Alert Dialog

A modal window that alerts users with important information and awaits their acknowledgment or action.

	<script lang="ts">
  import { AlertDialog } from "bits-ui";
</script>
 
<AlertDialog.Root>
  <AlertDialog.Trigger
    class="inline-flex h-12 select-none
	items-center justify-center whitespace-nowrap rounded-input bg-dark
	px-[21px] text-[15px] font-semibold text-background shadow-mini transition-all hover:bg-dark/95 active:scale-98"
  >
    Subscribe
  </AlertDialog.Trigger>
  <AlertDialog.Portal>
    <AlertDialog.Overlay
      class="fixed inset-0 z-50 bg-black/80 data-[state=open]:animate-in data-[state=closed]:animate-out data-[state=closed]:fade-out-0 data-[state=open]:fade-in-0"
    />
    <AlertDialog.Content
      class="fixed left-[50%] top-[50%] z-50 grid w-full max-w-[94%] translate-x-[-50%] translate-y-[-50%] gap-4 rounded-card-lg border bg-background p-7 shadow-popover outline-none data-[state=open]:animate-in data-[state=closed]:animate-out data-[state=closed]:fade-out-0 data-[state=open]:fade-in-0 data-[state=closed]:zoom-out-95 data-[state=open]:zoom-in-95 data-[state=closed]:slide-out-to-left-1/2 data-[state=closed]:slide-out-to-top-[48%] data-[state=open]:slide-in-from-left-1/2 data-[state=open]:slide-in-from-top-[48%] sm:max-w-lg md:w-full "
    >
      <div class="flex flex-col gap-4 pb-6">
        <AlertDialog.Title class="text-lg font-semibold tracking-tight">
          Confirm your transaction
        </AlertDialog.Title>
        <AlertDialog.Description class="text-sm text-foreground-alt">
          This action cannot be undone. This will initiate a monthly wire in the
          amount of $10,000 to Huntabyte. Do you wish to continue?
        </AlertDialog.Description>
      </div>
      <div class="flex w-full items-center justify-center gap-2">
        <AlertDialog.Cancel
          class="inline-flex h-input w-full items-center justify-center rounded-input bg-muted text-[15px] font-medium shadow-mini transition-all hover:bg-dark-10 focus-visible:outline-none focus-visible:ring-2 focus-visible:ring-foreground focus-visible:ring-offset-2 focus-visible:ring-offset-background active:scale-98"
        >
          Cancel
        </AlertDialog.Cancel>
        <AlertDialog.Action
          class="inline-flex h-input w-full items-center justify-center rounded-input bg-dark text-[15px] font-semibold text-background shadow-mini transition-all hover:bg-dark/95 focus-visible:outline-none focus-visible:ring-2 focus-visible:ring-dark focus-visible:ring-offset-2 focus-visible:ring-offset-background active:scale-98"
        >
          Continue
        </AlertDialog.Action>
      </div>
    </AlertDialog.Content>
  </AlertDialog.Portal>
</AlertDialog.Root>

Key Features

  • Compound Component Structure: Offers a set of sub-components that work together to create a fully-featured alert dialog.
  • Accessibility: Built with WAI-ARIA guidelines in mind, ensuring keyboard navigation and screen reader support.
  • Customizable: Each sub-component can be styled and configured independently.
  • Portal Support: Content can be rendered in a portal, ensuring proper stacking context.
  • Managed Focus: Automatically manages focus, with the option to take control if needed.
  • Flexible State Management: Supports both controlled and uncontrolled state, allowing for full control over the dialog's open state.

Architecture

The Alert Dialog component is composed of several sub-components, each with a specific role:

  • Root: The main container component that manages the state of the dialog. Provides context for all child components.
  • Trigger: A button that toggles the dialog's open state.
  • Portal: Renders its children in a portal, outside the normal DOM hierarchy.
  • Overlay: A backdrop that sits behind the dialog content.
  • Content: The main container for the dialog's content.
  • Title: Renders the dialog's title.
  • Description: Renders a description or additional context for the dialog.
  • Cancel: A button that closes the dialog by cancelling the action.
  • Action: A button that closes the dialog by taking an action.

Structure

	<script lang="ts">
	import { AlertDialog } from "bits-ui";
</script>
 
<AlertDialog.Root>
	<AlertDialog.Trigger />
	<AlertDialog.Portal>
		<AlertDialog.Overlay />
		<AlertDialog.Content>
			<AlertDialog.Title />
			<AlertDialog.Description />
			<AlertDialog.Cancel />
			<AlertDialog.Action />
		</AlertDialog.Content>
	</AlertDialog.Portal>
</AlertDialog.Root>

Reusable Components

Bits UI provides a decent number of components to construct an Alert Dialog. The idea is to provide a set of building blocks that can be used to create a variety of different components. It's recommended to use these components to build your own reusable Alert Dialog components that can be used throughout your application.

The following example shows at a high level how you might create a reusable Alert Dialog component. We've mixed and matched string props and snippets to demonstrate the flexibility of the component API. Use whatever makes sense for you.

This example is used in a few places throughout this documentation page to give you a better idea of how it's used.

MyAlertDialog.svelte
	<script lang="ts">
	import type { Snippet } from "svelte";
	import { AlertDialog, type WithoutChild } from "bits-ui";
 
	type Props = AlertDialog.RootProps & {
		buttonText: string;
		title: Snippet;
		description: Snippet;
		contentProps?: WithoutChild<AlertDialog.ContentProps>;
		// ...other component props if you wish to pass them
	};
 
	let {
		open = $bindable(false),
		children,
		buttonText,
		contentProps,
		title,
		description,
		...restProps
	}: Props = $props();
</script>
 
<AlertDialog.Root bind:open {...restProps}>
	<AlertDialog.Trigger>
		{buttonText}
	</AlertDialog.Trigger>
	<AlertDialog.Portal>
		<AlertDialog.Overlay />
		<AlertDialog.Content {...contentProps}>
			<AlertDialog.Title>
				{@render title()}
			</AlertDialog.Title>
			<AlertDialog.Description>
				{@render description()}
			</AlertDialog.Description>
			{@render children?.()}
			<AlertDialog.Cancel>Cancel</AlertDialog.Close>
			<AlertDialog.Action>Confirm</AlertDialog.Close>
		</AlertDialog.Content>
	</AlertDialog.Portal>
</AlertDialog.Root>

You can then use the MyAlertDialog component in your application like so:

+page.svelte
	<script lang="ts">
	import MyAlertDialog from "$lib/components/MyAlertDialog.svelte";
</script>
 
<MyAlertDialog buttonText="Open Dialog">
	{#snippet title()}
		Delete your account
	{/snippet}
	{#snippet description()}
		This action cannot be undone.
	{/snippet}
</MyAlertDialog>

Alternatively, you can define the snippets separately and pass them as props to the component:

+page.svelte
	<script lang="ts">
	import MyAlertDialog from "$lib/components/MyAlertDialog.svelte";
</script>
 
{#snippet title()}
	Delete your account
{/snippet}
{#snippet description()}
	This action cannot be undone.
{/snippet}
 
<MyAlertDialog buttonText="Open Dialog" {title} {description}>
	<!-- ... additional content here -->
</MyAlertDialog>

Managing Open State

Bits UI offers several approaches to manage and synchronize the Alert Dialog's open state, catering to different levels of control and integration needs.

1. Two-Way Binding

For seamless state synchronization, use Svelte's bind:open directive. This method automatically keeps your local state in sync with the dialog's internal state.

	<script lang="ts">
	import { AlertDialog } from "bits-ui";
	let isOpen = $state(false);
</script>
 
<button onclick={() => (isOpen = true)}>Open Dialog</button>
 
<AlertDialog.Root bind:open={isOpen}>
	<!-- ... -->
</AlertDialog.Root>

Key Benefits

  • Simplifies state management
  • Automatically updates isOpen when the dialog closes (e.g., via escape key)
  • Allows external control (e.g., opening via a separate button)

2. Change Handler

For more granular control or to perform additional logic on state changes, use the onOpenChange prop. This approach is useful when you need to execute custom logic alongside state updates.

	<script lang="ts">
	import { AlertDialog } from "bits-ui";
	let isOpen = $state(false);
</script>
 
<AlertDialog.Root
	open={isOpen}
	onOpenChange={(open) => {
		isOpen = open;
		// additional logic here.
	}}
>
	<!-- ... -->
</AlertDialog.Root>

Use Cases

  • Implementing custom behaviors on open/close
  • Integrating with external state management solutions
  • Triggering side effects (e.g., logging, data fetching)

3. Fully Controlled

For complete control over the dialog's open state, use the controlledOpen prop. This approach requires you to manually manage the open state, giving you full control over when and how the dialog responds to open/close events.

	<script lang="ts">
	import { AlertDialog } from "bits-ui";
 
	let myOpen = $state(false);
</script>
 
<AlertDialog.Root controlledOpen open={myOpen} onOpenChange={(o) => (myOpen = o)}>
	<!-- ... -->
</AlertDialog.Root>

When to Use

  • Implementing complex open/close logic
  • Coordinating multiple UI elements
  • Debugging state-related issues

Managing Focus

Focus Trap

By default, when a dialog is opened, focus will be trapped within the Dialog, preventing the user from interacting with the rest of the page. This follows the WAI-ARIA design pattern for alert dialogs.

Although it isn't recommended unless absolutely necessary, you can disabled this behavior by setting the trapFocus prop to false on the AlertDialog.Content component.

	<AlertDialog.Content trapFocus={false}>
	<!-- ... -->
</AlertDialog.Content>

Open Focus

By default, when a dialog is opened, focus will be set to the AlertDialog.Cancel button if it exists, or the first focusable element within the AlertDialog.Content. This ensures that users navigating my keyboard end up somewhere within the Dialog that they can interact with.

You can override this behavior using the onOpenAutoFocus prop on the AlertDialog.Content component. It's highly recommended that you use this prop to focus something within the Dialog.

You'll first need to cancel the default behavior of focusing the first focusable element by cancelling the event passed to the onOpenAutoFocus callback. You can then focus whatever you wish.

	<script lang="ts">
	import { AlertDialog } from "bits-ui";
	let nameInput = $state<HTMLInputElement>();
</script>
 
<AlertDialog.Root>
	<AlertDialog.Trigger>Open AlertDialog</AlertDialog.Trigger>
	<AlertDialog.Content
		onOpenAutoFocus={(e) => {
			e.preventDefault();
			nameInput?.focus();
		}}
	>
		<input type="text" bind:this={nameInput} />
	</AlertDialog.Content>
</AlertDialog.Root>

Close Focus

By default, when a dialog is closed, focus will be set to the trigger element of the dialog. You can override this behavior using the onCloseAutoFocus prop on the AlertDialog.Content component.

You'll need to cancel the default behavior of focusing the trigger element by cancelling the event passed to the onCloseAutoFocus callback, and then focus whatever you wish.

	<script lang="ts">
	import { AlertDialog } from "bits-ui";
	let nameInput = $state<HTMLInputElement>();
</script>
 
<input type="text" bind:this={nameInput} />
<AlertDialog.Root>
	<AlertDialog.Trigger>Open AlertDialog</AlertDialog.Trigger>
	<AlertDialog.Content
		onCloseAutoFocus={(e) => {
			e.preventDefault();
			nameInput?.focus();
		}}
	>
		<!-- ... -->
	</AlertDialog.Content>
</AlertDialog.Root>

Advanced Behaviors

The Alert Dialog component offers several advanced features to customize its behavior and enhance user experience. This section covers scroll locking, escape key handling, and interaction outside the dialog.

Scroll Lock

By default, when an Alert Dialog opens, scrolling the body is disabled. This provides a more native-like experience, focusing user attention on the dialog content.

Customizing Scroll Behavior

To allow body scrolling while the dialog is open, use the preventScroll prop on AlertDialog.Content:

	<AlertDialog.Content preventScroll={false}>
	<!-- ... -->
</AlertDialog.Content>

Escape Key Handling

By default, pressing the Escape key closes an open Alert Dialog. Bits UI provides two methods to customize this behavior.

Method 1: escapeKeydownBehavior

The escapeKeydownBehavior prop allows you to customize the behavior taken by the component when the Escape key is pressed. It accepts one of the following values:

  • 'close' (default): Closes the Alert Dialog immediately.
  • 'ignore': Prevents the Alert Dialog from closing.
  • 'defer-otherwise-close': If an ancestor Bits UI component also implements this prop, it will defer the closing decision to that component. Otherwise, the Alert Dialog will close immediately.
  • 'defer-otherwise-ignore': If an ancestor Bits UI component also implements this prop, it will defer the closing decision to that component. Otherwise, the Alert Dialog will ignore the key press and not close.

To always prevent the Alert Dialog from closing on Escape key press, set the escapeKeydownBehavior prop to 'ignore' on Dialog.Content:

	<AlertDialog.Content escapeKeydownBehavior="ignore">
	<!-- ... -->
</AlertDialog.Content>

Method 2: onEscapeKeydown

For more granular control, override the default behavior using the onEscapeKeydown prop:

	<AlertDialog.Content
	onEscapeKeydown={(e) => {
		e.preventDefault();
		// do something else instead
	}}
>
	<!-- ... -->
</AlertDialog.Content>

This method allows you to implement custom logic when the Escape key is pressed.

Interaction Outside

By default, interacting outside the Alert Dialog content area closes the Alert Dialog. Bits UI offers two ways to modify this behavior.

Method 1: interactOutsideBehavior

The interactOutsideBehavior prop allows you to customize the behavior taken by the component when an interaction (touch, mouse, or pointer event) occurs outside the content. It accepts one of the following values:

  • 'close' (default): Closes the Alert Dialog immediately.
  • 'ignore': Prevents the Alert Dialog from closing.
  • 'defer-otherwise-close': If an ancestor Bits UI component also implements this prop, it will defer the closing decision to that component. Otherwise, the Alert Dialog will close immediately.
  • 'defer-otherwise-ignore': If an ancestor Bits UI component also implements this prop, it will defer the closing decision to that component. Otherwise, the Alert Dialog will ignore the event and not close.

To always prevent the Alert Dialog from closing on Escape key press, set the escapeKeydownBehavior prop to 'ignore' on Alert.Content:

	<AlertDialog.Content interactOutsideBehavior="ignore">
	<!-- ... -->
</AlertDialog.Content>

Method 2: onInteractOutside

For custom handling of outside interactions, you can override the default behavior using the onInteractOutside prop:

	<AlertDialog.Content
	onInteractOutside={(e) => {
		e.preventDefault();
		// do something else instead
	}}
>
	<!-- ... -->
</AlertDialog.Content>

This approach allows you to implement specific behaviors when users interact outside the Alert Dialog content.

Best Practices

  • Scroll Lock: Consider your use case carefully before disabling scroll lock. It may be necessary for dialogs with scrollable content or for specific UX requirements.
  • Escape Keydown: Overriding the default escape key behavior should be done thoughtfully. Users often expect the escape key to close modals.
  • Outside Interactions: Ignoring outside interactions can be useful for important dialogs or multi-step processes, but be cautious not to trap users unintentionally.
  • Accessibility: Always ensure that any customizations maintain or enhance the dialog's accessibility.
  • User Expectations: Try to balance custom behaviors with common UX patterns to avoid confusing users.

By leveraging these advanced features, you can create highly customized dialog experiences while maintaining usability and accessibility standards.

Nested Dialogs

Dialogs can be nested within each other to create more complex layouts. See the Dialog component for more information on nested dialogs.

Svelte Transitions

See the Dialog component for more information on Svelte Transitions with dialog components.

Working with Forms

Form Submission

When using the AlertDialog component, often you'll want to submit a form or perform an asynchronous action when the user clicks the Action button.

This can be done by waiting for the asynchronous action to complete, then programmatically closing the dialog.

	<script lang="ts">
	import { AlertDialog } from "bits-ui";
 
	function wait(ms: number) {
		return new Promise((resolve) => setTimeout(resolve, ms));
	}
 
	let open = $state(false);
</script>
 
<AlertDialog.Root bind:open>
	<AlertDialog.Portal>
		<AlertDialog.Overlay />
		<AlertDialog.Content>
			<AlertDialog.Title>Confirm your action</AlertDialog.Title>
			<AlertDialog.Description>Are you sure you want to do this?</AlertDialog.Description>
			<form
				method="POST"
				action="?/someAction"
				onsubmit={() => {
					wait(1000).then(() => (open = false));
				}}
			>
				<AlertDialog.Cancel type="button">No, cancel (close dialog)</AlertDialog.Cancel>
				<AlertDialog.Action type="submit">Yes (submit form)</AlertDialog.Action>
			</form>
		</AlertDialog.Content>
	</AlertDialog.Portal>
</AlertDialog.Root>

Inside a Form

If you're using an AlertDialog within a form, you'll need to ensure that the Portal is disabled or not included in the AlertDialog structure. This is because the Portal will render the dialog content outside of the form, which will prevent the form from being submitted correctly.

API Reference

AlertDialog.Root

The root component used to set and manage the state of the alert dialog.

Property Type Description
open $bindable
boolean

Whether or not the alert dialog is open.

Default: false
onOpenChange
function

A callback function called when the open state changes.

Default: undefined
controlledOpen
boolean

Whether or not the open state is controlled or not. If true, the component will not update the open state internally, instead it will call onOpenChange when it would have otherwise, and it is up to you to update the open prop that is passed to the component.

Default: false
children
Snippet

The children content to render.

Default: undefined

AlertDialog.Trigger

The element which opens the alert dialog on press.

Property Type Description
ref $bindable
HTMLButtonElement

The underlying DOM element being rendered. You can bind to this to get a reference to the element.

Default: undefined
children
Snippet

The children content to render.

Default: undefined
child
Snippet

Use render delegation to render your own element. See Child Snippet docs for more information.

Default: undefined
Data Attribute Value Description
data-state
enum

The state of the alert dialog.

data-alert-dialog-trigger
''

Present on the trigger element.

AlertDialog.Content

The content displayed within the alert dialog modal.

Property Type Description
onInteractOutside
function

Callback fired when an outside interaction event occurs, which is a pointerdown event. You can call event.preventDefault() to prevent the default behavior of handling the outside interaction.

Default: undefined
onFocusOutside
function

Callback fired when focus leaves the dismissible layer. You can call event.preventDefault() to prevent the default behavior on focus leaving the layer.

Default: undefined
interactOutsideBehavior
enum

The behavior to use when an interaction occurs outside of the floating content. 'close' will close the content immediately. 'ignore' will prevent the content from closing. 'defer-otherwise-close' will defer to the parent element if it exists, otherwise it will close the content. 'defer-otherwise-ignore' will defer to the parent element if it exists, otherwise it will ignore the interaction.

Default: close
onEscapeKeydown
function

Callback fired when an escape keydown event occurs in the floating content. You can call event.preventDefault() to prevent the default behavior of handling the escape keydown event.

Default: undefined
escapeKeydownBehavior
enum

The behavior to use when an escape keydown event occurs in the floating content. 'close' will close the content immediately. 'ignore' will prevent the content from closing. 'defer-otherwise-close' will defer to the parent element if it exists, otherwise it will close the content. 'defer-otherwise-ignore' will defer to the parent element if it exists, otherwise it will ignore the interaction.

Default: close
onOpenAutoFocus
function

Event handler called when auto-focusing the content as it is opened. Can be prevented.

Default: undefined
onCloseAutoFocus
function

Event handler called when auto-focusing the content as it is closed. Can be prevented.

Default: undefined
trapFocus
boolean

Whether or not to trap the focus within the content when open.

Default: true
forceMount
boolean

Whether or not to forcefully mount the content. This is useful if you want to use Svelte transitions or another animation library for the content.

Default: false
preventOverflowTextSelection
boolean

When true, prevents the text selection from overflowing the bounds of the element.

Default: true
preventScroll
boolean

When true, prevents the body from scrolling when the content is open. This is useful when you want to use the content as a modal.

Default: true
ref $bindable
HTMLDivElement

The underlying DOM element being rendered. You can bind to this to get a reference to the element.

Default: undefined
children
Snippet

The children content to render.

Default: undefined
child
Snippet

Use render delegation to render your own element. See Child Snippet docs for more information.

Default: undefined
Data Attribute Value Description
data-state
enum

The state of the alert dialog.

data-alert-dialog-content
''

Present on the content element.

AlertDialog.Overlay

An overlay which covers the body when the alert dialog is open.

Property Type Description
forceMount
boolean

Whether or not to forcefully mount the content. This is useful if you want to use Svelte transitions or another animation library for the content.

Default: false
ref $bindable
HTMLDivElement

The underlying DOM element being rendered. You can bind to this to get a reference to the element.

Default: undefined
children
Snippet

The children content to render.

Default: undefined
child
Snippet

Use render delegation to render your own element. See Child Snippet docs for more information.

Default: undefined
Data Attribute Value Description
data-state
enum

The state of the alert dialog.

data-alert-dialog-overlay
''

Present on the overlay element.

AlertDialog.Portal

A portal which renders the alert dialog into the body when it is open.

Property Type Description
to
union

Where to render the content when it is open. Defaults to the body. Can be disabled by passing null

Default: body
disabled
boolean

Whether the portal is disabled or not. When disabled, the content will be rendered in its original DOM location.

Default: false
children
Snippet

The children content to render.

Default: undefined

AlertDialog.Action

The button responsible for taking an action within the alert dialog. This button does not close the dialog out of the box. See the Form Submission documentation for more information.

Property Type Description
ref $bindable
HTMLButtonElement

The underlying DOM element being rendered. You can bind to this to get a reference to the element.

Default: undefined
children
Snippet

The children content to render.

Default: undefined
child
Snippet

Use render delegation to render your own element. See Child Snippet docs for more information.

Default: undefined
Data Attribute Value Description
data-alert-dialog-action
''

Present on the action element.

AlertDialog.Cancel

A button used to close the alert dialog without taking an action.

Property Type Description
ref $bindable
HTMLButtonElement

The underlying DOM element being rendered. You can bind to this to get a reference to the element.

Default: undefined
children
Snippet

The children content to render.

Default: undefined
child
Snippet

Use render delegation to render your own element. See Child Snippet docs for more information.

Default: undefined
Data Attribute Value Description
data-alert-dialog-cancel
''

Present on the cancel element.

AlertDialog.Title

An accessible title for the alert dialog.

Property Type Description
level
union

The heading level of the title. This will be set as the aria-level attribute.

Default: 3
ref $bindable
HTMLDivElement

The underlying DOM element being rendered. You can bind to this to get a reference to the element.

Default: undefined
children
Snippet

The children content to render.

Default: undefined
child
Snippet

Use render delegation to render your own element. See Child Snippet docs for more information.

Default: undefined
Data Attribute Value Description
data-alert-dialog-title
''

Present on the title element.

AlertDialog.Description

An accessible description for the alert dialog.

Property Type Description
ref $bindable
HTMLDivElement

The underlying DOM element being rendered. You can bind to this to get a reference to the element.

Default: undefined
children
Snippet

The children content to render.

Default: undefined
child
Snippet

Use render delegation to render your own element. See Child Snippet docs for more information.

Default: undefined
Data Attribute Value Description
data-alert-dialog-description
''

Present on the description element.