Morningstar Design System

Popovers

Variations Design Guidelines Code Reference Accessibility

Popovers

  • HTML/CSS Available
  • Web Component Available
  • Last Updated

    2.26.0

Popovers are compact containers attached to elements that hold additional information or controls.

Variations Design Guidelines Code Reference Accessibility

Variations

Default

Use default popovers to convey non-critical information.

Default
Default
Open Popover

Here’s a bit of content for you.
HTML Web Component 
<div class="mds-popover__wrapper mds-popover--overlay-closable mds-popover--overlay-dismissible">
    <button class="mds-button mds-popover__trigger mds-button--secondary" type="button" data-mds-popover="mds-popover--32901" aria-haspopup="true" aria-expanded="true">
        Open Popover
    </button>
    <div class="mds-popover__overlay"></div>
    <section id="mds-popover--32901" class="mds-popover mds-popover--bottom-right mds-popover--width-300px" role="tooltip">
        <header class="mds-popover__header">
            <h2 class="mds-popover__title">
                Popover Title
            </h2>
        </header>
        <div class="mds-popover__content">
            <p>
                Here’s a bit of content for you.
            </p>
        </div>
    </section>
</div>
<mds-button variation="secondary" id="default-trigger" type="button"> Open Popover</mds-button>
<!-- Popover must be appended at the end of the <body> -->
<mds-popover triggered-by="default-trigger" title="Popover Title">
    <p>Here’s a bit of content for you.</p>
</mds-popover>
  • Include a header to describe the popover’s content.
  • Dismiss by pressing escape or clicking outside the popover.

With Close Button

Includes an icon-only Button in the header to afford an additional method of dismissal.

With Close Icon
With Close Icon
Open Popover
Close

This popover can be closed by clicking the “X” icon in the top right corner of the bubble. It will also close if you click outside the popover. You can select the text or click anywhere inside of the bubble and the popover will not go away.
HTML Web Component 
<div class="mds-popover__wrapper mds-popover--overlay-closable mds-popover--overlay-dismissible">
    <button class="mds-button mds-popover__trigger mds-button--secondary" type="button" data-mds-popover="mds-popover--93529" aria-haspopup="true" aria-expanded="true">
        Open Popover
    </button>
    <div class="mds-popover__overlay"></div>
    <section id="mds-popover--93529" class="mds-popover mds-popover--bottom-right mds-popover--width-500px" role="tooltip">
        <header class="mds-popover__header mds-popover__header--has-buttons">
            <div class="mds-popover__buttons">
                <button class="mds-button mds-button mds-button--small mds-popover__button mds-button--icon-only" type="button">
                    <svg class="mds-icon mds-button__icon mds-button__icon--left" aria-hidden="true">
                        <use xlink:href="#remove--s">
                        </use>
                    </svg>
                </button>
            </div>
            <h2 class="mds-popover__title">
                Popover Title
            </h2>
        </header>
        <div class="mds-popover__content">
            <p>
                This popover can be closed by clicking the “X” icon in the top right corner of the bubble. It will also close if you click outside the popover. You can select the text or click anywhere inside of the bubble and the popover will not go away.
            </p>
        </div>
    </section>
</div>
<mds-button variation="secondary" id="popover-2-trigger" type="button"> Open Popover </mds-button>
<!-- Popover must be appended at the end of the <body> -->
<mds-popover title="Popover Title" triggered-by="popover-2-trigger">
    <span slot="mds-popover-actions">
        <mds-button variation="icon-only" icon="remove--s" size="small"> Close </mds-button>
    </span>
    <p>This popover can be closed by clicking the “X” icon in the top right corner of the bubble. It will also close if you click outside the popover. You can select the text or click anywhere inside of the bubble and the popover will not go away.</p>
</mds-popover>
  • Dismiss by clicking the close button, pressing escape, or clicking outside the popover.
  • Always use small-sized Buttons in the popover header.

No Header

No Header
No Header
Open Popover

Here are three sentences of content. These sentences can offer detail and give a user additional context. If you only have 10 words to say, use a Tooltip.
HTML Web Component 
<div class="mds-popover__wrapper mds-popover--overlay-closable mds-popover--overlay-dismissible">
    <button class="mds-button mds-popover__trigger mds-button--secondary" type="button" data-mds-popover="mds-popover--69461" aria-haspopup="true" aria-expanded="true">
        Open Popover
    </button>
    <div class="mds-popover__overlay"></div>
    <section id="mds-popover--69461" class="mds-popover mds-popover--bottom-right mds-popover--width-300px" role="tooltip">
        <div class="mds-popover__content">
            <p>
                Here are three sentences of content. These sentences can offer detail and give a user additional context. If you only have 10 words to say, use a <a class="mds-link" href="/components/tooltips.html">Tooltip</a>.
            </p>
        </div>
    </section>
</div>
<mds-button variation="secondary" id="popover-3-trigger"> Open Popover </mds-button>
<!-- Popover must be appended at the end of the <body> -->
<mds-popover title="Popover Title" title-hidden triggered-by="popover-3-trigger">
    <p>Here are three sentences of content. These sentences can offer detail and give a user additional context. If you only have 10 words to say, use a <a class="mds-link" href="/components/tooltips.html">Tooltip</a>.</p>
</mds-popover>
  • Dismiss by pressing escape or clicking outside the popover.

Action Required

Use when a task must be completed, such as entering data and then saving or confirming.

Action Required
Action Required
Open Popover
Cancel Save

The user can’t close this popover by clicking outside of it. The user must select one of the button options inside the popover header to close it.
HTML Web Component 
<div class="mds-popover__wrapper mds-popover--dialog">
    <button class="mds-button mds-popover__trigger mds-button--secondary" type="button" data-mds-popover="mds-popover--31429" aria-haspopup="true" aria-expanded="true">
        Open Popover
    </button>
    <div class="mds-popover__overlay"></div>
    <section id="mds-popover--31429" class="mds-popover mds-popover--bottom-right mds-popover--width-500px" role="tooltip">
        <header class="mds-popover__header mds-popover__header--has-buttons">
            <div class="mds-popover__buttons">
                <button class="mds-button mds-button--small mds-popover__button" type="button">
                    Cancel
                </button>
                <button class="mds-button mds-button--small mds-button--primary mds-popover__button" type="button">
                    Done
                </button>
            </div>
            <h2 class="mds-popover__title">
                Action Required Popover
            </h2>
        </header>
        <div class="mds-popover__content">
            <p>
                The user can’t close this popover by clicking outside of it. The user must select one of the button options inside the popover header to close it.
            </p>
        </div>
    </section>
</div>
<mds-button variation="secondary" id="popover-4-trigger"> Open Popover </mds-button>
<!-- Popover must be appended at the end of the <body> -->
<mds-popover action-required title="Action Required Popover" width="500px" triggered-by="popover-4-trigger">
    <span slot="mds-popover-actions">
        <mds-button variation="secondary" size="small"> Cancel </mds-button>
        <mds-button variation="primary" size="small"> Save </mds-button>
    </span>
    <p>The user can’t close this popover by clicking outside of it. The user must select one of the button options inside the popover header to close it.</p>
</mds-popover>
  • Use when a task requires intentional confirmation or cancellation; the popover cannot be dismissed by pressing escape or clicking outside the popover.
  • Always use a Primary Button for the confirmation action and a Secondary Button for the cancellation action.
  • Always use small-sized Buttons in the popover header.

Popover Positioning

There are 12 possible positions. Choose one that keeps the tooltip’s content in the viewport. For all positioning options see class references or props.

Positioning
Positioning
Center Positioning Offset Positioning

This popover uses the top center position.

This popover uses the bottom right position.
HTML Web Component 
<div class="mds-popover__wrapper mds-popover--overlay-closable mds-popover--overlay-dismissible">
    <button class="mds-button mds-popover__trigger mds-button--secondary" type="button" data-mds-popover="mds-popover--97404" aria-haspopup="true" aria-expanded="true">
        Center Positioning
    </button>
    <div class="mds-popover__overlay"></div>
    <section id="mds-popover--97404" class="mds-popover mds-popover--top-center mds-popover--width-300px" role="tooltip">
        <header class="mds-popover__header">
            <h2 class="mds-popover__title">
                Center Positioned
            </h2>
        </header>
        <div class="mds-popover__content">
            <p>
                This popover uses the top center position.
            </p>
        </div>
    </section>
</div>
<div class="mds-popover__wrapper mds-popover--overlay-closable mds-popover--overlay-dismissible">
    <button class="mds-button mds-popover__trigger mds-button--secondary" type="button" data-mds-popover="mds-popover--52382" aria-haspopup="true" aria-expanded="true">
        Offset Positioning
    </button>
    <div class="mds-popover__overlay"></div>
    <section id="mds-popover--52382" class="mds-popover mds-popover--bottom-right mds-popover--width-300px" role="tooltip">
        <header class="mds-popover__header">
            <h2 class="mds-popover__title">
                Offset Positioned
            </h2>
        </header>
        <div class="mds-popover__content">
            <p>
                This popover uses the bottom right position.
            </p>
        </div>
    </section>
</div>
<mds-button variation="secondary" id="popover-5-demo-trigger" type="button"> Center Positioning </mds-button>
<mds-button variation="secondary" id="popover-6-demo-trigger" type="button"> Offset Positioning </mds-button>
<!-- Popover must be appended at the end of the <body> -->
<mds-popover title="Center Positioned" position="top-center" triggered-by="popover-5-demo-trigger">
    <p>This popover uses the top center position.</p>
</mds-popover>
<mds-popover title="Offset Positioned" position="bottom-right" triggered-by="popover-6-demo-trigger">
    <p>This popover uses the bottom right position.</p>
</mds-popover>

Sizing

Popovers are available at a single size and always use small Buttons for header actions.

Widths

Popovers are available in three predefined widths: 200px, 300px (default), and 500px. Width can be configured using modifier classes or props.

200px Wide
300px Wide (Default)
500px Wide
200px Wide
Open Popover
300px Wide (Default)
Open Popover
500px Wide
Open Popover

This popover is 200px wide.

This popover is 300px wide.

This popover is 500px wide.
HTML Web Component 
<div class="mds-popover__wrapper mds-popover--overlay-closable mds-popover--overlay-dismissible">
    <button class="mds-button mds-popover__trigger mds-button--secondary" type="button" data-mds-popover="mds-popover--18153" aria-haspopup="true" aria-expanded="true">
        Open Popover
    </button>
    <div class="mds-popover__overlay"></div>
    <section id="mds-popover--18153" class="mds-popover mds-popover--bottom-right mds-popover--width-200px" role="tooltip">
        <header class="mds-popover__header">
            <h2 class="mds-popover__title">
                200px Wide
            </h2>
        </header>
        <div class="mds-popover__content">
            <p>
                This popover is 200px wide.
            </p>
        </div>
    </section>
</div>
<mds-button variation="secondary" id="popover-7-trigger"> Open Popover </mds-button>
<!-- Popover must be appended at the end of the <body> -->
<mds-popover width="200px" title="200px Wide" triggered-by="popover-7-trigger">
    <p>This popover is 200px wide.</p>
</mds-popover>
  • When designing for mobile responsiveness, use the 200px or 300px width to ensure popover will fit on screen.
  • Predefined widths are a starting point. If requirements call for a different popover width, work with a designer to create custom width styles in your product’s CSS.

Use When

  • Displaying supplementary content or actions, without obscuring the page.
  • Creating a Menu by placing a List Group inside of a popover.

Don't Use When

  • When content is 10 words or fewer. Instead, use a Tooltip.
  • Requiring a user to complete a complex task. Instead, use a Modal.

Visual Language

  • Controls, which are usually Buttons, are always placed on the right side of the popover header.
  • Always use small-sized Buttons in the popover header.
  • Trigger popovers from any interactive element. The trigger must be focusable and accessible via keyboard.
  • When using a Button to invoke a popover, include a down-caret icon to the right of the button’s text.
Use a down caret icon in a button to indicate it will open a popover.
  • A popover’s tail is always centered on its triggering element.
Popovers centered on their trigger.

Behaviors

  • Action-required popovers can only be closed by choosing an action provided (e.g., Save or Cancel). They cannot be dismissed by pressing escape or clicking outside of the popover.
  • Open popovers on click or press of the enter/space key, avoid opening on hover/focus unless the popover contains no interactive elements.
  • Popovers that do not require an explicit action of a user can be closed by:
    • Clicking the close button
    • Pressing the escape key
    • Clicking outside the popover

Editorial

Popovers offer the opportunity to contextualize a choice, define a concept, and set expectations about what might lie beyond the clicking of a call to action nearby.

  • Use plain language; don’t use acronyms.
  • Keep it to no more than three short sentences. Anything longer should be relayed in a Modal, conjured by a link.
  • For titles, use title case and capitalize prepositions of four or more letters.

CSS

Class References

Class
Applies to
Outcome

mds-popover

<div>

Initializes a <div> with the basic styles shared across all popovers.

mds-popover__wrapper

Any block, or inline-block element, most likely a <div>

Always apply to the immediate parent of the popover’s trigger element, wrapping the trigger and the popover itself.

mds-popover__wrapper--visible

mds-popover__wrapper

Toggles visibility of a popover.

mds-popover__trigger

Any inline, block, or inline-block element

Enables showing the popover on press of enter/return. For example, if the popover trigger is an <a> or <button> and is within browser focus, pressing enter will show the popover.

mds-popover__close-button

<a>

The hook set on an anchor inside of a mds-popover that leverages the JS to trigger the popover fade out.

mds-popover--top-center

mds-popover

Aligns popover to the top center of the invoking element.

mds-popover--top-right

mds-popover

Aligns popover to the top right of the invoking element.

mds-popover--top-left

mds-popover

Aligns popover to the top left of the invoking element.

mds-popover--bottom-center

mds-popover

Aligns popover to the bottom center of the invoking element.

mds-popover--bottom-right

mds-popover

Aligns popover to the bottom right of the invoking element.

mds-popover--bottom-left

mds-popover

Aligns popover to the bottom left of the invoking element.

mds-popover--right-center

mds-popover

Aligns popover to the right center of the invoking element.

mds-popover--right-top

mds-popover

Aligns popover to the right top of the invoking element.

mds-popover--right-bottom

mds-popover

Aligns popover to the right bottom of the invoking element.

mds-popover--left-center

mds-popover

Aligns popover to the left center of the invoking element.

mds-popover--left-top

mds-popover

Aligns popover to the left top of the invoking element.

mds-popover--left-bottom

mds-popover

Aligns popover to the left bottom of the invoking element.

mds-popover--width-200px

mds-popover

Renders a 200px wide popover.

mds-popover--width-300px

mds-popover

Renders a 300px wide popover.

mds-popover--width-500px

mds-popover

Renders a 500px wide popover.

Web Component

Props

When setting props as attributes on a custom HTML element, use kebab-case instead of camelCase.

Prop
Type
Validation
Default
Description

actionRequired

Boolean

—

false

If true, requires a user to interact with one of the actions in the popover header to close to the popover. The popover cannot be dismissed using the escape key or by clicking the underlying page.

additionalClass

String

—

—

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

headingLevel

String

Number in the range 1–6

2

Sets the HTML heading level (<h#>) used in the header.

menu

Boolean

—

false

If true, the popover must contain a List Group. See the Menus page for additional documentation.

position

String

Enum: ["top-center", "top-right", "top-left", "bottom-center", "bottom-right", "bottom-left", "right-center", "right-bottom", "left-center", "left-top", "left-bottom"]

bottom-right

Sets position of the popover relative to its trigger.

title

String

Required

—

Title of the popover.

titleHidden

Boolean

—

false

If true, visibly hides the popover’s title. The title is still present for assistive technologies.

triggeredBy

String

Required

—

The id of the popover’s trigger element.

visible

Boolean

—

false

Sets visibility of the popover.

width

String

Enum: ["200px", "300px", "500px"]

300px

Alters the popover’s width.

Slots

Default Slot

Any text passed in between the <mds-popover></mds-popover> tags will be used as the popover’s content.

Named Slots

Slot Name
Description

mds-popover-actions

Markup for actions in the popover’s header, usually Buttons.

Methods

Method Name
Description

open()

Opens the popover.

dismiss()

Dismisses the popover. Can be programmatically called by buttons in the mds-popover-actions slot.

Events

Event Name
Description

mds-popover-opened

Triggers when the popover is opened.

mds-popover-dismissed

Triggers when the popover is dismissed.

Additional Behaviors

Automatic Dismiss Behavior

If action-required is false:

  • Any icon-only Button web component using the remove--s icon placed in the mds-popover-actions slot will automatically call the dismiss() method.
  • Pressing the escape key or clicking the underlying page will call the dismiss() method.

If action-required is true, you must set up the event handlers for the buttons in the mds-popover-actions slot yourself.

Usage Examples

Setting title, position, and triggeredBy via props. Using named slots for mds-header-actions. Using the default slot for popover content:

<mds-button id="popover-1-trigger"> Open Popover </mds-button>
<!-- Appended at end of <body> -->
<mds-popover title="Popover Title" position="bottom-center" id="popover-1" triggered-by="popover-1-trigger">
    <mds-button slot="mds-popover-actions" variation="icon-only" size="small" icon="remove--s"> Close Popover </mds-button>
    [This is popover content]
</mds-popover>

Setting title, triggeredBy, and actionRequired via props. Using named slots for mds-header-actions. Using the default slot for popover content:

<mds-button id="popover-2-trigger"> Open Popover </mds-button>
<!-- Appended at end of <body> -->
<mds-popover title="Popover Title" id="popover-2" triggered-by="popover-2-trigger" action-required>
    <span slot="mds-popover-actions">
        <mds-button variation="secondary" size="small"> Cancel </mds-button>
        <mds-button variation="primary" size="small"> Save </mds-button>
    </span>
    [This is popover content]
</mds-popover>

Setting title, triggeredBy, width, and titleHidden via props. Using the default slot for popover content:

<mds-button id="popover-3-trigger"> Open Popover </mds-button>
<!-- Appended at end of <body> -->
<mds-popover title="Popover Title" id="popover-3" triggered-by="popover-3-trigger" width="200px" title-hidden>
    [This is popover content]
</mds-popover>

Implementation Tips

Positioning HTML Popovers

When using the HTML version of the popover and positioning it either mds-popover--left-center or mds-popover--right-center, you must apply a height and a negative 1/2 height margin-top to your popover in your product’s styles. For example:

.my-product__popover {
    height: 300px;
    margin-top: -150px;
}

Customizing Widths

Predefined widths are a starting point. If requirements call for a different popover width, work with a designer to create custom width styles in your product’s CSS.

Product CSS

.mds-popover--top-center .my-custom-popover-width,
.mds-popover--bottom-center [.my-custom-popover-width] {
    margin-left: 200px; //Half of width, required for center positioning
    width: 400px;
}

Product Markup

<div class="mds-popover mds-popover--bottom-center [my-custom-popover-width]" role="tooltip">
    ...
</div>

Popover Content Styling

When placing text in the popover’s content area, define typography as custom styles within your product. The popover’s content area does not include any default text styling.

Custom z-index

When composing popovers with other layered components, like Modals, Tooltips or Notifications, you may need to apply a custom z-index value to popovers in your product’s styles to achieve your desired layering.

Implementation

  • When using a popover with a title, teams should use the header tag (<h#>) which properly places the content within their product's information hierarchy. Configure either within HTML or using the headingLevel prop.
  • A popovers triggering element—often a button—requires additional configuration:
    • Add aria-haspopup=”true” to the trigger element.
    • Add aria-expanded=”false” to the trigger element and dynamically update the value to true when popover is open.
    • Add aria-controls=”[Popover ID]” to the trigger element.

Best Practices

  • By default, popovers use role="tooltip" to identify themselves to assistive technologies.