Bootstrap Button Group

Overview

The button features together with the links wrapped within them are maybe the most important components allowing the users to have interaction with the web pages and take various actions and move from one web page to some other. Most especially nowadays in the mobile first universe when a minimum of half of the pages are being viewed from small touch screen gadgets the large comfortable rectangle zones on display easy to locate with your eyes and contact with your finger are even more necessary than ever before. That's reasons why the updated Bootstrap 4 framework progressed providing more pleasant experience giving up the extra small button size and incorporating some more free space around the button's subtitles making them more legible and easy to use. A small touch providing a lot to the friendlier looks of the brand-new Bootstrap Button Styles are also just a little bit more rounded corners which coupled with the more free space around helping make the buttons a lot more pleasing for the eye.

The semantic classes of Bootstrap Button Input

In this version that have the similar number of marvelous and easy to use semantic styles bringing the ability to relay meaning to the buttons we use with simply just providing a specific class.

The semantic classes are the same in number as in the last version however with a number of enhancements-- the not often used default Bootstrap Button basically carrying no meaning has been dropped in order to get substituted by much more subtle and user-friendly secondary button styling so presently the semantic classes are:

Primary

.btn-primary

- painted in light blue;

Secondary

.btn-secondary

- replacing the

.btn-default

class-- pure white color tone with subtle grey outline; Info

.btn-info

- a little bit lighter and friendlier blue;

Success

.btn-success

the good old green;

Warning

.btn-warning

colored in orange;

Danger

.btn-danger

which happens to be red;

And Link

.btn-link

that comes to style the button as the default hyperlink element;

Just ensure you first add in the main

.btn

class just before using them.

<button type="button" class="btn btn-primary">Primary</button>

<button type="button" class="btn btn-secondary">Secondary</button>

<button type="button" class="btn btn-success">Success</button>

<button type="button" class="btn btn-info">Info</button>

<button type="button" class="btn btn-warning">Warning</button>

<button type="button" class="btn btn-danger">Danger</button>

<button type="button" class="btn btn-link">Link</button>

Tags of the buttons

The

.btn

classes are created to be used along with the

<button>

element. On the other hand, you could additionally use such classes on

<a>

<input>

elements ( although some web browsers can put on a slightly different rendering). When applying button classes on

<a>

elements which are used to provide in-page features ( such as collapsing content), instead of relating to new pages or sections within the existing web page, these hyperlinks should be given a

role="button"

to appropriately convey their purpose to assistive technologies like display readers.

<a class="btn btn-primary" href="#" role="button">Link</a>
<button class="btn btn-primary" type="submit">Button</button>
<input class="btn btn-primary" type="button" value="Input">
<input class="btn btn-primary" type="submit" value="Submit">
<input class="btn btn-primary" type="reset" value="Reset">

These are however the part of the possible looks you can put into your buttons in Bootstrap 4 due to the fact that the brand new version of the framework at the same time gives us a brand-new suggestive and beautiful solution to design our buttons helping keep the semantic we right now have-- the outline setting ( discover more).

The outline process

The solid background without border gets replaced by an outline using some text message with the related coloring. Refining the classes is very easy-- just add

outline

right before assigning the right semantics such as:

Outlined Leading button comes to be

.btn-outline-primary

Outlined Secondary -

.btn-outline-secondary

and so on.

Very important aspect to note here is there actually is no such thing as outlined hyperlink button in this way the outlined buttons are really six, not seven .

Remove and replace the default modifier classes with the

.btn-outline-*

ones to take away all background pictures and colours on any kind of button.

<button type="button" class="btn btn-outline-primary">Primary</button>
<button type="button" class="btn btn-outline-secondary">Secondary</button>
<button type="button" class="btn btn-outline-success">Success</button>
<button type="button" class="btn btn-outline-info">Info</button>
<button type="button" class="btn btn-outline-warning">Warning</button>
<button type="button" class="btn btn-outline-danger">Danger</button>

More text message

The semantic button classes and outlined appearances are really great it is important to remember some of the page's visitors won't actually be able to see them so if you do have some a bit more special meaning you would like to add to your buttons-- make sure along with the visual means you also add a few words describing this to the screen readers hiding them from the page with the

.  sr-only

class so really anybody might get the impression you're after.

Buttons sizing

As we said before the updated version of the framework pursues legibility and convenience so when it refers to button sizings along with the default button size that needs no more class to be assigned we also have the large

.btn-lg

and small

.btn-sm

scales however no extra small option due to the fact that these are far too very difficult to target with your finger-- the

.btn-xs

from the older version has been rejected. Surely we still have the easy block level button element

.btn-block

When you need it, spanning the whole width of the element it has been placed within which combined with the large size comes to be the perfect call to action.

<button type="button" class="btn btn-primary btn-lg">Large button</button>
<button type="button" class="btn btn-secondary btn-lg">Large button</button>

<button type="button" class="btn btn-primary btn-sm">Small button</button>
<button type="button" class="btn btn-secondary btn-sm">Small button</button>

Create block level buttons-- those that span the full width of a parent-- by adding

.btn-block

<button type="button" class="btn btn-primary btn-lg btn-block">Block level button</button>
<button type="button" class="btn btn-secondary btn-lg btn-block">Block level button</button>

Active mode

Buttons will appear pressed (with a darker background, darker border, and inset shadow) when active.

<a href="#" class="btn btn-primary btn-lg active" role="button" aria-pressed="true">Primary link</a>
<a href="#" class="btn btn-secondary btn-lg active" role="button" aria-pressed="true">Link</a>

Disabled mode

Make buttons appear inactive through adding in the

disabled

boolean attribute to any

<button>

element ( learn more).

<button type="button" class="btn btn-lg btn-primary" disabled>Primary button</button>
<button type="button" class="btn btn-secondary btn-lg" disabled>Button</button>

Disabled buttons employing the

<a>

element act a bit different:

<a>

-s don't support the disabled feature, so you need to bring in the

.disabled

class to make it visually appear disabled.

- A few future-friendly styles are featured to disable all pointer-events on anchor buttons. In internet browsers that support that property, you will not see the disabled pointer in any way.

- Disabled buttons must provide the

aria-disabled="true"

attribute to point out the state of the component to assistive technologies.

<a href="#" class="btn btn-primary btn-lg disabled" role="button" aria-disabled="true">Primary link</a>
<a href="#" class="btn btn-secondary btn-lg disabled" role="button" aria-disabled="true">Link</a>

Link functionality warning

The

.disabled

class uses pointer-events: none to attempt to disable the hyperlink capability of

<a>

-s, but such CSS property is not still standardised. Plus, even in internet browsers that do support pointer-events: none, keyboard navigation remains untouched, saying that sighted keyboard users and users of assistive technological innovations will still be capable to activate all these links. So to remain safe, provide a

tabindex="-1"

attribute on these urls ( to avoid them from receiving key-board focus) and employ custom JavaScript to disable their capability.

Toggle attribute

<button type="button" class="btn btn-primary" data-toggle="button" aria-pressed="false" autocomplete="off">
  Single toggle
</button>

More buttons: checkbox plus radio

The checked condition for such buttons is only upgraded through click event on the button. If you work with another solution to improve the input-- e.g., with

<input type="reset">

or simply by manually applying the input's checked property-- you'll have to toggle

.active

on the

<label>

manually.

Take note of that pre-checked buttons require you to manually put in the

.active

class to the input's

<label>

<div class="btn-group" data-toggle="buttons">
  <label class="btn btn-primary active">
    <input type="checkbox" checked autocomplete="off"> Checkbox 1 (pre-checked)
  </label>
  <label class="btn btn-primary">
    <input type="checkbox" autocomplete="off"> Checkbox 2
  </label>
  <label class="btn btn-primary">
    <input type="checkbox" autocomplete="off"> Checkbox 3
  </label>
</div>

<div class="btn-group" data-toggle="buttons">
  <label class="btn btn-primary active">
    <input type="radio" name="options" id="option1" autocomplete="off" checked> Radio 1 (preselected)
  </label>
  <label class="btn btn-primary">
    <input type="radio" name="options" id="option2" autocomplete="off"> Radio 2
  </label>
  <label class="btn btn-primary">
    <input type="radio" name="options" id="option3" autocomplete="off"> Radio 3
  </label>
</div>

Solutions

$().button('toggle')

- toggles push state. Brings the button the visual aspect that it has been turned on.

Final thoughts

Generally in the new version of the most popular mobile first framework the buttons evolved aiming to become more legible, more easy and friendly to use on smaller screen and much more powerful in expressive means with the brand new outlined appearance. Now all they need is to be placed in your next great page.