Links

Variations Design Guidelines Code Reference Accessibility

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Links

HTML/CSS Available
Web Component Deprecated
Last Updated
2.21.0

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Variations Design Guidelines Code Reference Accessibility

Variations

Default

Use in most cases.

Default

Link Text

Default

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 borders separate multiple links, e.g., Data Tables. Instead, use either No Underline or In Data Table variation.

No Underline

Use to avoid visual clutter.

No Underline

Link Text

No Underline

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.

In Data Table

Link Text

In Data Table

Link Text

HTML

Web Component

<a href="#" class="mds-link mds-link--data-table">Link Text</a>

<mds-link href="#" in-data-table>Link Text</mds-link>

Avoid using this variation outside of Data Tables.
Meets all accessibility benchmarks.
Use when the interactivity of links within a Data Table may not be immediately apparent to a user.

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

Example of no-underline links used in a data table. — Do use no underline links in Data Tables.

Example of underlined links improperly used in a data table. — Don‘t use underlined links.

Example of no-underline links used to open an expandable section. — Do use no underline links when paired with an icon that affords interaction, i.e., an expandable section with a caret icon.

Example of an underlined link used improperly to open an expandable sectiton. — 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

Link copy should convey what we will deliver once the link is clicked, for example:
- Morningstar Advisory Agreement
- Details on How We Manage Your Plan
Links can be questions that we will answer, or they can be declarative, for example:
- What’s Included in the Overall Savings Rate?
- How’s This Calculated?
When a link opens a Modal or secondary workspace, consider using the words in the link as the header for the modal.
Underline just the relevant words in a sentence or paragraph, for example:
- Want to see our Privacy Policy?
Don’t use “click here,” “tap this link,” etc., inside link copy. Link copy should be device agnostic—a user may not have a mouse with which to click or the capability to tap.

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

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

Prop	Type	Validation	Default	Description
`additionalClass`	String	—	—	A space-separated list of class names that will be appended to the default `mds-link` class.
`ariaLabel`	String	—	—	Sets the aria-label for the link.
`download`	String	—	—	If `true`, `download` attribute is added. Otherwise adds `download=”[value]”` attribute.
`href`	String	Required	—	Destination for the link. If the link opens in a new window, use the `ariaLabel` prop to indicate this.
`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.

Slots

Default Slot

Pass text in between the <mds-link></mds-link> tags to set the link’s text content. This can be overridden with the text prop.

Usage Examples

Setting href and visitedStyling via props. Using the default slot for text content:

<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.