jQuery & jQuery UI Documentation

jQuery & jQuery UI

Dialog

Overview
Options
Events
Methods
Theming

jQuery UI Dialog

Overview

A dialog is a floating window that contains a title bar and a content area. The dialog window can be moved, resized and closed with the 'x' icon by default.

If the content length exceeds the maximum height, a scrollbar will automatically appear.

A bottom button bar and semi-transparent modal overlay layer are common options that can be added.

A call to $(foo).dialog() will initialize a dialog instance and will auto-open the dialog by default. If you want to reuse a dialog, the easiest way is to disable the "auto-open" option with: $(foo).dialog({ autoOpen: false }) and open it with $(foo).dialog('open'). To close it, use $(foo).dialog('close'). A more in-depth explanation with a full demo is available on the Nemikor blog.

Dependencies

UI Core
UI Position
UI Widget
UI Mouse (Optional; only needed if using UI Draggable or UI Resizable)
UI Draggable (Optional)
UI Resizable (Optional)

A simple jQuery UI Dialog.

$("#dialog").dialog();

<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
<head>
  <link href="http://ajax.googleapis.com/ajax/libs/jqueryui/1.8/themes/base/jquery-ui.css" rel="stylesheet" type="text/css"/>
  <script src="http://ajax.googleapis.com/ajax/libs/jquery/1.5/jquery.min.js"></script>
  <script src="http://ajax.googleapis.com/ajax/libs/jqueryui/1.8/jquery-ui.min.js"></script>
  
  <script>
  $(document).ready(function() {
    $("#dialog").dialog();
  });
  </script>
</head>
<body style="font-size:62.5%;">
  
<div id="dialog" title="Dialog Title">I'm in a dialog</div>

</body>
</html>

disabled

Type:
Boolean
Default:
false

Disables (true) or enables (false) the dialog. Can be set when initialising (first creating) the dialog.
Code examples
Initialize a dialog with the disabled option specified.
```
$( ".selector" ).dialog({ disabled: true });
```
Get or set the disabled option, after init.
```
//getter
var disabled = $( ".selector" ).dialog( "option", "disabled" );
//setter
$( ".selector" ).dialog( "option", "disabled", true );
```
autoOpen

Type:
Boolean
Default:
true

When autoOpen is true the dialog will open automatically when dialog is called. If false it will stay hidden until .dialog("open") is called on it.
Code examples
Initialize a dialog with the autoOpen option specified.
```
$( ".selector" ).dialog({ autoOpen: false });
```
Get or set the autoOpen option, after init.
```
//getter
var autoOpen = $( ".selector" ).dialog( "option", "autoOpen" );
//setter
$( ".selector" ).dialog( "option", "autoOpen", false );
```
buttons

Type:
Object
Default:
{ }

Specifies which buttons should be displayed on the dialog. The property key is the text of the button. The value is the callback function for when the button is clicked. The context of the callback is the dialog element; if you need access to the button, it is available as the target of the event object.
Code examples
Initialize a dialog with the buttons option specified.
```
$( ".selector" ).dialog({ buttons: { "Ok": function() { $(this).dialog("close"); } } });
```
Get or set the buttons option, after init.
```
//getter
var buttons = $( ".selector" ).dialog( "option", "buttons" );
//setter
$( ".selector" ).dialog( "option", "buttons", { "Ok": function() { $(this).dialog("close"); } } );
```

buttons

Type:: Array
Default:: [ ]

Specifies which buttons should be displayed on the dialog. Each element of the array must be an Object defining the properties to set on the button.

Code examples

Initialize a dialog with the buttons option specified.

$( ".selector" ).dialog({ buttons: [
    {
        text: "Ok",
        click: function() { $(this).dialog("close"); }
    }
] });

Get or set the buttons option, after init.

//getter
var buttons = $( ".selector" ).dialog( "option", "buttons" );
//setter
$( ".selector" ).dialog( "option", "buttons", [
    {
        text: "Ok",
        click: function() { $(this).dialog("close"); }
    }
] );

closeOnEscape

Type:
Boolean
Default:
true

Specifies whether the dialog should close when it has focus and the user presses the esacpe (ESC) key.
Code examples
Initialize a dialog with the closeOnEscape option specified.
```
$( ".selector" ).dialog({ closeOnEscape: false });
```
Get or set the closeOnEscape option, after init.
```
//getter
var closeOnEscape = $( ".selector" ).dialog( "option", "closeOnEscape" );
//setter
$( ".selector" ).dialog( "option", "closeOnEscape", false );
```
closeText

Type:
String
Default:
'close'

Specifies the text for the close button. Note that the close text is visibly hidden when using a standard theme.
Code examples
Initialize a dialog with the closeText option specified.
```
$( ".selector" ).dialog({ closeText: 'hide' });
```
Get or set the closeText option, after init.
```
//getter
var closeText = $( ".selector" ).dialog( "option", "closeText" );
//setter
$( ".selector" ).dialog( "option", "closeText", 'hide' );
```
dialogClass

Type:
String
Default:
''

The specified class name(s) will be added to the dialog, for additional theming.
Code examples
Initialize a dialog with the dialogClass option specified.
```
$( ".selector" ).dialog({ dialogClass: 'alert' });
```
Get or set the dialogClass option, after init.
```
//getter
var dialogClass = $( ".selector" ).dialog( "option", "dialogClass" );
//setter
$( ".selector" ).dialog( "option", "dialogClass", 'alert' );
```
draggable

Type:
Boolean
Default:
true

If set to true, the dialog will be draggable will be draggable by the titlebar.
Code examples
Initialize a dialog with the draggable option specified.
```
$( ".selector" ).dialog({ draggable: false });
```
Get or set the draggable option, after init.
```
//getter
var draggable = $( ".selector" ).dialog( "option", "draggable" );
//setter
$( ".selector" ).dialog( "option", "draggable", false );
```
height

Type:
Number
Default:
'auto'

The height of the dialog, in pixels. Specifying 'auto' is also supported to make the dialog adjust based on its content.
Code examples
Initialize a dialog with the height option specified.
```
$( ".selector" ).dialog({ height: 530 });
```
Get or set the height option, after init.
```
//getter
var height = $( ".selector" ).dialog( "option", "height" );
//setter
$( ".selector" ).dialog( "option", "height", 530 );
```
hide

Type:
String, Object
Default:
null

The effect to be used when the dialog is closed.
Code examples
Initialize a dialog with the hide option specified.
```
$( ".selector" ).dialog({ hide: 'slide' });
```
Get or set the hide option, after init.
```
//getter
var hide = $( ".selector" ).dialog( "option", "hide" );
//setter
$( ".selector" ).dialog( "option", "hide", 'slide' );
```
maxHeight

Type:
Number
Default:
false

The maximum height to which the dialog can be resized, in pixels.
Code examples
Initialize a dialog with the maxHeight option specified.
```
$( ".selector" ).dialog({ maxHeight: 400 });
```
Get or set the maxHeight option, after init.
```
//getter
var maxHeight = $( ".selector" ).dialog( "option", "maxHeight" );
//setter
$( ".selector" ).dialog( "option", "maxHeight", 400 );
```
maxWidth

Type:
Number
Default:
false

The maximum width to which the dialog can be resized, in pixels.
Code examples
Initialize a dialog with the maxWidth option specified.
```
$( ".selector" ).dialog({ maxWidth: 600 });
```
Get or set the maxWidth option, after init.
```
//getter
var maxWidth = $( ".selector" ).dialog( "option", "maxWidth" );
//setter
$( ".selector" ).dialog( "option", "maxWidth", 600 );
```
minHeight

Type:
Number
Default:
150

The minimum height to which the dialog can be resized, in pixels.
Code examples
Initialize a dialog with the minHeight option specified.
```
$( ".selector" ).dialog({ minHeight: 300 });
```
Get or set the minHeight option, after init.
```
//getter
var minHeight = $( ".selector" ).dialog( "option", "minHeight" );
//setter
$( ".selector" ).dialog( "option", "minHeight", 300 );
```
minWidth

Type:
Number
Default:
150

The minimum width to which the dialog can be resized, in pixels.
Code examples
Initialize a dialog with the minWidth option specified.
```
$( ".selector" ).dialog({ minWidth: 400 });
```
Get or set the minWidth option, after init.
```
//getter
var minWidth = $( ".selector" ).dialog( "option", "minWidth" );
//setter
$( ".selector" ).dialog( "option", "minWidth", 400 );
```
modal

Type:
Boolean
Default:
false

If set to true, the dialog will have modal behavior; other items on the page will be disabled (i.e. cannot be interacted with). Modal dialogs create an overlay below the dialog but above other page elements.
Code examples
Initialize a dialog with the modal option specified.
```
$( ".selector" ).dialog({ modal: true });
```
Get or set the modal option, after init.
```
//getter
var modal = $( ".selector" ).dialog( "option", "modal" );
//setter
$( ".selector" ).dialog( "option", "modal", true );
```
position

Type:
String, Array
Default:
'center'

Specifies where the dialog should be displayed. Possible values:
1) a single string representing position within viewport: 'center', 'left', 'right', 'top', 'bottom'.
2) an array containing an x,y coordinate pair in pixel offset from left, top corner of viewport (e.g. [350,100])
3) an array containing x,y position string values (e.g. ['right','top'] for top right corner).
Code examples
Initialize a dialog with the position option specified.
```
$( ".selector" ).dialog({ position: 'top' });
```
Get or set the position option, after init.
```
//getter
var position = $( ".selector" ).dialog( "option", "position" );
//setter
$( ".selector" ).dialog( "option", "position", 'top' );
```
resizable

Type:
Boolean
Default:
true

If set to true, the dialog will be resizeable.
Code examples
Initialize a dialog with the resizable option specified.
```
$( ".selector" ).dialog({ resizable: false });
```
Get or set the resizable option, after init.
```
//getter
var resizable = $( ".selector" ).dialog( "option", "resizable" );
//setter
$( ".selector" ).dialog( "option", "resizable", false );
```
show

Type:
String, Object
Default:
null

The effect to be used when the dialog is opened.
Code examples
Initialize a dialog with the show option specified.
```
$( ".selector" ).dialog({ show: 'slide' });
```
Get or set the show option, after init.
```
//getter
var show = $( ".selector" ).dialog( "option", "show" );
//setter
$( ".selector" ).dialog( "option", "show", 'slide' );
```
stack

Type:
Boolean
Default:
true

Specifies whether the dialog will stack on top of other dialogs. This will cause the dialog to move to the front of other dialogs when it gains focus.
Code examples
Initialize a dialog with the stack option specified.
```
$( ".selector" ).dialog({ stack: false });
```
Get or set the stack option, after init.
```
//getter
var stack = $( ".selector" ).dialog( "option", "stack" );
//setter
$( ".selector" ).dialog( "option", "stack", false );
```
title

Type:
String
Default:
''

Specifies the title of the dialog. Any valid HTML may be set as the title. The title can also be specified by the title attribute on the dialog source element.
Code examples
Initialize a dialog with the title option specified.
```
$( ".selector" ).dialog({ title: 'Dialog Title' });
```
Get or set the title option, after init.
```
//getter
var title = $( ".selector" ).dialog( "option", "title" );
//setter
$( ".selector" ).dialog( "option", "title", 'Dialog Title' );
```

width

Type:: Number
Default:: 300

The width of the dialog, in pixels.

Code examples

Initialize a dialog with the width option specified.

$( ".selector" ).dialog({ width: 460 });

Get or set the width option, after init.

//getter
var width = $( ".selector" ).dialog( "option", "width" );
//setter
$( ".selector" ).dialog( "option", "width", 460 );

zIndex

Type:: Integer
Default:: 1000

The starting z-index for the dialog.

Code examples

Initialize a dialog with the zIndex option specified.

$( ".selector" ).dialog({ zIndex: 3999 });

Get or set the zIndex option, after init.

//getter
var zIndex = $( ".selector" ).dialog( "option", "zIndex" );
//setter
$( ".selector" ).dialog( "option", "zIndex", 3999 );

create

Type:
dialogcreate

This event is triggered when dialog is created.
Code examples
Supply a callback function to handle the create event as an init option.
```
$( ".selector" ).dialog({
   create: function(event, ui) { ... }
});
```
Bind to the create event by type: dialogcreate.
```
$( ".selector" ).bind( "dialogcreate", function(event, ui) {
  ...
});
```
beforeClose

Type:
dialogbeforeclose

This event is triggered when a dialog attempts to close. If the beforeClose event handler (callback function) returns false, the close will be prevented.
Code examples
Supply a callback function to handle the beforeClose event as an init option.
```
$( ".selector" ).dialog({
   beforeClose: function(event, ui) { ... }
});
```
Bind to the beforeClose event by type: dialogbeforeclose.
```
$( ".selector" ).bind( "dialogbeforeclose", function(event, ui) {
  ...
});
```
open

Type:
dialogopen

This event is triggered when dialog is opened.
Code examples
Supply a callback function to handle the open event as an init option.
```
$( ".selector" ).dialog({
   open: function(event, ui) { ... }
});
```
Bind to the open event by type: dialogopen.
```
$( ".selector" ).bind( "dialogopen", function(event, ui) {
  ...
});
```
focus

Type:
dialogfocus

This event is triggered when the dialog gains focus.
Code examples
Supply a callback function to handle the focus event as an init option.
```
$( ".selector" ).dialog({
   focus: function(event, ui) { ... }
});
```
Bind to the focus event by type: dialogfocus.
```
$( ".selector" ).bind( "dialogfocus", function(event, ui) {
  ...
});
```
dragStart

Type:
dialogdragstart

This event is triggered at the beginning of the dialog being dragged.
Code examples
Supply a callback function to handle the dragStart event as an init option.
```
$( ".selector" ).dialog({
   dragStart: function(event, ui) { ... }
});
```
Bind to the dragStart event by type: dialogdragstart.
```
$( ".selector" ).bind( "dialogdragstart", function(event, ui) {
  ...
});
```
drag

Type:
dialogdrag

This event is triggered when the dialog is dragged.
Code examples
Supply a callback function to handle the drag event as an init option.
```
$( ".selector" ).dialog({
   drag: function(event, ui) { ... }
});
```
Bind to the drag event by type: dialogdrag.
```
$( ".selector" ).bind( "dialogdrag", function(event, ui) {
  ...
});
```
dragStop

Type:
dialogdragstop

This event is triggered after the dialog has been dragged.
Code examples
Supply a callback function to handle the dragStop event as an init option.
```
$( ".selector" ).dialog({
   dragStop: function(event, ui) { ... }
});
```
Bind to the dragStop event by type: dialogdragstop.
```
$( ".selector" ).bind( "dialogdragstop", function(event, ui) {
  ...
});
```
resizeStart

Type:
dialogresizestart

This event is triggered at the beginning of the dialog being resized.
Code examples
Supply a callback function to handle the resizeStart event as an init option.
```
$( ".selector" ).dialog({
   resizeStart: function(event, ui) { ... }
});
```
Bind to the resizeStart event by type: dialogresizestart.
```
$( ".selector" ).bind( "dialogresizestart", function(event, ui) {
  ...
});
```
resize

Type:
dialogresize

This event is triggered when the dialog is resized. demo
Code examples
Supply a callback function to handle the resize event as an init option.
```
$( ".selector" ).dialog({
   resize: function(event, ui) { ... }
});
```
Bind to the resize event by type: dialogresize.
```
$( ".selector" ).bind( "dialogresize", function(event, ui) {
  ...
});
```
resizeStop

Type:
dialogresizestop

This event is triggered after the dialog has been resized.
Code examples
Supply a callback function to handle the resizeStop event as an init option.
```
$( ".selector" ).dialog({
   resizeStop: function(event, ui) { ... }
});
```
Bind to the resizeStop event by type: dialogresizestop.
```
$( ".selector" ).bind( "dialogresizestop", function(event, ui) {
  ...
});
```
close

Type:
dialogclose

This event is triggered when the dialog is closed.
Code examples
Supply a callback function to handle the close event as an init option.
```
$( ".selector" ).dialog({
   close: function(event, ui) { ... }
});
```
Bind to the close event by type: dialogclose.
```
$( ".selector" ).bind( "dialogclose", function(event, ui) {
  ...
});
```

destroy

Signature:
.dialog( "destroy" )

Remove the dialog functionality completely. This will return the element back to its pre-init state.
disable

Signature:
.dialog( "disable" )

Disable the dialog.
enable

Signature:
.dialog( "enable" )

Enable the dialog.
option

Signature:
.dialog( "option" , optionName , [value] )

Get or set any dialog option. If no value is specified, will act as a getter.
option

Signature:
.dialog( "option" , options )

Set multiple dialog options at once by providing an options object.
widget

Signature:
.dialog( "widget" )

Returns the .ui-dialog element.
close

Signature:
.dialog( "close" )

Close the dialog.
isOpen

Signature:
.dialog( "isOpen" )

Returns true if the dialog is currently open.
moveToTop

Signature:
.dialog( "moveToTop" )

Move the dialog to the top of the dialogs stack.
open

Signature:
.dialog( "open" )

Open the dialog.

The jQuery UI Dialog plugin uses the jQuery UI CSS Framework to style its look and feel, including colors and background textures. We recommend using the ThemeRoller tool to create and download custom themes that are easy to build and maintain.

If a deeper level of customization is needed, there are widget-specific classes referenced within the jquery.ui.dialog.css stylesheet that can be modified. These classes are highlighed in bold below.

Sample markup with jQuery UI CSS Framework classes

<div class="ui-dialog ui-widget ui-widget-content ui-corner-all ui-draggable ui-resizable">
   <div class="ui-dialog-titlebar ui-widget-header ui-corner-all ui-helper-clearfix">
      <span id="ui-dialog-title-dialog" class="ui-dialog-title">Dialog title</span>
      <a class="ui-dialog-titlebar-close ui-corner-all" ><span class="ui-icon ui-icon-closethick">close</span></a>
   </div>
   <div style="height: 200px; min-height: 109px; width: auto;" class="ui-dialog-content ui-widget-content" id="dialog">
      <p>Dialog content goes here.</p>
   </div>
</div>

Note: This is a sample of markup generated by the dialog plugin, not markup you should use to create a dialog. The only markup needed for that is <div></div>.

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Sample markup with jQuery UI CSS Framework classes