Alerting People
Overview
It is often necessary to alert or inform the user of ephemeral or contextual information that is not a fixed part of the interface. Two primary ways of displaying alerts are by using an alert box or a modal.
Use an Alert Box When the Alert:
- Is non-critical
e.g. unsaved changes
- Pertains to a specific component or section on the current page
![Use alerts for inline save warnings and modals to prevent data loss.](https://assets-global.website-files.com/5cf947e00b64afb4055c0e08/5d8e6f63105d86af3d72ca0b_Learn%20-%20Alerting%20People%20-%201.png)
Use a Modal When the Alert:
- Is communicating a significant error
- Would prevent accidental data loss that is difficult to reverse
- Should prevent the user from attempting other actions
e.g. connection failure
- Is about a user-triggered background task not visible on the current page
e.g. failed query run
![Use modals for errors that prevent interaction with the page.](https://assets-global.website-files.com/5cf947e00b64afb4055c0e08/5d8e6f630f90bb6960d204c3_Learn%20-%20Alerting%20People%20-%202.png)
Other Resources
Be sure to read the Fabric guidelines on alerts & errors, as well as modals & views.
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Last Updated
Sep 27, 2019