Alert dialog
A dialog that interrupts to confirm an action that cannot be undone.
In Content first
See it live
Start Storybook to see it live:
npm run storybookWhen to use it
In Content first: The confirm after a delete that cannot be undone. Not for unsubscribing, which readers can undo.
- 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 Content first uses it
Delete or remove
Use Button secondary with the full verb, then confirm with Button danger
Not Button primary
Naming the verb and confirming prevents a mistake.
A confirmation question
Use Gentle and clear about what changes
Not Guilt or pressure
Readers come back when leaving felt respectful. Example: “Unsubscribe from the weekly letter? You can come back any time.”
Words
- Write to one person: "you", not "users".
- Short sentences with room to breathe.
- Explain why before asking for anything.
- Use: Read, Save for later, You, Next issue. Avoid: Click here, Submit, Users, Content.
The labels components use, from the voice tokens:
content.action.commit: Savecontent.action.cancel: Not nowcontent.action.destroy: Removecontent.action.retry: Try againcontent.action.empty-action: Browse guides
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
Content 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.relaxed:320ms |
| 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.12:0.75rem |
| Fill Changes with theme | component.alert-dialog.content.backgroundcolor.surface.canvasvar(--alert-dialog-content-background) | Lightstone.light.50:#FFFDF8Darkstone.dark.0:#14110D |
| Padding | component.alert-dialog.content.paddingcomponent-spacing-map.x6var(--alert-dialog-content-padding) | space.36:2.25rem |
| Shadow Changes with theme | component.alert-dialog.content.shadowelevation.overlayvar(--alert-dialog-content-shadow) | Lightshadow.overlayDarkshadow.overlay-dark |
| 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.64:4rem |
| 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.28:1.75rem |
| Weight | component.alert-dialog.title.font-weighttype.title.font-weightvar(--alert-dialog-title-font-weight) | font.weight.600:600 |
| Description | ||
| Text size | component.alert-dialog.description.font-sizetype.body.font-sizevar(--alert-dialog-description-font-size) | font.size.18:1.125rem |
| Text Changes with theme | component.alert-dialog.description.labelcolor.text.mutedvar(--alert-dialog-description-label) | Lightstone.light.600:#61594DDarkstone.dark.400:#A39A8B |
| Media | ||
| Corner | component.alert-dialog.media.radiusradius.controlvar(--alert-dialog-media-radius) | radius.8:0.5rem |
| Fill Changes with theme | component.alert-dialog.media.backgroundcolor.surface.sunkenvar(--alert-dialog-media-background) | Lightstone.light.100:#F6F2EADarkstone.dark.100:#2E2A24 |
| Size | component.alert-dialog.media.sizesize.control.defaultvar(--alert-dialog-media-size) | size.48:3rem |
| From the system | ||
| Edge Changes with theme | color.border.default straight from the system, through --border | Lightstone.light.200 · #E4DDD0Darkstone.dark.100 · #2E2A24 |