AddThisFeature

Dependent Select Fields

Load one select's options from another's choice without stale values slipping through.

moderate Forms & Input

What it adds

A parent select that constrains a child select's options, loaded on demand, with the request ordering and invalidation handled properly.

What your agent is told to do

5
  1. 1

    Find the selects whose valid options depend on another field and load the child options from the server when the parent changes.

  2. 2

    Track requests so only the newest response is applied. A user changing the parent three times quickly must not end up with the first response's options.

  3. 3

    Clear the child selection whenever the new option set no longer contains it, and say so rather than silently blanking the field.

  4. 4

    Give the child a real disabled, loading, empty, and error state, and re-validate the pair on the server — never trust that the submitted child belongs to the submitted parent.

  5. 5

    Do NOT preload every combination into the page. It bloats the payload and goes stale; fetch on demand and cache per parent value.

Edge cases it handles

6
  • Out-of-order responses must be discarded, not merged.
  • An edit form whose saved child option is now inactive or absent must still display the saved value rather than showing an empty select.
  • An empty option set needs its own message and a disabled control, not a select with one blank row.
  • A failed load must offer a retry and must not leave the child enabled with nothing in it.
  • Clearing the parent must clear and disable the child, not freeze the last options.
  • Deep chains — country, region, city — must invalidate every level below the one that changed.

Definition of done

8
  • Changing the parent reloads the child options and discards superseded responses.
  • A child value invalidated by the parent change is cleared and the user is told.
  • Loading, empty, and error states exist and disable the control appropriately.
  • Saved-but-inactive child values still render on edit forms.
  • The server rejects a child value that does not belong to the submitted parent.
  • Every level below a changed level in a chain is invalidated.
  • The feature matches the existing design system.
  • No existing functionality is broken.

Related features

How it works

  1. 1

    Copy the link

    Grab the Markdown instruction URL for this feature.

  2. 2

    Give it to your AI

    Paste it into Claude Code, Cursor, v0, Lovable — whatever you build with.

  3. 3

    It inspects, then implements

    Your agent reads your existing app first, then adds the feature to fit it.

Works with your stack

These instructions are written to adapt. They tell the agent to detect your framework, match your existing design system, and reuse what you already have — rather than assuming a particular stack.

Need it tighter than that? Customize the feature and tell it exactly what you're running.