HTMLDialogElement
Baseline Widely available
This feature is well established and works across many devices and browser versions. It’s been available across browsers since March 2022.
The HTMLDialogElement
interface provides methods to manipulate <dialog>
elements. It inherits properties and methods from the HTMLElement
interface.
Instance properties
Also inherits properties from its parent interface, HTMLElement
.
HTMLDialogElement.open
-
A boolean value reflecting the
open
HTML attribute, indicating whether the dialog is available for interaction. HTMLDialogElement.returnValue
-
A string that sets or returns the return value for the dialog.
Instance methods
Also inherits methods from its parent interface, HTMLElement
.
HTMLDialogElement.close()
-
Closes the dialog. An optional string may be passed as an argument, updating the
returnValue
of the dialog. HTMLDialogElement.show()
-
Displays the dialog modelessly, i.e. still allowing interaction with content outside of the dialog.
HTMLDialogElement.showModal()
-
Displays the dialog as a modal, over the top of any other dialogs that might be present. Everything outside the dialog are inert with interactions outside the dialog being blocked.
Events
Also inherits events from its parent interface, HTMLElement
.
Listen to these events using addEventListener()
or by assigning an event listener to the oneventname
property of this interface.
cancel
-
Fired when the user dismisses the current open dialog with the escape key.
close
-
Fired when the dialog is closed, whether with the escape key, the
HTMLDialogElement.close()
method, or via submitting a form within the dialog withmethod="dialog"
.
Examples
Opening a modal dialog
The following example shows a button that, when clicked, opens a modal <dialog>
containing a form via the HTMLDialogElement.showModal()
function. While open, everything other than the modal dialog's contents is inert. From there you can click the Cancel button to close the dialog (via the HTMLDialogElement.close()
function), or submit the form via the submit button. Selecting the cancel button closes the dialog, creating a close
event, not a cancel
event.
HTML
<!-- pop-up dialog box, containing a form -->
<dialog id="favDialog">
<form method="dialog">
<p>
<label for="favAnimal">Favorite animal:</label>
<select id="favAnimal" name="favAnimal">
<option></option>
<option>Brine shrimp</option>
<option>Red panda</option>
<option>Spider monkey</option>
</select>
</p>
<div>
<button id="cancel" type="reset">Cancel</button>
<button type="submit">Confirm</button>
</div>
</form>
</dialog>
<div>
<button id="updateDetails">Update details</button>
</div>
JavaScript
const updateButton = document.getElementById("updateDetails");
const cancelButton = document.getElementById("cancel");
const dialog = document.getElementById("favDialog");
dialog.returnValue = "favAnimal";
function openCheck(dialog) {
if (dialog.open) {
console.log("Dialog open");
} else {
console.log("Dialog closed");
}
}
// Update button opens a modal dialog
updateButton.addEventListener("click", () => {
dialog.showModal();
openCheck(dialog);
});
// Form cancel button closes the dialog box
cancelButton.addEventListener("click", () => {
dialog.close("animalNotChosen");
openCheck(dialog);
});
Result
Specifications
Specification |
---|
HTML Standard # htmldialogelement |
Browser compatibility
BCD tables only load in the browser
See also
- The HTML element implementing this interface:
<dialog>
.