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Tooltip

sl-tooltip

Tooltips display additional information based on a specific action.

Examples

Basic Tooltip

Tooltips appear when a user hovers or focuses an element. They provide contextual information about the element they are paired with.

A tooltip’s target is its first child element, so you should only wrap one element inside of the tooltip. If you need the tooltip to show up for multiple elements, nest them inside a container first.

Tooltips use display: contents so they won’t interfere with how elements are positioned in a flex or grid layout.

Hover Me 
<sl-tooltip content="This is a tooltip">
  <sl-button>Hover Me</sl-button>
</sl-tooltip>

sl-tooltip content="This is a tooltip"
  sl-button Hover Me

Placement

Use the placement attribute to set the preferred placement of the tooltip.

<div class="tooltip-placement-example">
  <div class="tooltip-placement-example-row">
    <sl-tooltip content="top-start" placement="top-start">
      <sl-button></sl-button>
    </sl-tooltip>

    <sl-tooltip content="top" placement="top">
      <sl-button></sl-button>
    </sl-tooltip>

    <sl-tooltip content="top-end" placement="top-end">
      <sl-button></sl-button>
    </sl-tooltip>
  </div>

  <div class="tooltip-placement-example-row">
    <sl-tooltip content="left-start" placement="left-start">
      <sl-button></sl-button>
    </sl-tooltip>

    <sl-tooltip content="right-start" placement="right-start">
      <sl-button></sl-button>
    </sl-tooltip>
  </div>

  <div class="tooltip-placement-example-row">
    <sl-tooltip content="left" placement="left">
      <sl-button></sl-button>
    </sl-tooltip>

    <sl-tooltip content="right" placement="right">
      <sl-button></sl-button>
    </sl-tooltip>
  </div>

  <div class="tooltip-placement-example-row">
    <sl-tooltip content="left-end" placement="left-end">
      <sl-button></sl-button>
    </sl-tooltip>

    <sl-tooltip content="right-end" placement="right-end">
      <sl-button></sl-button>
    </sl-tooltip>
  </div>

  <div class="tooltip-placement-example-row">
    <sl-tooltip content="bottom-start" placement="bottom-start">
      <sl-button></sl-button>
    </sl-tooltip>

    <sl-tooltip content="bottom" placement="bottom">
      <sl-button></sl-button>
    </sl-tooltip>

    <sl-tooltip content="bottom-end" placement="bottom-end">
      <sl-button></sl-button>
    </sl-tooltip>
  </div>
</div>

<style>
  .tooltip-placement-example {
    width: 250px;
    margin: 1rem;
  }

  .tooltip-placement-example-row:after {
    content: '';
    display: table;
    clear: both;
  }

  .tooltip-placement-example sl-button {
    float: left;
    width: 2.5rem;
    margin-right: 0.25rem;
    margin-bottom: 0.25rem;
  }

  .tooltip-placement-example-row:nth-child(1) sl-tooltip:first-child sl-button,
  .tooltip-placement-example-row:nth-child(5) sl-tooltip:first-child sl-button {
    margin-left: calc(40px + 0.25rem);
  }

  .tooltip-placement-example-row:nth-child(2) sl-tooltip:nth-child(2) sl-button,
  .tooltip-placement-example-row:nth-child(3) sl-tooltip:nth-child(2) sl-button,
  .tooltip-placement-example-row:nth-child(4) sl-tooltip:nth-child(2) sl-button {
    margin-left: calc((40px * 3) + (0.25rem * 3));
  }
</style>

div class="tooltip-placement-example"
  div class="tooltip-placement-example-row"
    sl-tooltip content="top-start" placement="top-start"
      sl-button
    sl-tooltip content="top" placement="top"
      sl-button
    sl-tooltip content="top-end" placement="top-end"
      sl-button
  div class="tooltip-placement-example-row"
    sl-tooltip content="left-start" placement="left-start"
      sl-button
    sl-tooltip content="right-start" placement="right-start"
      sl-button
  div class="tooltip-placement-example-row"
    sl-tooltip content="left" placement="left"
      sl-button
    sl-tooltip content="right" placement="right"
      sl-button
  div class="tooltip-placement-example-row"
    sl-tooltip content="left-end" placement="left-end"
      sl-button
    sl-tooltip content="right-end" placement="right-end"
      sl-button
  div class="tooltip-placement-example-row"
    sl-tooltip content="bottom-start" placement="bottom-start"
      sl-button
    sl-tooltip content="bottom" placement="bottom"
      sl-button
    sl-tooltip content="bottom-end" placement="bottom-end"
      sl-button

css:
  .tooltip-placement-example {
  width: 250px;
  margin: 1rem;
  }

  .tooltip-placement-example-row:after {
  content: ;
  display: table;
  clear: both;
  }

  .tooltip-placement-example sl-button {
  float: left;
  width: 2.5rem;
  margin-right: 0.25rem;
  margin-bottom: 0.25rem;
  }

  .tooltip-placement-example-row:nth-child(1) sl-tooltip:first-child sl-button,
  .tooltip-placement-example-row:nth-child(5) sl-tooltip:first-child sl-button {
  margin-left: calc(40px + 0.25rem);
  }

  .tooltip-placement-example-row:nth-child(2) sl-tooltip:nth-child(2) sl-button,
  .tooltip-placement-example-row:nth-child(3) sl-tooltip:nth-child(2) sl-button,
  .tooltip-placement-example-row:nth-child(4) sl-tooltip:nth-child(2) sl-button {
  margin-left: calc((40px * 3) + (0.25rem * 3));
  }

Click Trigger

Set the trigger attribute to click to toggle the tooltip on click instead of hover.

Click to Toggle 
<sl-tooltip content="Click again to dismiss" trigger="click">
  <sl-button>Click to Toggle</sl-button>
</sl-tooltip>

sl-tooltip content="Click again to dismiss" trigger="click"
  sl-button Click to Toggle

Manual Trigger

Tooltips can be controlled programmatically by setting the trigger attribute to manual. Use the open attribute to control when the tooltip is shown.

Toggle Manually 
<sl-button style="margin-right: 4rem;">Toggle Manually</sl-button>

<sl-tooltip content="This is an avatar" trigger="manual" class="manual-tooltip">
  <sl-avatar label="User"></sl-avatar>
</sl-tooltip>

<script>
  const tooltip = document.querySelector('.manual-tooltip');
  const toggle = tooltip.previousElementSibling;

  toggle.addEventListener('click', () => (tooltip.open = !tooltip.open));
</script>

sl-button style="margin-right: 4rem;" Toggle Manually
sl-tooltip.manual-tooltip content="This is an avatar" trigger="manual"
  sl-avatar label="User"

javascript:
  const tooltip = document.querySelector(.manual-tooltip);
  const toggle = tooltip.previousElementSibling;

  toggle.addEventListener(click, () => (tooltip.open = !tooltip.open));

Removing Arrows

You can control the size of tooltip arrows by overriding the --sl-tooltip-arrow-size design token. To remove them, set the value to 0 as shown below.

No Arrow 
<sl-tooltip content="This is a tooltip" style="--sl-tooltip-arrow-size: 0;">
  <sl-button>No Arrow</sl-button>
</sl-tooltip>

sl-tooltip content="This is a tooltip" style="--sl-tooltip-arrow-size: 0;"
  sl-button No Arrow

HTML in Tooltips

Use the content slot to create tooltips with HTML content. Tooltips are designed only for text and presentational elements. Avoid placing interactive content, such as buttons, links, and form controls, in a tooltip.

I’m not just a tooltip, I’m a tooltip with HTML!
Hover me 
<sl-tooltip>
  <div slot="content">I'm not <strong>just</strong> a tooltip, I'm a <em>tooltip</em> with HTML!</div>

  <sl-button>Hover me</sl-button>
</sl-tooltip>

sl-tooltip
  div slot="content"
    | I'm not
    strong
      | just
    |  a tooltip, I'm a
    em
      | tooltip
    |  with HTML!
  sl-button
    | Hover me

Setting a Maximum Width

Use the --max-width custom property to change the width the tooltip can grow to before wrapping occurs.

Hover me 
<sl-tooltip style="--max-width: 80px;" content="This tooltip will wrap after only 80 pixels.">
  <sl-button>Hover me</sl-button>
</sl-tooltip>

sl-tooltip style="--max-width: 80px;" content="This tooltip will wrap after only 80 pixels."
  sl-button Hover me

Hoisting

Tooltips will be clipped if they’re inside a container that has overflow: auto|hidden|scroll. The hoist attribute forces the tooltip to use a fixed positioning strategy, allowing it to break out of the container. In this case, the tooltip will be positioned relative to its containing block, which is usually the viewport unless an ancestor uses a transform, perspective, or filter. Refer to this page for more details.

No Hoist Hoist 
<div class="tooltip-hoist">
  <sl-tooltip content="This is a tooltip">
    <sl-button>No Hoist</sl-button>
  </sl-tooltip>

  <sl-tooltip content="This is a tooltip" hoist>
    <sl-button>Hoist</sl-button>
  </sl-tooltip>
</div>

<style>
  .tooltip-hoist {
    position: relative;
    border: solid 2px var(--sl-panel-border-color);
    overflow: hidden;
    padding: var(--sl-spacing-medium);
  }
</style>

div.tooltip-hoist
  sl-tooltip content="This is a tooltip"
    sl-button No Hoist
  sl-tooltip content="This is a tooltip" hoist=true
    sl-button Hoist

css:
  .tooltip-hoist {
    position: relative;
    border: solid 2px var(--sl-panel-border-color);
    overflow: hidden;
    padding: var(--sl-spacing-medium);
  }

Usage

Tooltip Basics

  • Tooltips are for supplemental content
  • Keep tooltip content simple — ideally with just one or two words or a short phrase

Tooltip Don’ts

  • Don’t put essential information in a tooltip
  • Don’t put interactive elements like buttons and links in a tooltip
  • Don’t include elements like images in a tooltip

When to Use a Tooltip

  • Use to provide brief supplemental (but not essential) information on hover
    • For example, a trash icon with the word “Delete” in a tooltip, to reinforce the purpose of the icon
    • Or a disabled “Submit” button with the words “Complete required fields” in a tooltip, to remind people why the button is disabled

When to Use Something Else

  • If the supplemental information requires the use of imagery, links, or other interactions, consider a Popup or Drawer

Component Props

Property Default Details
content ''

string

The tooltip’s content. If you need to display HTML, use the content slot instead.

placement 'top'

'top' | 'top-start' | 'top-end' | 'right' | 'right-start' | 'right-end' | 'bottom' | 'bottom-start' | 'bottom-end' | 'left' | 'left-start' | 'left-end'

The preferred placement of the tooltip. Note that the actual placement may vary as needed to keep the tooltip inside of the viewport.

disabled false

boolean

Disables the tooltip so it won’t show when triggered.
distance 8

number

The distance in pixels from which to offset the tooltip away from its target.
open false

boolean

Indicates whether or not the tooltip is open. You can use this in lieu of the show/hide methods.

skidding 0

number

The distance in pixels from which to offset the tooltip along its target.
trigger 'hover focus'

string

Controls how the tooltip is activated. Possible options include click, hover, focus, and manual. Multiple options can be passed by separating them with a space. When manual is used, the tooltip must be activated programmatically.

hoist false

boolean

Enable this option to prevent the tooltip from being clipped when the component is placed inside a container with overflow: auto|hidden|scroll. Hoisting uses a fixed positioning strategy that works in many, but not all, scenarios.

updateComplete A read-only promise that resolves when the component has finished updating.

Learn more about attributes and properties.

Slots

Name Details
(default) The tooltip’s target element. Avoid slotting in more than one element, as subsequent ones will be ignored.
content The content to render in the tooltip. Alternatively, you can use the content attribute.

Learn more about using slots.

Events

Name Name Name React Event Details
sl-show sl-show sl-show onSlShow

Emitted when the tooltip begins to show.
sl-after-show sl-after-show sl-after-show onSlAfterShow

Emitted after the tooltip has shown and all animations are complete.
sl-hide sl-hide sl-hide onSlHide

Emitted when the tooltip begins to hide.
sl-after-hide sl-after-hide sl-after-hide onSlAfterHide

Emitted after the tooltip has hidden and all animations are complete.

Learn more about events.

Methods

Name Details
show()

Shows the tooltip.
hide()

Hides the tooltip

Learn more about methods.

Custom Properties

Name Details
--max-width

The maximum width of the tooltip before its content will wrap.
--hide-delay

The amount of time to wait before hiding the tooltip when hovering.
--show-delay

The amount of time to wait before showing the tooltip when hovering.

Learn more about customizing CSS custom properties.

CSS Parts

Name Description
base The component’s base wrapper, an <sl-popup> element.
base__popup The popup’s exported popup part. Use this to target the tooltip’s popup container.
base__arrow The popup’s exported arrow part. Use this to target the tooltip’s arrow.
body The tooltip’s body where its content is rendered.

Learn more about customizing CSS parts.

Animations

Name Description
tooltip.show The animation to use when showing the tooltip.
tooltip.hide The animation to use when hiding the tooltip.

Learn more about customizing animations.

Dependencies

This component automatically imports the following dependencies.

  • <sl-popup>