Hig Components Dialogs

Apple HIG: Presentation Components

Check for .claude/apple-design-context.md before asking questions. Use existing context and only ask for information not already covered.

Key Principles

1. Alerts: sparingly, for critical situations. Errors needing attention, destructive action confirmations, or information requiring acknowledgment. They interrupt flow and demand a response.

2. Sheets: focused tasks that maintain context. Slides in from the edge (or attaches to a window on macOS). Use for creating items, editing settings, multi-step forms.

3. Popovers: non-modal on iPad and Mac. Appear next to the trigger element, dismissed by tapping outside. For additional information, options, or controls without taking over the screen.

4. Action sheets: choosing among actions. Present when picking from multiple actions, especially if one is destructive. iPhone: slide up from bottom. iPad: appear as popovers.

5. Minimize interruptions. Before reaching for a modal, consider inline presentation or making the action undoable instead.

6. Concise, actionable alert text. Short descriptive title. Brief message body if needed. Button labels should be specific verbs ("Delete", "Save"), not "OK".

7. Mark destructive actions clearly. Destructive button style (red text). Place destructive buttons where users are less likely to tap reflexively.

8. Provide a cancel option for alerts and action sheets with multiple actions. On action sheets, cancel appears at the bottom, separated.

9. Digit entry: focused and accessible. Appropriately sized input fields, automatic advancement between digits, support for paste and autofill.

10. Adapt presentation to platform. The same interaction may use different components on iPhone, iPad, Mac, and visionOS.

Reference Index

Output Format

1. Recommended presentation type with rationale and why alternatives are less suitable. 2. Content guidelines -- title, message, button labels per Apple's tone and brevity rules. 3. Dismiss behavior -- how the user dismisses and what happens (save, discard, cancel). 4. Alternatives -- when the scenario might not need a modal at all (inline feedback, undo, progressive disclosure).

Questions to Ask

1. What information or action does the presentation need? 2. Blocking or non-blocking? 3. Which platforms? 4. How often does this appear?

Related Skills

• hig-components-menus -- Buttons and toolbar items triggering presentations
• hig-components-controls -- Input controls within sheets and popovers
• hig-components-search -- Search and navigation within presented views
• hig-patterns -- Modality, interruptions, user flow management
• hig-foundations -- Color, typography, layout for presentation components

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<!-- hig-doctor:attribution -->

Source: Apple Inc. Canonical content at https://developer.apple.com/design/human-interface-guidelines/action-sheets.

This file is a structured index of that content, snapshot 2025-02-02.

Apple HIG text and imagery are © Apple Inc.; this repository provides organization and cross-referencing for AI agent consumption only.

Action sheets

Best practices

Use an action sheet — not an alert — to offer choices related to an intentional action.

Use action sheets sparingly.

Aim to keep titles short enough to display on a single line.

Provide a message only if necessary.

If necessary, provide a Cancel button that lets people reject an action that might destroy data.

Make destructive choices visually prominent.

Platform considerations

iOS, iPadOS

Use an action sheet — not a menu — to provide choices related to an action.

Avoid letting an action sheet scroll.

watchOS

Avoid displaying more than four buttons in an action sheet, including the Cancel button.

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<!-- hig-doctor:canonical-footer --> For the complete guidance, including worked examples and illustrations, see the canonical page: https://developer.apple.com/design/human-interface-guidelines/action-sheets

<!-- hig-doctor:attribution -->

Source: Apple Inc. Canonical content at https://developer.apple.com/design/human-interface-guidelines/alerts.

This file is a structured index of that content, snapshot 2025-02-02.

Apple HIG text and imagery are © Apple Inc.; this repository provides organization and cross-referencing for AI agent consumption only.

Alerts

Best practices

Use alerts sparingly.

Avoid using an alert merely to provide information.

Avoid displaying alerts for common, undoable actions, even when they’re destructive.

Avoid showing an alert when your app starts.

Anatomy

• iOS
• macOS
• tvOS
• visionOS
• watchOS

Content

• In iOS, iPadOS, macOS, and visionOS, an alert can include a text field.

• Alerts in macOS and visionOS can include an icon and an accessory view.

• macOS alerts can add a suppression checkbox and a Help button.

In all alert copy, be direct, and use a neutral, approachable tone.

Write a title that clearly and succinctly describes the situation.

Include informative text only if it adds value.

Avoid explaining alert buttons.

If supported, include a text field only if you need people’s input to resolve the situation.

Buttons

Create succinct, logical button titles.

Avoid using OK as the default button title unless the alert is purely informational.

Place buttons where people expect.

Use the destructive style to identify a button that performs a destructive action people didn’t deliberately choose.

If there’s a destructive action, include a Cancel button to give people a clear, safe way to avoid the action.

Provide alternative ways to cancel an alert when it makes sense.

Platform considerations

iOS, iPadOS

Use an action sheet — not an alert — to offer choices related to an intentional action.

When possible, avoid displaying an alert that scrolls.

macOS

• Configure repeating alerts to let people suppress subsequent occurrences of the same alert.

• Append a custom view if it’s necessary to provide additional information (for developer guidance, see `accessoryView`).

• Include a Help button that opens your help documentation (see Help buttons).

Use a caution symbol sparingly.

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<!-- hig-doctor:canonical-footer --> For the complete guidance, including worked examples and illustrations, see the canonical page: https://developer.apple.com/design/human-interface-guidelines/alerts

<!-- hig-doctor:attribution -->

Source: Apple Inc. Canonical content at https://developer.apple.com/design/human-interface-guidelines/digit-entry-views.

This file is a structured index of that content, snapshot 2025-02-02.

Apple HIG text and imagery are © Apple Inc.; this repository provides organization and cross-referencing for AI agent consumption only.

Digit entry views

Best practices

Use secure digit fields.

Clearly state the purpose of the digit entry view.

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<!-- hig-doctor:canonical-footer --> For the complete guidance, including worked examples and illustrations, see the canonical page: https://developer.apple.com/design/human-interface-guidelines/digit-entry-views

<!-- hig-doctor:attribution -->

Source: Apple Inc. Canonical content at https://developer.apple.com/design/human-interface-guidelines/popovers.

This file is a structured index of that content, snapshot 2025-02-02.

Apple HIG text and imagery are © Apple Inc.; this repository provides organization and cross-referencing for AI agent consumption only.

Popovers

Best practices

Use a popover to expose a small amount of information or functionality.

Consider using popovers when you want more room for content.

Position popovers appropriately.

Use a Close button for confirmation and guidance only.

Always save work when automatically closing a nonmodal popover.

Show one popover at a time.

Don’t show another view over a popover.

When possible, let people close one popover and open another with a single click or tap.

Avoid making a popover too big.

Provide a smooth transition when changing the size of a popover.

Avoid using the word _popover_ in help documentation.

Avoid using a popover to show a warning.

Platform considerations

iOS, iPadOS

Avoid displaying popovers in compact views.

macOS

• Attached popover
• Detached popover

Consider letting people detach a popover.

Make minimal appearance changes to a detached popover.

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<!-- hig-doctor:canonical-footer --> For the complete guidance, including worked examples and illustrations, see the canonical page: https://developer.apple.com/design/human-interface-guidelines/popovers

<!-- hig-doctor:attribution -->

Source: Apple Inc. Canonical content at https://developer.apple.com/design/human-interface-guidelines/sheets.

This file is a structured index of that content, snapshot 2025-02-02.

Apple HIG text and imagery are © Apple Inc.; this repository provides organization and cross-referencing for AI agent consumption only.

Sheets

Best practices

Use a sheet to present simple content or tasks.

For complex or prolonged user flows, consider alternatives to sheets.

Display only one sheet at a time from the main interface.

Use a nonmodal view when you want to present supplementary items that affect the main task in the parent view.

Platform considerations

iOS, iPadOS

In an iPhone app, consider supporting the medium detent to allow progressive disclosure of the sheet’s content.

Include a grabber in a resizable sheet.

Support swiping to dismiss a sheet.

Position Done and Cancel buttons as people expect.

Prefer using the page or form sheet presentation styles in an iPadOS app.

macOS

Present a sheet in a reasonable default size.

Let people interact with other app windows without first dismissing a sheet.

Position a sheet’s dismiss buttons as people expect.

Use a panel instead of a sheet if people need to repeatedly provide input and observe results.

visionOS

Avoid displaying a sheet that emerges from the bottom edge of a window.

Present a sheet in a default size that helps people retain their context.

watchOS

Use a sheet only when your modal task requires a custom title or custom content presentation.

Keep sheet interactions brief and occasional.

Change the default label of the dismiss control only if it makes sense in your app.

If you change the default label, prefer using SF Symbols to represent the action.

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<!-- hig-doctor:canonical-footer --> For the complete guidance, including worked examples and illustrations, see the canonical page: https://developer.apple.com/design/human-interface-guidelines/sheets