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Tooltip

A short optional text description attached to an already complete native button or link.

When to use it. Use for nonessential context. Required labels, instructions, errors, status and task information belong in visible Help, Alert or page content.

Native baseline A single structured text-labelled trigger preserves native button type or link destination. This is CSS presentation, not an interest invoker, top layer or Escape-dismissable overlay. Progressive enhancement Package CSS adds the optional presentation only when its complete capability gate passes. Native trigger and description semantics are the floor. Hover/focus CSS is optional. Narrow, coarse-pointer, RTL and unsupported-anchor layouts retain flow presentation; touch activates the ordinary control. Exact fallback Always-visible ordinary content below remains available. Without script, native controls still work when their required platform features exist. Without CSS, native dialogs/popovers still need invocation; supplemental content is visible in flow. Without invokers or Popover, use the ordinary alternative. Without anchors use bounded default placement; without transitions or with reduced motion it snaps. No hover/coarse pointer retains the complete trigger or link. Forced colors preserves borders and focus; narrow/zoomed text wraps, RTL uses logical edges or supplemental flow. Replacing the subtree does not restore its open state or focus.

How it works

  • <.tooltip> A single structured text-labelled trigger preserves native button type or link destination. This is CSS presentation, not an interest invoker, top layer or Escape-dismissable overlay.
  • package CSS Package CSS adds the optional presentation only when its complete capability gate passes. Native trigger and description semantics are the floor. Hover/focus CSS is optional. Narrow, coarse-pointer, RTL and unsupported-anchor layouts retain flow presentation; touch activates the ordinary control.
  • gallery only Theme switching, source copying, search, fixtures, and inspection controls on this page belong to the gallery only; :tooltip does not ship them.
  • application boundary Dialog and Drawer are modal; Alert Dialog adds consequence semantics and safe cancel focus. Popover is nonmodal; Dropdown Actions contains ordinary controls, not ARIA menus. Tooltip and Hover Card are supplemental only. Use ordinary links for destinations, buttons for actions and visible Help for required guidance. Interest invokers and interactive previews are deferred.

Examples use package semantic tokens in explicit light and dark scopes.

Accessibility and browser support

One escaped role=tooltip bubble is nonfocusable. aria-describedby merges existing IDs without duplicates. Keyboard focus and fine-pointer hover reveal it; disabled controls remain disabled.

Tooltip support and fallback
Feature Locked-engine evidence When missing
Native baseline Reviewed in the locked Chromium, Firefox, and WebKit evidence matrix. Always-visible ordinary content below remains available. Without script, native controls still work when their required platform features exist. Without CSS, native dialogs/popovers still need invocation; supplemental content is visible in flow. Without invokers or Popover, use the ordinary alternative. Without anchors use bounded default placement; without transitions or with reduced motion it snaps. No hover/coarse pointer retains the complete trigger or link. Forced colors preserves borders and focus; narrow/zoomed text wraps, RTL uses logical edges or supplemental flow. Replacing the subtree does not restore its open state or focus.
Progressive enhancement The locked-engine evidence exercises the authored complete capability gate. Always-visible ordinary content below remains available. Without script, native controls still work when their required platform features exist. Without CSS, native dialogs/popovers still need invocation; supplemental content is visible in flow. Without invokers or Popover, use the ordinary alternative. Without anchors use bounded default placement; without transitions or with reduced motion it snaps. No hover/coarse pointer retains the complete trigger or link. Forced colors preserves borders and focus; narrow/zoomed text wraps, RTL uses logical edges or supplemental flow. Replacing the subtree does not restore its open state or focus.
Exact fallback The locked-engine matrix retains the documented native or static outcome. Always-visible ordinary content below remains available. Without script, native controls still work when their required platform features exist. Without CSS, native dialogs/popovers still need invocation; supplemental content is visible in flow. Without invokers or Popover, use the ordinary alternative. Without anchors use bounded default placement; without transitions or with reduced motion it snaps. No hover/coarse pointer retains the complete trigger or link. Forced colors preserves borders and focus; narrow/zoomed text wraps, RTL uses logical edges or supplemental flow. Replacing the subtree does not restore its open state or focus.

Ordinary alternative: complete information and controls

Read the complete manual and review preferences here without opening a surface. No data is saved or deleted.

Practical guidance, also available in the complete manual. Also available as plain text.

معلومات إضافية متاحة أيضًا في الدليل الكامل.

Required help stays visible. A real application must provide its complete task here or at an ordinary route, not only inside an overlay.

Application ownership and API

Applications own routes, authorization, CSRF, validation, persistence, loading, outcomes and replacement. Replacing an open subtree may close it and lose native focus; these examples do not restore it or synchronize state. No real operation is executed.

Choosing the related control. Dialog and Drawer are modal; Alert Dialog adds consequence semantics and safe cancel focus. Popover is nonmodal; Dropdown Actions contains ordinary controls, not ARIA menus. Tooltip and Hover Card are supplemental only. Use ordinary links for destinations, buttons for actions and visible Help for required guidance. Interest invokers and interactive previews are deferred.

Public API Package source

Provenance

Catalogue identity overlays.tooltip, adapted from unscripted/ui commit bd8f403030c8d1f46804da6eda733fde7e908e63 under its MIT notice.

The documentation presentation is adapted locally; ShadcnUI's Phoenix API and native semantic contract remain authoritative.

Adapt the plain CSS supplemental description into escaped text and a structured native trigger with stable merged description IDs, scoped optional anchors, normal-flow fallback, no delays and no interest invokers.