Dialog

Usage

When to use

Use a dialog in the following cases:

• When you need to draw attention to an important piece of information.
• When you need the user to input information, especially if that information is necessary to continue.
• When you want to show additional information without losing the context of the parent page, for example showing larger images or videos.
• When you want to show information that is not directly related to the parent page, for example “What’s new” dialog.

Types

There are the following dialog types:

Dialog with forced interaction

Use this type when an interaction is needed from the user to continue.

Confirm dialog

Use this type to reduce the risk that people automatically agree to a warning without realizing the consequences. For more information see chapter Confirm dialog.

Dialog with a detail view

Use this type to display detail information about an object.

General construction

A dialog consists of the following elements:

Type: Dialog with forced interaction

1. Header bar

• The header bar contains the title.

2. Descriptive title

• The button label which launches the dialog window should generally match with the dialog title or at least be recognizably related to it.

3. Content

• Content of a dialog with forced interaction can be for example a form, an image or text.

4. Footer bar with buttons

• A footer bar helps to separate the content area from the submit and cancel buttons.
• The button labels inform the user about the action that is triggered by clicking the button.

5. Overlay

• The screen dimming overlay is always located above all other content.
• It lets the user know that the page is currently not active.

6. Background

• The dialog has a drop shadow.

Type: Dialog with a detail view

1. Header bar

• The header bar contains the title and the close button.

2. Descriptive title

• The button label which launches the dialog window should generally match with the dialog title or at least be recognizably related to it.

3. Close button

• This button closes the dialog.

4. Content

• Content of a dialog with a detail view can be for example an image, a table, text.

5. Overlay

• The screen dimming overlay is always located above all other content.
• It lets the user know that the page is currently not active.

6. Background

• The dialog has a drop shadow.

Options

Sizing

• The dialog adapts to the size of its content.
• There are three widths that can be used: small, medium and large.
• The height of a dialog is determined by the length of its content. The maximum height of the container is determined by its exterior margin. If the content is longer than the length of the dialog, the user can scroll within the dialog.
• The heights of the header bar and the optional footer bar are fixed.

Frameless

Use the frameless option if the content does not require a margin, for example:

• Image
• Graphic elements like a map
• Framed table, which already has a spacing

Behavior

Dialog exit

Closing a dialog is possible in the following ways:

• Submit / Cancel button Quit the dialog by clicking a button that submits or cancels the process (only for dialog with forced interaction and confirm dialog).
• Close button Quit the dialog by clicking the close button in the header bar (only for dialog with a detail view).
• Click on overlay Quit the dialog by clicking on the overlay (only for dialog with a detail view).
• Enter key
  • Submit and close the dialog by pressing the enter key.
  • Dialog with forced interaction / Confirm dialog = Primary action
• Escape key
  • Quit the dialog by pressing the escape key.
  • Dialog with forced interaction / Confirm dialog = Cancel action
  • Dialog with a detail view = Close button

Scrolling

• The amount of content determines the height of the dialog. If there is more content than is visible, the content area may be scrolled.
• The header bar and the footer bar have a fixed position and are not scrollable.

Responsive behavior

If the viewport becomes less than the minimum width, the dialog will use the full screen size.

Do’s & Don’ts

• Show only one dialog at the same time.
• Don’t open multiple dialogs at the same time.