Button

A Button triggers an action when the user clicks or taps on it.

Guidelines

When to use buttons

Buttons must contain a label and can also include an icon. For icon-only buttons, the label is visually hidden but available to assistive technology users.

Use the Button component when you want to trigger an action or toggle something in the user's current context.

Avoid using buttons when:

• The action is to navigate the user to a new resource, which would take them away from the current context. In such cases, consider Link instead.^[1]
• You need to represent state-persistent user actions. In this case, use ToggleButton instead.

Specifications

The button styles distinguish types of buttons and each button’s state (e.g. hover, active, focused) in accessible color variations.

1. Icon (optional)
   Icons simplify user recognition and provide the ability to shorten button labels to a minimum.
2. Label
   Button labels should be as short as possible, with text that clearly states what action follows clicking the button (e.g. download, submit form, search).

Component limitations

When using buttons, consider the size of their target area. Make sure that the associated active touch area is at least 44 x 44 dp. Otherwise users may fail to hit the active area, for example due to motor disabilities.

Icon-only buttons have their minimum width set to @min-size-interactive-pointer (equivalent to 32px in the default Codex theme). Buttons will adjust to fit the expanding text but will halt growth at a maximum width of @max-width-button (equivalent to 448px in the default Codex theme). An ellipsis will appear to accommodate the button text if necessary.

On mobile, buttons should span the full-width of the container, except for icon-only buttons, which will maintain their fixed square proportions. For buttons within mobile forms, refer to the constructing forms guidelines.

Refer to the Button component in Codex Figma.

Set min-width manually on Buttons with extremely short labels

Non-icon-only buttons with text labels of only 1-2 characters in length may fall below size of the target area described above. If you are dealing with non-icon-only buttons with extremely short labels, it is recommended to set a minimum width of: @min-size-interactive-pointer in your own CSS.

Types

Button content

Depending on the content of the button, there are the following types:

1. Text with icon
   It combines descriptive text with a reinforcing icon. It's suitable when you need to convey meaning through both textual and visual elements.
2. Text-only
   It contains only text for simplicity. It is suitable for actions that do not require or benefit from an accompanying icon, or when the icon would not effectively reinforce the meaning of the text.
3. Icon-only
   It uses an icon alone to create visual impact. It is suitable for actions that can be universally recognized through the icon alone, such as the “edit” action.

Button action or variant (“flavor”)

There three type of buttons based on the type of action they convey:

1. Neutral
   Use neutral buttons for actions that are neutral or secondary in importance.
2. Progressive
   Use progressive buttons for actions that lead to the next step in the process.
3. Destructive
   Reserve destructive buttons for actions that involve removal or limitation, such as deleting a page or blocking a user. Avoid using them for actions like cancel buttons.

Button weight

Buttons can be categorized into three types based on their weight and their significance in their respective contexts:

Primary buttons

Primary buttons signal the main action in a given view – a page or a dialog. As they should guide the user to the most important action (“call to action”), there should only be one primary button per view.

They come in two variants (“flavors”):

1. Progressive: Use progressive buttons for actions that lead to the next step in the process.
2. Destructive: Use destructive buttons for actions that remove or limit, such as deleting a page or blocking a user. Don't use it for actions such as cancel buttons.

Normal buttons

When designing a project, normal framed buttons are the default choice. Quiet, frameless buttons (read next section) should only be used in views, where normal buttons need to be further visually de-emphasized, see below.

Normal buttons have three variants (“flavors”):

1. Neutral
2. Progressive
3. Destructive

Quiet buttons (“frameless”)

Use quiet buttons for an easily recognizable action that does not detract focus from the content. For example, the icon-only edit buttons alongside sections in article view on mobile Wikipedia.^[2]They still feature minimal target sizes and states to provide the user clear interaction feedback. Normal (framed) buttons are the default choice for simplified recognition.

Quiet buttons have three variants (“flavors”):

1. Neutral
2. Progressive
3. Destructive

Interaction states

Buttons have the following visually separate states:

Neutral buttons

Progressive buttons

Destructive buttons

1. Default
2. Hover
3. Active
4. Focus
5. Disabled

Accessibility note: The disabled state does not meet our minimum color contrast rules. WCAG 2.1 states that “…part[s] of an inactive user interface component […] have no contrast requirement”.^[3]
Provide sufficient information in a disabled element’s context, so the user can understand what is disabled and how to enable it (if applicable).

Best practices

Consider the following recommendations when working with buttons.

Icon

Do:

• Ensure that icons used in buttons are relevant to the action they represent.
• Use icons just when they are clear and easily recognizable.

Don't:

• Avoid complex or abstract icons that may confuse users.

Content

The wording on a button lets a user know what happens when they select it. Users need to know what action will occur, or where they will go, when they click or tap.

Use short, precise verbs, ideally with fewer than 38 characters for English. The average character length of language translations is 42 characters. Logographic (such as Chinese, Japanese, Korean) and Arabic-script (such as Saraiki, Punjabi, Sindhi, Pashto, Balochi) languages tend to use less characters. Language translations which use more characters are Romance (such as Lombard, French, Portuguese, Spanish, Galician, Arpitan, Romanian, Catalan), some Germanic (Colognian, German, Dutch), Slavic (Belarusian, Russian, Bulgarian, Polish, Ukrainian) and Austronesian (Sakizaya, Ilokano, Tagalog, Bikol, Indonesian). Other notable, but not easily grouped languages that tend to be longer are Irish, Greek, Shan, Quechua, Finnish, Hungarian, Basque, and Malayalam. All of them have an average length between 45 and 53 characters.

Progressive button

Progressive buttons allow a reader to continue or complete an action.

Do:

• Use descriptive, accessible verbs to encourage action. Concise & Accessible
• Write in sentence case, capitalising only the first word. Consistent

Don't:

• Choose verbs that imply visual or sensory abilities, or are idiomatic or vague. Accessible & Translatable
• Write a CTA that wraps over two lines. Concise

Destructive button

Destructive buttons are for cancelling, deleting or non-reversible actions. Posing and answering direct questions with matching terminology makes for scannable, effective content.

Do:

• Answer direct questions in titles or body copy using the same terminology. Clear

Don't:

• Pose a question in addition to the main action. Concise

Neutral button

Neutral buttons are for minor or secondary actions. Always keep the hierarchy of the message simple and direct, and choose the words carefully, in order to make the copy as clear and effective as possible.

Do:

• Establish a clear hierarchy of choices on the page. Clear

Don't:

• Use similar words for different actions. Concise

Keyboard navigation

Key	Function
Enter / Space	If the focus is placed on the Button, it activates the Button.

References

1. “Links vs. Buttons in Modern Web Applications” by Marcy Sutton
2. Mobile English Wikipedia: Button (computing) article with exemplified quiet edit buttons
3. Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.1 – Success Criterion 1.4.3 Contrast (Minimum)

Demos

Configurable

<cdx-button>Click me</cdx-button>

Name	Value
Props
action	default progressive destructive
weight	normal primary quiet
size	medium large
disabled
Slots
default
View
Reading direction	Left to right (LTR) Right to left (RTL)

Default

<cdx-button>Click me</cdx-button>

Button actions

There are three button actions: default, progressive, and destructive.

<div>
	<cdx-button>Default button</cdx-button>
</div>
<div>
	<cdx-button action="progressive">Progressive button</cdx-button>
</div>
<div>
	<cdx-button action="destructive">Destructive button</cdx-button>
</div>

Button weights

There are three button weights: normal, primary, and quiet.

<div>
	<cdx-button action="progressive">
		Normal progressive button
	</cdx-button>
</div>
<div>
	<cdx-button action="progressive" weight="primary">
		Primary progressive button
	</cdx-button>
</div>
<div>
	<cdx-button action="progressive" weight="quiet">
		Quiet progressive button
	</cdx-button>
</div>

Disabled

Add the disabled attribute for a disabled button.

<cdx-button disabled>Disabled button</cdx-button>

With icon

NPM

<template>
	<cdx-button @click="onClick">
		<cdx-icon :icon="cdxIconArrowPrevious" /> Go back
	</cdx-button>
</template>

<script>
import { defineComponent } from 'vue';
import { CdxButton, CdxIcon } from '@wikimedia/codex';
import { cdxIconArrowPrevious } from '@wikimedia/codex-icons';

export default defineComponent( {
	name: 'ButtonWithIcon',
	components: {
		CdxButton,
		CdxIcon
	},
	setup() {
		function onClick() {
			// eslint-disable-next-line no-console
			console.log( 'click event emitted' );
		}

		return {
			cdxIconArrowPrevious,
			onClick
		};
	}
} );
</script>

MediaWiki

<template>
	<cdx-button @click="onClick">
		<cdx-icon :icon="cdxIconArrowPrevious"></cdx-icon> Go back
	</cdx-button>
</template>

<script>
const { defineComponent } = require( 'vue' );
const { CdxButton, CdxIcon } = require( '@wikimedia/codex' );
const { cdxIconArrowPrevious } = require( './icons.json' );

module.exports = defineComponent( {
	name: 'ButtonWithIcon',
	components: {
		CdxButton,
		CdxIcon
	},
	setup() {
		function onClick() {
			// eslint-disable-next-line no-console
			console.log( 'click event emitted' );
		}

		return {
			cdxIconArrowPrevious,
			onClick
		};
	}
} );
</script>

NPM

<template>
	<cdx-button weight="quiet" @click="onClick">
		<cdx-icon :icon="cdxIconDownload" /> Download
	</cdx-button>
</template>

<script>
import { defineComponent } from 'vue';
import { CdxButton, CdxIcon } from '@wikimedia/codex';
import { cdxIconDownload } from '@wikimedia/codex-icons';

export default defineComponent( {
	name: 'QuietButtonWithIcon',
	components: {
		CdxButton,
		CdxIcon
	},
	setup() {
		function onClick() {
			// eslint-disable-next-line no-console
			console.log( 'click event emitted' );
		}

		return {
			cdxIconDownload,
			onClick
		};
	}
} );
</script>

MediaWiki

<template>
	<cdx-button weight="quiet" @click="onClick">
		<cdx-icon :icon="cdxIconDownload"></cdx-icon> Download
	</cdx-button>
</template>

<script>
const { defineComponent } = require( 'vue' );
const { CdxButton, CdxIcon } = require( '@wikimedia/codex' );
const { cdxIconDownload } = require( './icons.json' );

module.exports = defineComponent( {
	name: 'QuietButtonWithIcon',
	components: {
		CdxButton,
		CdxIcon
	},
	setup() {
		function onClick() {
			// eslint-disable-next-line no-console
			console.log( 'click event emitted' );
		}

		return {
			cdxIconDownload,
			onClick
		};
	}
} );
</script>

Icon-only button

WARNING

Due to the lack of descriptive text, icon-only buttons require one of the following attributes: aria-label or aria-hidden.

The attribute aria-label has to be used on icon-only buttons to be understandable by assistive technology users. Exceptions are buttons in component combinations, e.g. the button in the Combobox component, that are skipped by adding aria-hidden without negatively impacting the component's functionality.

NPM

<template>
	<cdx-button aria-label="Back" @click="onClick">
		<cdx-icon :icon="cdxIconPrevious" />
	</cdx-button>
</template>

<script>
import { defineComponent } from 'vue';
import { CdxButton, CdxIcon } from '@wikimedia/codex';
import { cdxIconPrevious } from '@wikimedia/codex-icons';

export default defineComponent( {
	name: 'IconOnlyButton',
	components: {
		CdxButton,
		CdxIcon
	},
	setup() {
		function onClick() {
			// eslint-disable-next-line no-console
			console.log( 'click event emitted' );
		}

		return {
			cdxIconPrevious,
			onClick
		};
	}
} );
</script>

MediaWiki

<template>
	<cdx-button aria-label="Back" @click="onClick">
		<cdx-icon :icon="cdxIconPrevious"></cdx-icon>
	</cdx-button>
</template>

<script>
const { defineComponent } = require( 'vue' );
const { CdxButton, CdxIcon } = require( '@wikimedia/codex' );
const { cdxIconPrevious } = require( './icons.json' );

module.exports = defineComponent( {
	name: 'IconOnlyButton',
	components: {
		CdxButton,
		CdxIcon
	},
	setup() {
		function onClick() {
			// eslint-disable-next-line no-console
			console.log( 'click event emitted' );
		}

		return {
			cdxIconPrevious,
			onClick
		};
	}
} );
</script>

NPM

<template>
	<cdx-button
		weight="quiet"
		aria-label="Help"
		@click="onClick"
	>
		<cdx-icon :icon="cdxIconHelp" />
	</cdx-button>
</template>

<script>
import { defineComponent } from 'vue';
import { CdxButton, CdxIcon } from '@wikimedia/codex';
import { cdxIconHelp } from '@wikimedia/codex-icons';

export default defineComponent( {
	name: 'QuietIconOnlyButton',
	components: {
		CdxButton,
		CdxIcon
	},
	setup() {
		function onClick() {
			// eslint-disable-next-line no-console
			console.log( 'click event emitted' );
		}

		return {
			cdxIconHelp,
			onClick
		};
	}
} );
</script>

MediaWiki

<template>
	<cdx-button
		weight="quiet"
		aria-label="Help"
		@click="onClick"
	>
		<cdx-icon :icon="cdxIconHelp"></cdx-icon>
	</cdx-button>
</template>

<script>
const { defineComponent } = require( 'vue' );
const { CdxButton, CdxIcon } = require( '@wikimedia/codex' );
const { cdxIconHelp } = require( './icons.json' );

module.exports = defineComponent( {
	name: 'QuietIconOnlyButton',
	components: {
		CdxButton,
		CdxIcon
	},
	setup() {
		function onClick() {
			// eslint-disable-next-line no-console
			console.log( 'click event emitted' );
		}

		return {
			cdxIconHelp,
			onClick
		};
	}
} );
</script>

Button sizes

There are two button sizes: medium and large.

Most buttons should use the medium size. The large size is intended only for accessibility purposes, such as making icon-only buttons larger on touchscreens to increase the touch area.

Button size examples for all supported size values.

Size	Min-size	Text button	Icon-only button
Medium	32px
Large	44px

NPM

<template>
	<table class="cdx-demo-button-sizes">
		<caption>
			Button size examples for all supported <code>size</code> values.
		</caption>
		<thead>
			<th>Size</th>
			<th>Min-size</th>
			<th>Text button</th>
			<th>Icon-only button</th>
		</thead>
		<tr>
			<td>
				<span>Medium</span>
			</td>
			<td>
				<span>32px</span>
			</td>
			<td>
				<cdx-button @click="onClick">
					Medium button
				</cdx-button>
			</td>
			<td>
				<cdx-button aria-label="Medium button example" @click="onClick">
					<cdx-icon :icon="cdxIconBell" />
				</cdx-button>
			</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>
				<span>Large</span>
			</td>
			<td>
				<span>44px</span>
			</td>
			<td>
				<cdx-button size="large" @click="onClick">
					Large button
				</cdx-button>
			</td>
			<td>
				<cdx-button
					aria-label="Large button example"
					size="large"
					@click="onClick"
				>
					<cdx-icon :icon="cdxIconBell" />
				</cdx-button>
			</td>
		</tr>
	</table>
</template>

<script>
import { defineComponent } from 'vue';
import { CdxButton, CdxIcon } from '@wikimedia/codex';
import { cdxIconBell } from '@wikimedia/codex-icons';

export default defineComponent( {
	name: 'ButtonSizes',
	components: { CdxButton, CdxIcon },
	setup() {
		function onClick() {
			// eslint-disable-next-line no-console
			console.log( 'click event emitted' );
		}

		return {
			cdxIconBell,
			onClick
		};
	}
} );
</script>

<style lang="less">
@import ( reference ) '@wikimedia/codex-design-tokens/theme-wikimedia-ui.less';

.cdx-demo-button-sizes {
	table {
		width: @size-full;
	}

	caption {
		margin-top: @spacing-25;
		text-align: left;
		caption-side: bottom;
	}
}
</style>

MediaWiki

<template>
	<table class="cdx-demo-button-sizes">
		<caption>
			Button size examples for all supported <code>size</code> values.
		</caption>
		<thead>
			<th>Size</th>
			<th>Min-size</th>
			<th>Text button</th>
			<th>Icon-only button</th>
		</thead>
		<tr>
			<td>
				<span>Medium</span>
			</td>
			<td>
				<span>32px</span>
			</td>
			<td>
				<cdx-button @click="onClick">
					Medium button
				</cdx-button>
			</td>
			<td>
				<cdx-button aria-label="Medium button example" @click="onClick">
					<cdx-icon :icon="cdxIconBell"></cdx-icon>
				</cdx-button>
			</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>
				<span>Large</span>
			</td>
			<td>
				<span>44px</span>
			</td>
			<td>
				<cdx-button size="large" @click="onClick">
					Large button
				</cdx-button>
			</td>
			<td>
				<cdx-button
					aria-label="Large button example"
					size="large"
					@click="onClick"
				>
					<cdx-icon :icon="cdxIconBell"></cdx-icon>
				</cdx-button>
			</td>
		</tr>
	</table>
</template>

<script>
const { defineComponent } = require( 'vue' );
const { CdxButton, CdxIcon } = require( '@wikimedia/codex' );
const { cdxIconBell } = require( './icons.json' );

module.exports = defineComponent( {
	name: 'ButtonSizes',
	components: { CdxButton, CdxIcon },
	setup() {
		function onClick() {
			// eslint-disable-next-line no-console
			console.log( 'click event emitted' );
		}

		return {
			cdxIconBell,
			onClick
		};
	}
} );
</script>

<style lang="less">
@import 'mediawiki.skin.variables.less';

.cdx-demo-button-sizes {
	table {
		width: @size-full;
	}

	caption {
		margin-top: @spacing-25;
		text-align: left;
		caption-side: bottom;
	}
}
</style>

Vue usage

Props

Prop name	Description	Type	Values	Default
action	The kind of action that will be taken on click.	ButtonAction	'default', 'progressive', 'destructive'	'default'
weight	Visual prominence of the button.	ButtonWeight	'normal', 'primary', 'quiet'	'normal'
size	Button size. Most buttons should use the default medium size. In rare cases the large size should be used, for example to make icon-only buttons larger on touchscreens.	ButtonSize	'medium', 'large'	'medium'

Events

Event name	Properties	Description
click

Slots

Name	Description	Bindings
default	Button content

CSS-only version

Markup structure

The CSS Button component uses the <button> element and the .cdx-button class.

<!-- Button element with CSS class(es). -->
<button class="cdx-button">Click me</button>

Button actions

There are three button actions: default, progressive, and destructive. Use the following classes to apply these actions:

• Default: cdx-button--action-default (class can be omitted since this is the default)
• Progressive: cdx-button--action-progressive
• Destructive: cdx-button--action-destructive

<div>
  <button class="cdx-button cdx-button--action-default">Default button</button>
</div>
<div>
  <button class="cdx-button cdx-button--action-progressive">
    Progressive button
  </button>
</div>
<div>
  <button class="cdx-button cdx-button--action-destructive">
    Destructive button
  </button>
</div>

Button weights

There are three button weights: normal, primary, and quiet. Use the following classes to apply these actions:

• Normal: cdx-button--weight-normal (class can be omitted since this is the default)
• Primary: cdx-button--weight-primary
• Quiet: cdx-button--weight-quiet

<div>
  <button class="cdx-button cdx-button--action-progressive">
    Progressive normal button
  </button>
</div>
<div>
  <button
    class="cdx-button cdx-button--action-progressive cdx-button--weight-primary"
  >
    Progressive primary button
  </button>
</div>
<div>
  <button
    class="cdx-button cdx-button--action-progressive cdx-button--weight-quiet"
  >
    Progressive quiet button
  </button>
</div>

Disabled

Add the disabled attribute to the <button> element to get a disabled element with appropriate styles.

<button class="cdx-button" disabled>Disabled button</button>

With CSS icon

You can use CSS icons within button content. To set up an icon within a CSS-only button, do the following:

1. Add an empty span inside the button before the label with the class cdx-button__icon.
2. Use the .cdx-mixin-css-icon() mixin with the @param-is-button-icon parameter set to true.

Note that in Firefox version 52 and below, full color support for icons inside CSS-only buttons is not available, and the icon will fall back to a single color.

WARNING

Be sure to add aria-hidden="true" to the icon element to hide it from assistive technology.

<button class="cdx-button">
  <span
    class="cdx-button__icon cdx-demo-css-icon--arrow-previous"
    aria-hidden="true"
  ></span>
  Go back
</button>

NPM

// Note: you must import the design tokens before importing the css-icon mixin
@import (reference) "@wikimedia/codex-design-tokens/theme-wikimedia-ui.less";
@import (reference) "@wikimedia/codex/mixins/css-icon.less";

.cdx-demo-css-icon--arrow-previous {
  .cdx-mixin-css-icon( @cdx-icon-arrow-previous, @param-is-button-icon: true );
}

MediaWiki

@import "mediawiki.skin.variables.less";

.cdx-demo-css-icon--arrow-previous {
  .cdx-mixin-css-icon( @cdx-icon-arrow-previous, @param-is-button-icon: true );
}

Icon-only button

Add the cdx-button--icon-only class for an icon-only button.

WARNING

Be sure to add an aria-label attribute to the button element so it can be understandable to screen reader users.

<button class="cdx-button cdx-button--icon-only" aria-label="Back">
  <span class="cdx-button__icon cdx-demo-css-icon--arrow-previous"></span>
</button>

NPM

// Note: you must import the design tokens before importing the css-icon mixin
@import (reference) "@wikimedia/codex-design-tokens/theme-wikimedia-ui.less";
@import (reference) "@wikimedia/codex/mixins/css-icon.less";

.cdx-demo-css-icon--arrow-previous {
  .cdx-mixin-css-icon( @cdx-icon-arrow-previous, @param-is-button-icon: true );
}

MediaWiki

@import "mediawiki.skin.variables.less";

.cdx-demo-css-icon--arrow-previous {
  .cdx-mixin-css-icon( @cdx-icon-arrow-previous, @param-is-button-icon: true );
}

Button sizes

There are two button sizes: medium and large. Most buttons should use the medium size. The large size is intended only for accessibility purposes, such as making icon-only buttons larger on small screens to increase the touch area.

Use the following classes to apply these actions:

• Medium: cdx-button--size-medium (class can be omitted since this is the default)
• Large: cdx-button--size-large

<div>
  <button class="cdx-button cdx-button--icon-only" aria-label="Back">
    <span class="cdx-button__icon cdx-demo-css-icon--bell"></span>
  </button>
</div>
<div>
  <button
    class="cdx-button cdx-button--icon-only cdx-button--size-large"
    aria-label="Back"
  >
    <span class="cdx-button__icon cdx-demo-css-icon--bell"></span>
  </button>
</div>

NPM

// Note: you must import the design tokens before importing the css-icon mixin
@import (reference) "@wikimedia/codex-design-tokens/theme-wikimedia-ui.less";
@import (reference) "@wikimedia/codex/mixins/css-icon.less";

.cdx-demo-css-icon--bell {
  .cdx-mixin-css-icon( @cdx-icon-bell, @param-is-button-icon: true );
}

MediaWiki

@import "mediawiki.skin.variables.less";

.cdx-demo-css-icon--bell {
  .cdx-mixin-css-icon( @cdx-icon-bell, @param-is-button-icon: true );
}

Link buttons and other elements

DANGER

Do not do this unless you absolutely have to. Use a <button> element styled like a button for an action, and use an <a> element styled like a link for navigation.

There are rare occasions where an inline element other than <button> needs to be styled to look like a button. To achieve this, add the following classes to your inline element:

• The classes detailed above: cdx-button, plus any other classes needed for action, weight, or size
• cdx-button--fake-button
• Either cdx-button--fake-button--enabled for an enabled button or cdx-button--fake-button--disabled for a disabled button. You must include one of these classes to get the proper button styles.

If your element behaves like a button (triggering an action or event), you should also add role="button" to the element if that role is allowed. See the ARIA Authoring Practices Guide on buttons for more information.

Progressive link button

<a
  class="cdx-button cdx-button--fake-button cdx-button--fake-button--enabled cdx-button--action-progressive"
  href="#"
>
  Progressive link button
</a>