Craft

Naming a component

How combo-box got its name, why the aliases field exists, and the rule that the name is what the reader types when they don't know your name.

Beginner1 min read (computed · recorded 6)updated 2026-09-12namingiasearch

by Motif Editors

revised 2026-09-12 — First publication in bank-3 batch 4.

Key takeaways

— Component names join a tradition that already voted.
— Aliases record the names people actually type.
— A dead alias is a door the reader was told would open.

The name is the reader's first guess

'Combo box' won over 'autocomplete-select-hybrid' because it is what the pattern is called in every spec a reader might have read. Component names are found objects, not inventions — you are joining a tradition, and the tradition already voted.

Aliases are where the disagreement lives

The name picks the winner; the aliases field records the losers people still type. dropdown → sheet-menu, picker → date-presets: the alias list is the catalog's admission that its naming is not the reader's naming, and the search honours it.

The harness checks every alias resolves. A dead alias is worse than none — it is a door the reader was told would open.

Practise the lesson

Theory sticks when you ship it. These original Motif assets put this guide's lesson to work — open one and copy it into your own page.

Expanding Search Fieldpractice Combo Boxpractice Inline Search Highlight Walkpractice

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