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React
| Name | Type | Default | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
analytics | boolean | true | Analytics events tracking is enabled by default. Set this value to |
analyticsLabelOverride | string | Heading Content | An override for the dynamic content sent to analytics services. By default this content comes from the heading. \n In cases where this component’s heading may contain sensitive information, use this prop to override what is sent to analytics. |
analyticsEventTypeOverride | string | If you need the | |
onAnalyticsEvent | (event: AnalyticsEvent) => any | Optional callback that will intercept analytics events for this component. If none is specified, the design system will use the default analytics function, which can be overwritten globally with | |
alertRef | (...args: any[]) => any | Access a reference to the | |
autoFocus | boolean | Sets the focus on Alert during the first mount | |
children | React.ReactNode | The alert's body content | |
className | string | ||
heading | string | Text for the alert heading | |
headingId | string | Optional id used to link the | |
headingLevel | '1' | '2' | '3' | '4' | '5' | '6' | '2' | Heading type to override default |
hideIcon | boolean | Boolean to hide the | |
role | 'alert' | 'alertdialog' | 'region' | 'status' | 'region' | ARIA |
weight | literal | A string corresponding to the | |
variation | 'error' | 'warn' | 'success' | A string corresponding to the | |
This component passes any additional props to its underlying <div> element as attributes. See the corresponding MDN documentation for <div> for a list of valid attributes. | |||
Styles
The following Sass variables can be overridden to customize Alert components:
Google Analytics
Analytics event tracking is disabled by default.
Enable event tracking
Import and set the setAlertSendsAnalytics feature flag to true in your application's entry file:
import { setAlertSendsAnalytics } from '@cmsgov/<design-system-package>';
setAlertSendsAnalytics(true);
On applications where the page has utag loaded, the data goes to Tealium which allows it to route to Google Analytics or the currently approved data analytics tools.
Disable event tracking
For the analytics prop, pass the value false to the component to disable analytics tracking for a singular component instance
analytics={false}
Override event tracking
A custom heading value can be sent for an analytics event by using the prop analyticsLabelOverride. It is recommended that this value be used to prevent sensitive personal information from being passed to analytics trackers.
Guidance
Usage
- Don’t overdo it — too many notifications will either overwhelm or annoy the user and are likely to be ignored.
- Write the message in concise, human readable language; avoid jargon and computer code.
- Don’t include notifications that aren’t related to the user’s current goal.
- When the user is required to do something in response to an alert, let them know what they need to do and make that task as easy as possible.
- Be mindful of other elements on the page that may compete for the user’s attention.
When to use
- As a validation message that alerts someone that they just did something that needs to be corrected or as confirmation that a task was completed successfully.
- As a callout or notification for important or timely information. This includes errors, warnings, and general information.
- Drawing focus to an error or an incomplete task by prompting the user to review or take other action.
- Confirming the successful competition of a task.
- Providing key supplementary or contextual information to support the successful completion of tasks or aid overall comprehension.
When to consider alternatives
- On long forms, always include in-line validation in addition to any error messages that appear at the top of the form. When possible, simplify forms by rewriting and where possible, splitting long forms across multiple pages
- If an action will result in destroying a user’s work (for example, deleting an application) use a more intrusive pattern, such as a confirmation modal dialogue, to allow the user to confirm that this is what they want.
- When you need to display content that isn't related to the user’s current goal.
When the alert is for an error:
- Be polite in error messages — don’t place blame on the user.
- Users generally won’t read documentation but will read a message that helps them resolve an error; include some educational material in your error message.
- If the error relates to specific text fields, give these fields an error state as well.
Display & behavior
- Alerts are static and shouldn't be associated with a timer or dismiss button.
- Can be displayed statically on page load or dynamically loaded.
- When the user is required to do something in response to an alert, let them know what they need to do and make that task as easy as possible.
Accessibility
- Use the ARIA
role="alert"to inform assistive technologies of a time-sensitive and important message that is not interactive. If the message is interactive, use therole="alertdialog"instead. - Consider putting the alert inside a div with
aria-live="polite"andaria-relevant="additions removals". These ARIA attributes ensure screen readers will announce alerts that have been added or updated dynamically. - If you choose to shift focus to the Alert, be mindful that using other techniques like
role="alert", andaria-live="polite"will cause some browser and screen reader combinations to read out the content more than once. Typically, shifting focus alone will be enough to alert screen readers of the content. - Do not visually hide alert messages on the page and then make them visible when they are needed. Users of older assistive technologies may still be able to perceive the alert messages even if they are not currently applicable.
Learn more
Component maturity
For more information about how we tested and validated our work for each checklist item, read our component maturity documentation.