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Variations Design Guidelines Code Reference Accessibility

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Variations Design Guidelines Code Reference Accessibility

Variations

Default

Use in most cases.

Default
Link Text
Hover
Link Text
Focus
Link Text
Visited
Link Text
Default
Link Text
Hover
Link Text
Focus
Link Text
Visited
Link Text
HTML Web Component 
<a href="#" class="mds-link">Link Text</a>
<mds-link href="#">Link Text</mds-link>
  • Use in body text, ordered, and unordered lists.
  • Never use when horizontal rules separate multiple links, i.e., Data Tables. Instead, use either No Underline or In Data Table variation.

No Underline

Use to avoid visual clutter.

Default
Link Text
Hover
Link Text
Focus
Link Text
Visited
Link Text
Default
Link Text
Hover
Link Text
Focus
Link Text
Visited
Link Text
HTML Web Component 
<a href="#" class="mds-link mds-link--no-underline">Link Text</a>
<mds-link href="#" underline="false">Link Text</mds-link>
  • No-underline links do not meet all accessibility benchmarks and should be used only in cases where the interactivity of a link is strongly implied by its context.
  • Use in cases where horizontal rules separate multiple links. For example, the List Group uses this variation to create its links.
  • Use for links within Data Tables when the interactivity of the link is implied by its context.

In Data Table

Use to highlight links within Data Tables.

Default
Link Text
Hover
Link Text
Focus
Link Text
Visited
Link Text
Default
Link Text
Hover
Link Text
Focus
Link Text
Visited
Link Text
HTML Web Component 
<a href="#" class="mds-link mds-link--data-table">Link Text</a>
<mds-link href="#" in-data-table="true">Link Text</mds-link>
  • Meets all accessibility benchmarks.
  • Use when the interactivity of links within a Data Table may not be immediately apparent to a user.
  • Avoid using this variation outside of Data Tables.

Use When

  • Leading a user to another page.
  • Signaling email functionality by styling the address itself.

Don’t Use When

  • Submitting or confirming an action. Instead, use a Button.

Visual Language

Do use no underline links in Data Tables.
Do use no underline links in Data Tables.
Don‘t use underlined links.
Don‘t use underlined links.
Do use no underline links in List Groups.
Do use no underline links in List Groups.
Don‘t use underlined links.
Don‘t use underlined links.
Do use no underline links when paired with an icon that affords interaction, i.e., an expandable section with a caret icon.
Do use no underline links when paired with an icon that affords interaction, i.e., an expandable section with a caret icon.
Don‘t use underlined links.
Don‘t use underlined links.

Behaviors

  • Always open links in the same window unless requirements dictate otherwise, for example:
    • Opening a PDF document.
    • When opening a link in the same window will interrupt a user’s workflow.

Editorial

CSS

Class References

Class
Applies to
Outcome

mds-link

Any link element

Adds default, visited, hover, and focus styles to a link.

mds-link--no-underline

mds-link

Removes the underline from link styles.

mds-link--no-visited

mds-link

Prevents visited styles from being applied after a link is visited.

mds-link--data-table

mds-link

Removes the underline and swaps the link's default and hover styles.

Mixin Reference

Use this mixin to add link styles to any element. Set $underline to false to hide underlines. Set $visited-styles to false to prevent a color change after a link is visited.

@include mds-link($underline: true, $visited-styles: true)

When combining header typography heading and link mixins, always include the link mixin mds-link first. This avoids conflicting line-height declarations.

[.my-custom-style] {
    @include mds-link;
    @include mds-level-1-heading;
}

Web Component

Props

Prop
Type
Validation
Default
Description

ariaLabel

String

—

—

Accessible text describing the purpose of the link.

class

String

—

—

A space-separated list of class names that will be appended to the default mds-link class.

download

String

—

—

If true, download attribute is added. Otherwise adds download=”[value]” attribute.

href

String

—

#

Destination for the link. If the link opens in a new window, use the ariaLabel prop to indicate this.

id

String

—

—

The id attribute for the HTML element.

inDataTable

Boolean

—

false

If true, renders the in data table link variation.

target

String

—

—

If set, adds target attribute to the link.

text

String

Required

—

The text of the link. Can also be passed in via the default slot.

underline

Boolean

—

true

If false, renders the no underline link variation.

visitedStyling

Boolean

—

true

If false, suppresses visited link styling.
  • Use kebab-case when setting props in HTML. For example, inDataTable would be written as in-data-table.

Slots

Default Slot

Any text or markup passed in between the <mds-link></mds-link> tags will be used as the link’s content. This slot can accept plain text, or a combination of text and any tags where appropriate.

Usage Examples

Setting text and href and suppressing visited styling:

<!-- Using Props -->
<mds-link text="Contact Us" href="contact-us.html" visited-styling="false"></mds-link>
<!-- Using Slots -->
<mds-link href="contact-us.html" visited-styling="false"> Contact Us </mds-link>

Implementation

  • Always include an href attribute for a link.
  • Always include an aria-label attribute to describe the intent of a link.
    • For links that activate a download, explicitly state this action within the aria-label, including the file-type and file-size.
    • For links that force the user to leave the current window or tab, explicitly state this action within the aria-label.
  • Combine adjacent image and text links into the same <a> element.
  • Don't embed critical information within CSS. Screen readers do not recognize CSS.

Best Practices

  • Never apply the mds-link class or mixin to an element other than <a>.
  • Never suppress focus styles for a link.

Editorial

  • An aria-label should be clear and concise, using fewer than 100 characters will increase user comprehension.
  • An aria-label should make sense out of context and clearly inform a user of what action will be taken if the link is selected. Don't rely on surrounding context to inform link content.
  • Don't use redundant wording within ARIA labels. An aria-label on an anchor tag automatically informs the user an element is a link. Words such as, “link”, “links”, or “go to” are repetitive and unnecessary.
  • Don't write aria-label text in all caps. Most screen readers read all cap text one letter at a time.
  • Never use URLs in link text, screen readers dictate URLs letter by letter. Instead of including developer.morningstar.com in the aria-label, include “Morningstar Developer Site”.
  • Never use dashes, mathematical characters or emoticons in place of the actual word within an aria-label. These symbols are not recognized by most assistive technology.

<a href="#" aria-label="Opportunity plus Instinct equals Profit"></a>

Do use words in place of mathematical characters.

<a href="#" aria-label="Opportunity + Instinct = Profit"></a>

Don‘t use mathematical characters in place of words.

<a href="#" aria-label="16 to 17 years"></a>

Do spell out the word “to” when referring to a timeframe.

<a href="#" aria-label="16 – 17 years"></a>

Don‘t use non-text symbols to format timeframes.

<a href="#" aria-label="Portfolio Report Information from January 1st, 2018 to April 30th, 2018">Portfolio Report Information 1/1/18–4/30/18</a>

Do spell out the date.

<a href="#" aria-label="Portfolio Report Information 1/1/18–4/30/18">Portfolio Report Information 1/1/18–4/30/18</a>

Don‘t use non-text symbols to format dates or timeframes.