Alert dialog
A dialog that interrupts to confirm an action that cannot be undone.
Left out of Accessible first A destructive action here is a secondary button, then a confirm page. The dialog is kept only to confirm leaving with unsaved answers. Use instead: Button, Dialog
See it live
Start Storybook to see it live:
npm run storybookWhen to use it
- Use it when: Deleting, cancelling or overwriting something people cannot get back, when undo is not possible.
- Not when: Anything that can be undone (offer undo instead), or a form or task (use a dialog).
Instead:
- Dialog: A focused task, not a confirmation.
- Toast: Undo after the fact, when the action can be reversed.
How Accessible first uses it
Delete or remove
Use Button secondary, then a confirm page with Button danger
Not Button primary
A confirm step prevents a costly error.
A confirmation question
Use Say what will happen in plain words, and offer a way back
Not A double negative
Plain words prevent a choice people did not mean. Example: “Do you want to cancel your application? Your answers will be deleted.”
Words
- Use common words. Explain any term you must use.
- One idea per sentence. Put the action first.
- Never blame the person.
- Use: Continue, Change, Start, You. Avoid: Invalid, Utilise, Submit, Error code.
The labels components use, from the voice tokens:
content.action.commit: Continuecontent.action.cancel: Go backcontent.action.destroy: Deletecontent.action.retry: Try againcontent.action.empty-action: Start a new application
See Voice and tone for the whole voice.
Accessibility and keyboard
| Keyboard | What happens | Not |
|---|---|---|
| undefined | Escape cancels, the same as the safe choice. | undefined |
| undefined | Tab stays inside until people choose. | undefined |
Test before you ship:
- It is an alertdialog with a title and a description that names the consequence. undefined
- Focus starts on the safe choice, never on the destructive one. undefined
Use it in code
npx open-ds add alert-dialog
The component reads only component keys and semantic tokens, so it follows the brand and mode on <html>.
Tokens it reads
Alert dialog reads 17 tokens of its own, each an alias of a semantic token. Each row is one part: its own token, the semantic it aliases, and the value it ends at. Change a semantic and every component that reads it follows; override one of Alert dialog's tokens to change Alert dialog alone.
Changes with theme
Accessible first decides what changes when you switch theme. Here a switch changes colors only, so the marked rows differ between light and dark; everything else holds steady.
| Part | Its token and the semantic it aliases | Value |
|---|---|---|
| Shared | ||
| Transition panels duration | component.transition.panels-durationmotion.duration.panelsvar(--transition-panels-duration) | duration.moderate:200ms |
| Overlay | ||
| Fill Changes with theme | component.alert-dialog.overlay.backgroundcolor.surface.scrimvar(--alert-dialog-overlay-background) | Lightblack.light.scrim:#0000008CDarkblack.dark.scrim:#000000B3 |
| Content | ||
| Gap | component.alert-dialog.content.gapspace.gap.groupvar(--alert-dialog-content-gap) | space.32:2rem |
| Corner | component.alert-dialog.content.radiusradius.containervar(--alert-dialog-content-radius) | radius.8:0.5rem |
| Fill Changes with theme | component.alert-dialog.content.backgroundcolor.surface.canvasvar(--alert-dialog-content-background) | Lightgray.light.50:#F7F7F7Darkgray.dark.0:#0A0A0A |
| Padding | component.alert-dialog.content.paddingcomponent-spacing-map.x6var(--alert-dialog-content-padding) | space.44:2.75rem |
| Shadow | component.alert-dialog.content.shadowelevation.overlayvar(--alert-dialog-content-shadow) | shadow.none |
| Header | ||
| Gap | component.alert-dialog.header.gapcomponent-spacing-map.x2var(--alert-dialog-header-gap) | space.8:0.5rem |
| Gap x | component.alert-dialog.header.gap-xspace.gap.sectionvar(--alert-dialog-header-gap-x) | space.48:3rem |
| Footer | ||
| Gap | component.alert-dialog.footer.gapspace.gap.defaultvar(--alert-dialog-footer-gap) | space.16:1rem |
| Title | ||
| Text size | component.alert-dialog.title.font-sizetype.heading.font-sizevar(--alert-dialog-title-font-size) | font.size.22:1.375rem |
| Weight | component.alert-dialog.title.font-weighttype.title.font-weightvar(--alert-dialog-title-font-weight) | font.weight.700:700 |
| Description | ||
| Text size | component.alert-dialog.description.font-sizetype.body.font-sizevar(--alert-dialog-description-font-size) | font.size.19:1.1875rem |
| Text Changes with theme | component.alert-dialog.description.labelcolor.text.mutedvar(--alert-dialog-description-label) | Lightgray.light.500:#595959Darkgray.dark.500:#949494 |
| Media | ||
| Corner | component.alert-dialog.media.radiusradius.controlvar(--alert-dialog-media-radius) | radius.6:0.375rem |
| Fill Changes with theme | component.alert-dialog.media.backgroundcolor.surface.sunkenvar(--alert-dialog-media-background) | Lightgray.light.100:#EDEDEDDarkgray.dark.100:#222222 |
| Size | component.alert-dialog.media.sizesize.control.defaultvar(--alert-dialog-media-size) | size.52:3.25rem |
| From the system | ||
| Edge Changes with theme | color.border.default straight from the system, through --border | Lightgray.light.200 · #D6D6D6Darkgray.dark.100 · #222222 |