<mat-list> is a container component that wraps and formats a series of line items. As the base list component, it provides Material Design styling, but no behavior of its own.

Simple lists

An <mat-list> element contains a number of <mat-list-item> elements.

<mat-list>
 <mat-list-item> Pepper </mat-list-item>
 <mat-list-item> Salt </mat-list-item>
 <mat-list-item> Paprika </mat-list-item>
</mat-list>

Navigation lists

Use mat-nav-list tags for navigation lists (i.e. lists that have anchor tags).

Simple navigation lists can use the mat-list-item attribute on anchor tag elements directly:

<mat-nav-list>
   <a mat-list-item href="..." *ngFor="let link of links"> {{ link }} </a>
</mat-nav-list>

For more complex navigation lists (e.g. with more than one target per item), wrap the anchor element in an <mat-list-item>.

<mat-nav-list>
  <mat-list-item *ngFor="let link of links">
     <a matLine href="...">{{ link }}</a>
     <button mat-icon-button (click)="showInfo(link)">
        <mat-icon>info</mat-icon>
     </button>
  </mat-list-item>
</mat-nav-list>

Action lists

Use the <mat-action-list> element when each item in the list performs some action. Each item in an action list is a <button> element.

Simple action lists can use the mat-list-item attribute on button tag elements directly:

<mat-action-list>
  <button mat-list-item (click)="save()"> Save </button>
  <button mat-list-item (click)="undo()"> Undo </button>
</mat-action-list>

Selection lists

A selection list provides an interface for selecting values, where each list item is an option.

The options within a selection-list should not contain further interactive controls, such as buttons and anchors.

Multi-line lists

For lists that require multiple lines per item, annotate each line with an matLine attribute. Whichever heading tag is appropriate for your DOM hierarchy should be used (not necessarily <h3> as shown in the example).

<!-- two line list -->
<mat-list>
  <mat-list-item *ngFor="let message of messages">
    <h3 matLine> {{message.from}} </h3>
    <p matLine>
      <span> {{message.subject}} </span>
      <span class="demo-2"> -- {{message.content}} </span>
    </p>
  </mat-list-item>
</mat-list>

<!-- three line list -->
<mat-list>
  <mat-list-item *ngFor="let message of messages">
    <h3 matLine> {{message.from}} </h3>
    <p matLine> {{message.subject}} </p>
    <p matLine class="demo-2"> {{message.content}} </p>
  </mat-list-item>
</mat-list>

Lists with icons

To add an icon to your list item, use the matListIcon attribute.

<mat-list>
  <mat-list-item *ngFor="let message of messages">
    <mat-icon matListIcon>folder</mat-icon>
    <h3 matLine> {{message.from}} </h3>
    <p matLine>
      <span> {{message.subject}} </span>
      <span class="demo-2"> -- {{message.content}} </span>
    </p>
  </mat-list-item>
</mat-list>

Lists with avatars

To include an avatar image, add an image tag with an matListAvatar attribute.

<mat-list>
  <mat-list-item *ngFor="let message of messages">
    <img matListAvatar src="..." alt="...">
    <h3 matLine> {{message.from}} </h3>
    <p matLine>
      <span> {{message.subject}} </span>
      <span class="demo-2"> -- {{message.content}} </span>
    </p>
  </mat-list-item>
</mat-list>

Dense lists

Lists are also available in "dense layout" mode, which shrinks the font size and height of the list to suit UIs that may need to display more information. To enable this mode, add a dense attribute to the main mat-list tag.

<mat-list dense>
 <mat-list-item> Pepper </mat-list-item>
 <mat-list-item> Salt </mat-list-item>
 <mat-list-item> Paprika </mat-list-item>
</mat-list>

Lists with multiple sections

Subheader can be added to a list by annotating a heading tag with an matSubheader attribute. To add a divider, use <mat-divider>.

<mat-list>
   <h3 matSubheader>Folders</h3>
   <mat-list-item *ngFor="let folder of folders">
      <mat-icon matListIcon>folder</mat-icon>
      <h4 matLine>{{folder.name}}</h4>
      <p matLine class="demo-2"> {{folder.updated}} </p>
   </mat-list-item>
   <mat-divider></mat-divider>
   <h3 matSubheader>Notes</h3>
   <mat-list-item *ngFor="let note of notes">
      <mat-icon matListIcon>note</mat-icon>
      <h4 matLine>{{note.name}}</h4>
      <p matLine class="demo-2"> {{note.updated}} </p>
   </mat-list-item>
</mat-list>

Accessibility

Angular Material offers multiple varieties of list so that you can choose the type that best applies to your use-case.

Navigation

You should use MatNavList when every item in the list is an anchor that navigate to another URL. The root <mat-nav-list> element sets role="navigation" and should contain only anchor elements with the mat-list-item attribute. You should not nest any interactive elements inside these anchors, including buttons and checkboxes.

Always provide an accessible label for the <mat-nav-list> element via aria-label or aria-labelledby.

Selection

You should use MatSelectionList and MatListOption for lists that allow the user to select one or more values. This list variant uses the role="listbox" interaction pattern, handling all associated keyboard input and focus management. You should not nest any interactive elements inside these options, including buttons and anchors.

Always provide an accessible label for the <mat-selection-list> element via aria-label or aria-labelledby that describes the selection being made.

Custom scenarios

By default, the list assumes that it will be used in a purely decorative fashion and thus sets no roles, ARIA attributes, or keyboard shortcuts. This is equivalent to having a sequence of <div> elements on the page. Any interactive content within the list should be given an appropriate accessibility treatment based on the specific workflow of your application.

If the list is used to present a list of non-interactive content items, then the list element should be given role="list" and each list item should be given role="listitem".