Select & Textarea in React
From the React Components & JSX cheat sheet · Forms & Controlled Components · verified Jul 2026
Select & Textarea
Controlled select dropdowns and textareas
javascript
function Survey() {
const [country, setCountry] = React.useState('us')
const [comments, setComments] = React.useState('')
return (
<div>
{/* Controlled select */}
<select
value={country}
onChange={(e) => setCountry(e.target.value)}
>
<option value="us">United States</option>
<option value="uk">United Kingdom</option>
<option value="ca">Canada</option>
</select>
{/* Controlled textarea */}
<textarea
value={comments}
onChange={(e) => setComments(e.target.value)}
rows={4}
placeholder="Your comments..."
/>
<p>Selected: {country}</p>
<p>Comments: {comments}</p>
</div>
)
}💡 Select uses value prop, not selected attribute
📌 Textarea uses value prop, not children
⚡ Same pattern as input elements
formsselecttextarea