use

Use Footnote when its semantic purpose matches the user task. Prefer native platform behavior, concise labels, predictable placement, and content that remains understandable without visual styling.

Do

Use the canonical element ID and semantic role.
Keep labels and state programmatically available.
Test the element with real content and every supported input modality.

Don't

Do not substitute a visually similar element with different semantics.
Do not add focusable descendants without a documented keyboard model.
Do not communicate state through color or motion alone.

Anatomy

1Primary content

2Label or source

3Supporting context

Variants

defaultcompact

Variants preserve the same semantics and accessible name. Density changes never reduce the minimum interactive target.

States

default

Focus-visible takes precedence over hover and selected styling. Loading and disabled behavior never silently remove essential information or recovery paths.

Behavior

No keyboard interaction unless the element contains a real link or control. Web targets are at least 44 × 44 CSS pixels and Flutter targets are at least 48 × 48 dp.

Accessibility

Bidirectional links between reference and note. The element exposes an accessible name, role, state, value, and result where applicable; retains visible 3:1 focus indication; supports 200% text scaling and 320 CSS pixel reflow; and preserves structure in forced-colors and reduced-motion modes.

Tokens

color.* semantic roles→native semantic composition→sup + a + ol

Spacing, sizing, typography, border, radius, icon, motion, focus, and color decisions resolve from canonical tokens. Element code does not contain arbitrary visual literals.

Web and Flutter API

Web

<sup + a + ol>Footnote</sup>

Flutter

InlineSpan + Semantics(/* semantic content */)

ds-footnote is a registry identifier only; this library does not register an autonomous custom element under that name. Use the mapped component or native semantic composition shown above.

When an element includes an icon, use the exact Tabler name and semantic size from Foundations · Iconography.

Status

planned. The contract is documented for planning and must not be represented as production-ready until implementation, accessibility, visual, and cross-platform gates pass.