Overview
Get the lowdown on the key pieces of Bootstrap's infrastructure, including our approach to better, faster, stronger web development.
HTML5 doctype
Bootstrap makes use of certain HTML elements and CSS properties that require the use of the HTML5 doctype. Include it at the beginning of all your projects.
Mobile first
With Bootstrap 2, we added optional mobile friendly styles for key aspects of the framework. With Bootstrap 3, we've rewritten the project to be mobile friendly from the start. Instead of adding on optional mobile styles, they're baked right into the core. In fact, Bootstrap is mobile first. Mobile first styles can be found throughout the entire library instead of in separate files.
To ensure proper rendering and touch zooming, add the viewport meta tag to your <head>
.
You can disable zooming capabilities on mobile devices by adding user-scalable=no
to the viewport meta tag. This disables zooming, meaning users are only able to scroll, and results in your site feeling a bit more like a native application. Overall, we don't recommend this on every site, so use caution!
Typography and links
Bootstrap sets basic global display, typography, and link styles. Specifically, we:
- Set
background-color: #fff;
on thebody
- Use the
@font-family-base
,@font-size-base
, and@line-height-base
attributes as our typographic base - Set the global link color via
@link-color
and apply link underlines only on:hover
These styles can be found within scaffolding.less
.
Normalize.css
For improved cross-browser rendering, we use Normalize.css, a project by Nicolas Gallagher and Jonathan Neal.
Containers
Bootstrap requires a containing element to wrap site contents and house our grid system. You may choose one of two containers to use in your projects. Note that, due to padding
and more, neither container is nestable.
Use .container
for a responsive fixed width container.
Use .container-fluid
for a full width container, spanning the entire width of your viewport.
Grid system
Bootstrap includes a responsive, mobile first fluid grid system that appropriately scales up to 12 columns as the device or viewport size increases. It includes predefined classes for easy layout options, as well as powerful mixins for generating more semantic layouts.
Introduction
Grid systems are used for creating page layouts through a series of rows and columns that house your content. Here's how the Bootstrap grid system works:
- Rows must be placed within a
.container
(fixed-width) or.container-fluid
(full-width) for proper alignment and padding. - Use rows to create horizontal groups of columns.
- Content should be placed within columns, and only columns may be immediate children of rows.
- Predefined grid classes like
.row
and.col-xs-4
are available for quickly making grid layouts. Less mixins can also be used for more semantic layouts. - Columns create gutters (gaps between column content) via
padding
. That padding is offset in rows for the first and last column via negative margin on.row
s. - The negative margin is why the examples below are outdented. It's so that content within grid columns is lined up with non-grid content.
- Grid columns are created by specifying the number of twelve available columns you wish to span. For example, three equal columns would use three
.col-xs-4
. - If more than 12 columns are placed within a single row, each group of extra columns will, as one unit, wrap onto a new line.
- Grid classes apply to devices with screen widths greater than or equal to the breakpoint sizes, and override grid classes targeted at smaller devices. Therefore, e.g. applying any
.col-md-*
class to an element will not only affect its styling on medium devices but also on large devices if a.col-lg-*
class is not present.
Look to the examples for applying these principles to your code.
Media queries
We use the following media queries in our Less files to create the key breakpoints in our grid system.
We occasionally expand on these media queries to include a max-width
to limit CSS to a narrower set of devices.
Grid options
See how aspects of the Bootstrap grid system work across multiple devices with a handy table.
Extra small devices Phones (<576px) | Small devices Tablets (≥576px) | Medium devices Desktops (≥768px) | Large devices Desktops (≥992px) | Extra large devices Desktops (≥1200px) | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Grid behavior | Horizontal at all times | Collapsed to start, horizontal above breakpoints | |||
Container width | None (auto) | None (auto) | 720px | 940px | 1140px |
Class prefix | .col-xs- |
.col-sm- |
.col-md- |
.col-lg- |
.col-xl- |
# of columns | 12 | ||||
Column width | Auto | Auto | ~46px | ~56px | ~73px |
Gutter width | 24px (12px on each side of a column) | ||||
Nestable | Yes | ||||
Offsets | Yes | ||||
Column ordering | Yes |
Example: Stacked-to-horizontal
Using a single set of .col-md-*
grid classes, you can create a basic grid system that starts out stacked on mobile devices and tablet devices (the extra small to small range) before becoming horizontal on desktop (medium) devices. Place grid columns in any .row
.
Example: Fluid container
Turn any fixed-width grid layout into a full-width layout by changing your outermost .container
to .container-fluid
.
Example: Mobile and desktop
Don't want your columns to simply stack in smaller devices? Use the extra small and medium device grid classes by adding .col-xs-*
.col-md-*
to your columns. See the example below for a better idea of how it all works.
Example: Mobile, tablet, desktop
Build on the previous example by creating even more dynamic and powerful layouts with tablet .col-sm-*
classes.
Example: Column wrapping
If more than 12 columns are placed within a single row, each group of extra columns will, as one unit, wrap onto a new line.
Since 9 + 4 = 13 > 12, this 4-column-wide div gets wrapped onto a new line as one contiguous unit.
Subsequent columns continue along the new line.
Equal height columns
If you want the columns of your grid to have the same height, add the .row-equal-height
modifier.
This can be used to match the height of nested containers, or to control the behaviour of columns that wrap to a new line.
Equal height columns use flexbox which is not supported in earlier versions of some browsers.
Without row-equal-height
With row-equal-height
Responsive column resets
With the four tiers of grids available you're bound to run into issues where, at certain breakpoints, your columns don't clear quite right as one is taller than the other. To fix that, use a combination of a .clearfix
and our responsive utility classes.
Resize your viewport or check it out on your phone for an example.
In addition to column clearing at responsive breakpoints, you may need to reset offsets, pushes, or pulls. See this in action in the grid example.
Offsetting columns
Move columns to the right using .col-md-offset-*
classes. These classes increase the left margin of a column by *
columns. For example, .col-md-offset-4
moves .col-md-4
over four columns.
Nesting columns
To nest your content with the default grid, add a new .row
and set of .col-sm-*
columns within an existing .col-sm-*
column. Nested rows should include a set of columns that add up to 12 or fewer (it is not required that you use all 12 available columns).
Column ordering
Easily change the order of our built-in grid columns with .col-md-push-*
and .col-md-pull-*
modifier classes.
Typography
Headings
All HTML headings, <h1>
through <h6>
, are available. .h1
through .h6
classes are also available, for when you want to match the font styling of a heading but still want your text to be displayed inline.
h1. Bootstrap heading |
bold 28px line-height 32px margin-bottom 4px |
h2. Bootstrap heading |
bold 22px line-height 30px margin-bottom 2px |
h3. Bootstrap heading |
semi-bold 18px line-height 24px |
h4. Bootstrap heading |
semi-bold 16px line-height 24px |
h5. Bootstrap heading |
semi-bold 16px line-height 24px |
h6. Bootstrap heading |
semi-bold 14px line-height 24px |
Create contextual headings with the built in background helper classes.
h1. Bootstrap heading
h2. Bootstrap heading
h3. Bootstrap heading
h4. Bootstrap heading
h5. Bootstrap heading
h6. Bootstrap heading
h1. Bootstrap heading
h2. Bootstrap heading
h3. Bootstrap heading
h4. Bootstrap heading
h5. Bootstrap heading
h6. Bootstrap heading
h1. Bootstrap heading
h2. Bootstrap heading
h3. Bootstrap heading
h4. Bootstrap heading
h5. Bootstrap heading
h6. Bootstrap heading
Display headings
Traditional heading elements are designed to work best in the meat of your page content. When you need a heading to stand out, consider using a display heading —a larger, slightly more opinionated heading style.
Display 1 |
Display 2 |
Display 3 |
Display 4 |
Body copy
Bootstrap's global default font-size
is 16px, with a line-height
of 24px. This is applied to the <body>
and all paragraphs. In addition, <p>
(paragraphs) receive a bottom margin of their full line-height (24px by default).
Nullam quis risus eget urna mollis ornare vel eu leo. Cum sociis natoque penatibus et magnis dis parturient montes, nascetur ridiculus mus. Nullam id dolor id nibh ultricies vehicula.
Cum sociis natoque penatibus et magnis dis parturient montes, nascetur ridiculus mus. Donec ullamcorper nulla non metus auctor fringilla. Duis mollis, est non commodo luctus, nisi erat porttitor ligula, eget lacinia odio sem nec elit. Donec ullamcorper nulla non metus auctor fringilla.
Maecenas sed diam eget risus varius blandit sit amet non magna. Donec id elit non mi porta gravida at eget metus. Duis mollis, est non commodo luctus, nisi erat porttitor ligula, eget lacinia odio sem nec elit.
Lead body copy
Make a paragraph stand out by adding .lead
.
Vivamus sagittis lacus vel augue laoreet rutrum faucibus dolor auctor. Duis mollis, est non commodo luctus.
Built with Less
The typographic scale is based on two Less variables in variables.less: @font-size-base
and @line-height-base
. The first is the base font-size used throughout and the second is the base line-height. We use those variables and some simple math to create the margins, paddings, and line-heights of all our type and more. Customize them and Bootstrap adapts.
Inline text elements
Marked text
For highlighting a run of text due to its relevance in another context, use the <mark>
tag.
You can use the mark tag to highlight text.
Deleted text
For indicating blocks of text that have been deleted use the <del>
tag.
This line of text is meant to be treated as deleted text.
Strikethrough text
For indicating blocks of text that are no longer relevant use the <s>
tag.
This line of text is meant to be treated as no longer accurate.
Inserted text
For indicating additions to the document use the <ins>
tag.
This line of text is meant to be treated as an addition to the document.
Underlined text
To underline text use the <u>
tag.
This line of text will render as underlined
Make use of HTML's default emphasis tags with lightweight styles.
Small text
For de-emphasizing inline or blocks of text, use the <small>
tag to set text at 85% the size of the parent. Heading elements receive their own font-size
for nested <small>
elements.
You may alternatively use an inline element with .small
in place of any <small>
.
This line of text is meant to be treated as fine print.
Bold
For emphasizing a snippet of text with a heavier font-weight.
The following snippet of text is rendered as bold text.
Italics
For emphasizing a snippet of text with italics.
The following snippet of text is rendered as italicized text.
Alternate elements
Feel free to use <b>
and <i>
in HTML5. <b>
is meant to highlight words or phrases without conveying additional importance while <i>
is mostly for voice, technical terms, etc.
Alignment classes
Easily realign text to components with text alignment classes.
Left aligned text.
Center aligned text.
Right aligned text.
Justified text.
No wrap text.
For text that only aligns above a given break point use the appropriate modifier.
Text right on extra small grids.
Text right on small grids.
Text right on medium grids.
Text right on large grids.
Text right on extra large grids.
Transformation classes
Transform text in components with text capitalization classes.
Lowercased text.
Uppercased text.
Capitalized text.
Abbreviations
Stylized implementation of HTML's <abbr>
element for abbreviations and acronyms to show the expanded version on hover. Abbreviations with a title
attribute have a light dotted bottom border and a help cursor on hover, providing additional context on hover and to users of assistive technologies.
Basic abbreviation
An abbreviation of the word attribute is attr.
Initialism
Add .initialism
to an abbreviation for a slightly smaller font-size.
HTML is the best thing since sliced bread.
Addresses
Present contact information for the nearest ancestor or the entire body of work. Preserve formatting by ending all lines with <br>
.
795 Folsom Ave, Suite 600
San Francisco, CA 94107
P: (123) 456-7890 Full Name
first.last@example.com
Blockquotes
For quoting blocks of content from another source within your document.
Default blockquote
Wrap <blockquote>
around any HTML as the quote. For straight quotes, we recommend a <p>
.
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Integer posuere erat a ante.
Blockquote options
Style and content changes for simple variations on a standard <blockquote>
.
Naming a source
Add a <footer>
for identifying the source. Wrap the name of the source work in <cite>
.
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Integer posuere erat a ante.
Alternate displays
Add .blockquote-reverse
for a blockquote with right-aligned content.
Lists
Unordered
A list of items in which the order does not explicitly matter.
- Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet
- Consectetur adipiscing elit
- Integer molestie lorem at massa
- Facilisis in pretium nisl aliquet
- Nulla volutpat aliquam velit
- Phasellus iaculis neque
- Purus sodales ultricies
- Vestibulum laoreet porttitor sem
- Ac tristique libero volutpat at
- Faucibus porta lacus fringilla vel
- Aenean sit amet erat nunc
- Eget porttitor lorem
Ordered
A list of items in which the order does explicitly matter.
- Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet
- Consectetur adipiscing elit
- Integer molestie lorem at massa
- Facilisis in pretium nisl aliquet
- Nulla volutpat aliquam velit
- Faucibus porta lacus fringilla vel
- Aenean sit amet erat nunc
- Eget porttitor lorem
Unstyled
Remove the default list-style
and left margin on list items (immediate children only). This only applies to immediate children list items, meaning you will need to add the class for any nested lists as well.
- Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet
- Consectetur adipiscing elit
- Integer molestie lorem at massa
- Facilisis in pretium nisl aliquet
- Nulla volutpat aliquam velit
- Phasellus iaculis neque
- Purus sodales ultricies
- Vestibulum laoreet porttitor sem
- Ac tristique libero volutpat at
- Faucibus porta lacus fringilla vel
- Aenean sit amet erat nunc
- Eget porttitor lorem
Inline
Place all list items on a single line with display: inline-block;
and some light padding.
- Lorem ipsum
- Phasellus iaculis
- Nulla volutpat
Description
A list of terms with their associated descriptions.
- Description lists
- A description list is perfect for defining terms.
- Euismod
- Vestibulum id ligula porta felis euismod semper eget lacinia odio sem nec elit.
- Donec id elit non mi porta gravida at eget metus.
- Malesuada porta
- Etiam porta sem malesuada magna mollis euismod.
Horizontal description
Make terms and descriptions in <dl>
line up side-by-side. Starts off stacked like default <dl>
s, but when the navbar expands, so do these.
- Description lists
- A description list is perfect for defining terms.
- This is a very long title for a value, it's here to demonstrate wrapping.
- Quite cool, no?
- IBAN
- DE89 3704 0044 0532 0130 00
- Recipient gets
- 1,000,000 USD
- Sending via
- Slack
Auto-truncating
Horizontal description lists will truncate terms that are too long to fit in the left column with text-overflow
. In narrower viewports, they will change to the default stacked layout.
Horizontal description item
Make terms and descriptions in <dl>
line up side-by-side.
Has to be used as single items, not in big definition lists.
Differs from regular horizontal description, as:
- it never stacks
- overflow is not truncated, but wrapped
- values are right-aligned
- Description lists
- A description list is perfect for defining terms.
- This is a very long title for a value, it's here to demonstrate wrapping.
- Quite cool, no?
- IBAN
- DE89 3704 0044 0532 0130 00
- Recipient gets
- 1,000,000 USD
- Sending via
- Slack
Description Columns
Use grids to align definitions in columns.
- Label
- A definition
- Label
- A definition
- Label
- A definition
- Label
- A definition
Code
Inline
Wrap inline snippets of code with <code>
.
<section>
should be wrapped as inline.
User input
Use the <kbd>
to indicate input that is typically entered via keyboard.
To edit settings, press ctrl + ,
Basic block
Use <pre>
for multiple lines of code. Be sure to escape any angle brackets in the code for proper rendering.
<p>Sample text here...</p>
You may optionally add the .pre-scrollable
class, which will set a max-height of 350px and provide a y-axis scrollbar.
Variables
For indicating variables use the <var>
tag.
y = mx + b
Sample output
For indicating blocks sample output from a program use the <samp>
tag.
This text is meant to be treated as sample output from a computer program.
Tables
Basic example
For basic styling—light padding and only horizontal dividers—add the base class .table
to any <table>
. It may seem super redundant, but given the widespread use of tables for other plugins like calendars and date pickers, we've opted to isolate our custom table styles.
# | First Name | Last Name | Username |
---|---|---|---|
1 | Mark | Otto | @mdo |
2 | Jacob | Thornton | @fat |
3 | Larry | the Bird |
Striped rows
Use .table-striped
to add zebra-striping to any table row within the <tbody>
.
Cross-browser compatibility
Striped tables are styled via the :nth-child
CSS selector, which is not available in Internet Explorer 8.
# | First Name | Last Name | Username |
---|---|---|---|
1 | Mark | Otto | @mdo |
2 | Jacob | Thornton | @fat |
3 | Larry | the Bird |
Bordered table
Add .table-bordered
for borders on all sides of the table and cells.
# | First Name | Last Name | Username |
---|---|---|---|
1 | Mark | Otto | @mdo |
2 | Jacob | Thornton | @fat |
3 | Larry | the Bird |
Hover rows
Add .table-hover
to enable a hover state on table rows within a <tbody>
.
# | First Name | Last Name | Username |
---|---|---|---|
1 | Mark | Otto | @mdo |
2 | Jacob | Thornton | @fat |
3 | Larry | the Bird |
Condensed table
Add .table-condensed
to make tables more compact by cutting cell padding in half.
# | First Name | Last Name | Username |
---|---|---|---|
1 | Mark | Otto | @mdo |
2 | Jacob | Thornton | @fat |
3 | Larry the Bird |
Contextual classes
Use contextual classes to color table rows or individual cells.
Class | Description |
---|---|
.active
|
Applies the hover color to a particular row or cell |
.success
|
Indicates a successful or positive action |
.info
|
Indicates a neutral informative change or action |
.warning
|
Indicates a warning that might need attention |
.danger
|
Indicates a dangerous or potentially negative action |
# | Column heading | Column heading | Column heading |
---|---|---|---|
1 | Column content | Column content | Column content |
2 | Column content | Column content | Column content |
3 | Column content | Column content | Column content |
4 | Column content | Column content | Column content |
5 | Column content | Column content | Column content |
6 | Column content | Column content | Column content |
7 | Column content | Column content | Column content |
8 | Column content | Column content | Column content |
9 | Column content | Column content | Column content |
10 | Column content | Column content | Column content |
11 | Column content | Column content | Column content |
12 | Column content | Column content | Column content |
13 | Column content | Column content | Column content |
Conveying meaning to assistive technologies
Using color to add meaning to a table row or individual cell only provides a visual indication, which will not be conveyed to users of assistive technologies – such as screen readers. Ensure that information denoted by the color is either obvious from the content itself (the visible text in the relevant table row/cell), or is included through alternative means, such as additional text hidden with the .sr-only
class.
Responsive tables
Create responsive tables by wrapping any .table
in .table-responsive
to make them scroll horizontally on small devices (under 768px). When viewing on anything larger than 768px wide, you will not see any difference in these tables.
Responsive bordered tables
When using .table-responsive
with a bordered table you must
apply the .table-bordered
class to both the
.table-responsive
container and the nested .table
.
Vertical clipping/truncation
Responsive tables make use of overflow-y: hidden
, which clips off any content that goes beyond the bottom or top edges of the table. In particular, this can clip off dropdown menus and other third-party widgets.
Firefox and fieldsets
Firefox has some awkward fieldset styling involving width
that interferes with the responsive table. This cannot be overriden without a Firefox-specific hack that we don't provide in Bootstrap:
For more information, read this Stack Overflow answer.
# | Table heading | Table heading | Table heading | Table heading | Table heading | Table heading |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Table cell | Table cell | Table cell | Table cell | Table cell | Table cell |
2 | Table cell | Table cell | Table cell | Table cell | Table cell | Table cell |
3 | Table cell | Table cell | Table cell | Table cell | Table cell | Table cell |
# | Table heading | Table heading | Table heading | Table heading | Table heading | Table heading |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Table cell | Table cell | Table cell | Table cell | Table cell | Table cell |
2 | Table cell | Table cell | Table cell | Table cell | Table cell | Table cell |
3 | Table cell | Table cell | Table cell | Table cell | Table cell | Table cell |
Calendar tables
Used for rendering the days in a month, or months in a year.
Mon | Tue | Wed | Thu | Fri | Sat | Sun |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 |
8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 |
15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 |
22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 | 27 | 28 |
29 | 30 |
Description list tables
A mobile first table variant that uses description lists within cards on mobile widths (xs and sm grid widths), and regular table styles when wider.
The description list tables can be used with the other table modifier
classes: .table-bordered
, .table-striped
,
.table-hover
, .table-condensed
. You may also wrap
the table in a .table-responsive
in case your table may not fit
on tablet widths.
- Heading 1
- Heading 2
- Heading 3
- Heading 1
- Text 1
- Heading 2
- Text 2
- Heading 3
- Text 3
- Heading 1
- Text 1
- Heading 2
- Text 2
- Heading 3
- Text 3
Forms
Basic example
Individual form controls automatically receive some global styling. All textual <input>
, <textarea>
, and <select>
elements with .form-control
are set to width: 100%;
by default. Wrap labels and controls in .form-group
for optimum spacing.
Don't mix form groups with input groups
Do not mix form groups directly with input groups. Instead, nest the input group inside of the form group.
Inline form
Add .form-inline
to your form (which doesn't have to be a <form>
) for left-aligned and inline-block controls. This only applies to forms within viewports that are at least 768px wide.
May require custom widths
Inputs and selects have width: 100%;
applied by default in Bootstrap. Within inline forms, we reset that to width: auto;
so multiple controls can reside on the same line. Depending on your layout, additional custom widths may be required.
Always add labels
Screen readers will have trouble with your forms if you don't include a label for every input. For these inline forms, you can hide the labels using the .sr-only
class. There are further alternative methods of providing a label for assistive technologies, such as the aria-label
, aria-labelledby
or title
attribute. If none of these is present, screen readers may resort to using the placeholder
attribute, if present, but note that use of placeholder
as a replacement for other labelling methods is not advised.
Supported controls
Examples of standard form controls supported in an example form layout.
Inputs
Most common form control, text-based input fields. Includes support for all HTML5 types: text
, password
, datetime
, datetime-local
, date
, month
, time
, week
, number
, email
, url
, search
, tel
, and color
.
Type declaration required
Inputs will only be fully styled if their type
is properly declared.
Input groups
To add integrated text or buttons before and/or after any text-based <input>
, check out the input group component.
Textarea
Form control which supports multiple lines of text. Change rows
attribute as necessary.
Checkboxes and radios
Checkboxes are for selecting one or several options in a list, while radios are for selecting one option from many.
A checkbox or radio with the disabled
attribute will be styled appropriately. To have the <label>
for the checkbox or radio also display a "not-allowed" cursor when the user hovers over the label, add the .disabled
class to your .radio
, .radio-inline
, .checkbox
, .checkbox-inline
, or <fieldset>
.
Default (stacked)
Custom checkboxes and radios
We provide styles for custom checkbox and radio replacements. These are styles only, for an implementation in Angular 1.x refer to our styleguide-components repository.
Checkbox classes & styles | |
---|---|
.tw-checkbox-button |
|
.tw-checkbox-button:focus |
|
.tw-checkbox-button.checked |
|
.tw-checkbox-button[disabled] |
|
.tw-checkbox-button.checked[disabled] |
|
.tw-checkbox-button.has-error |
|
.tw-checkbox-button.has-error.checked |
|
.tw-checkbox-button.has-error.checked[disabled] |
Radio & styles | |
---|---|
.tw-radio-button |
|
.tw-radio-button:focus |
|
.tw-radio-button.checked |
|
.tw-radio-button[disabled] |
|
.tw-radio-button.checked[disabled] |
|
.tw-radio-button.has-error |
|
.tw-radio-button.has-error.checked |
|
.tw-radio-button.has-error.checked[disabled] |
Two line checkbox and radio
Add the .checkbox-lg
or .radio-lg
to utilise a
two line form control. Use small
to position the second line
of text.
Inline checkboxes and radios
Use the .checkbox-inline
or .radio-inline
classes on a series of checkboxes or radios for controls that appear on the same line.
Checkboxes and radios without label text
Should you have no text within the <label>
, the input is positioned as you'd expect. Currently only works on non-inline checkboxes and radios. Remember to still provide some form of label for assistive technologies (for instance, using aria-label
).
Selects
Note that many native select menus—namely in Safari and Chrome—have rounded corners that cannot be modified via border-radius
properties.
Static control
When you need to place plain text next to a form label within a form, use the .form-control-static
class on a <p>
.
Focus state
We remove the default outline
styles on some form controls and apply a box-shadow
in its place for :focus
.
Demo :focus
state
The above example input uses custom styles in our documentation to demonstrate the :focus
state on a .form-control
.
Disabled state
Add the disabled
boolean attribute on an input to prevent user interactions. Disabled inputs appear lighter and add a not-allowed
cursor.
Disabled fieldsets
Add the disabled
attribute to a <fieldset>
to disable all the controls within the <fieldset>
at once.
Caveat about link functionality of <a>
By default, browsers will treat all native form controls (<input>
, <select>
and <button>
elements) inside a <fieldset disabled>
as disabled, preventing both keyboard and mouse interactions on them. However, if your form also includes <a ... class="btn btn-*">
elements, these will only be given a style of pointer-events: none
. As noted in the section about disabled state for buttons (and specifically in the sub-section for anchor elements), this CSS property is not yet standardized and isn't fully supported in Opera 18 and below, or in Internet Explorer 11, and won't prevent keyboard users from being able to focus or activate these links. So to be safe, use custom JavaScript to disable such links.
Cross-browser compatibility
While Bootstrap will apply these styles in all browsers, Internet Explorer 11 and below don't fully support the disabled
attribute on a <fieldset>
. Use custom JavaScript to disable the fieldset in these browsers.
Readonly state
Add the readonly
boolean attribute on an input to prevent modification of the input's value. Read-only inputs appear lighter (just like disabled inputs), but retain the standard cursor.
Validation states
Bootstrap includes validation styles for error, warning, and success states
on form controls. To use, add .has-warning
,
.has-error
, or .has-success
to the parent element.
Any .control-label
and .form-control
within that
element will receive the validation styles.
Conveying validation state to assistive technologies and colorblind users
Using these validation styles to denote the state of a form control only provides a visual, color-based indication, which will not be conveyed to users of assistive technologies - such as screen readers - or to colorblind users.
Ensure that an alternative indication of state is also provided. For
instance, you can include a hint about state in the form control's
<label>
text itself (as is the case in the following
code example), include a icon (with
appropriate alternative text using the .sr-only
class -
see the icon examples), or by
providing an additional help text block.
Specifically for assistive technologies, invalid form controls can also
be assigned an aria-invalid="true"
attribute.
Validation messaging
Combine validation states with alerts to provide a lock up between messaging and state.
Only the matching alert is shown at any time, so for
example, if your form-group .has-warning
only the
.alert-warning
will be visible.
A special .alert-focus
is available for the
.has-focus
state.
Detached feedback
In some cases, we have multiple controls in a line, so the feedback needs
to be detached from the element, use the .detach-feedback
modifier
on the form-group.
Feedback with Radio and Checkboxes
With radio buttons and checkboxes, validation could relate to the set of
controls or to a specific control. Place the alert as a child of the
.form-group
to provide feedback on the set of controls.
Place it inside the .radio
or .checkbox
element
to provide feedback on just one control.
Apply the validation state to the appropriate parent e.g. if validating all
controls, apply .has-error
to the .form-group
, if
validating a checkbox, apply .has-error
to the
.checkbox
.
Typically, radio button feedback will refer to the full set of controls, while checkbox feedback is likely to relate to a single control.
Control sizing
Set heights using classes like .input-lg
, and set widths using grid column classes like .col-lg-*
.
Height sizing
Create taller or shorter form controls that match button sizes.
Column sizing
Wrap inputs in grid columns, or any custom parent element, to easily enforce desired widths.
Help text
Block level, stateful messages.
Associating help text with form controls
Help text should be explicitly associated with the form
control it relates to using the aria-describedby
attribute.
This will ensure that assistive technologies – such as screen readers –
will announce this help text when the user focuses or enters the control.
Buttons
Button tags
Use the button classes on an <a>
, <button>
, or <input>
element.
Context-specific usage
While button classes can be used on <a>
and <button>
elements, only <button>
elements are supported within our nav and navbar components.
Links acting as buttons
If the <a>
elements are used to act as buttons – triggering in-page functionality, rather than navigating to another document or section within the current page – they should also be given an appropriate role="button"
.
Cross-browser rendering
As a best practice, we highly recommend using the <button>
element whenever possible to ensure matching cross-browser rendering.
Among other things, there's a bug in Firefox <30 that prevents us from setting the line-height
of <input>
-based buttons, causing them to not exactly match the height of other buttons on Firefox.
Options
Use any of the available button classes to quickly create a styled button.
Conveying meaning to assistive technologies
Using color to add meaning to a button only provides a visual indication, which will not be conveyed to users of assistive technologies – such as screen readers. Ensure that information denoted by the color is either obvious from the content itself (the visible text of the button), or is included through alternative means, such as additional text hidden with the .sr-only
class.
Sizes
Fancy larger or smaller buttons? Add .btn-lg
, .btn-sm
, or .btn-xs
for additional sizes.
Create block level buttons—those that span the full width of a parent— by adding .btn-block
.
Active state
Buttons will appear pressed (with a darker background, darker border, and inset shadow) when active. For <button>
elements, this is done via :active
. For <a>
elements, it's done with .active
. However, you may use .active
on <button>
s (and include the aria-pressed="true"
attribute) should you need to replicate the active state programmatically.
Button element
No need to add :active
as it's a pseudo-class, but if you need to force the same appearance, go ahead and add .active
.
Anchor element
Add the .active
class to <a>
buttons.
Disabled state
Make buttons look unclickable by fading them back with opacity
.
Button element
Add the disabled
attribute to <button>
buttons.
Cross-browser compatibility
If you add the disabled
attribute to a <button>
, Internet Explorer 9 and below will render text gray with a nasty text-shadow that we cannot fix.
Anchor element
Add the .disabled
class to <a>
buttons.
We use .disabled
as a utility class here, similar to the common .active
class, so no prefix is required.
Link functionality caveat
This class uses pointer-events: none
to try to disable the link functionality of <a>
s, but that CSS property is not yet standardized and isn't fully supported in Opera 18 and below, or in Internet Explorer 11. In addition, even in browsers that do support pointer-events: none
, keyboard navigation remains unaffected, meaning that sighted keyboard users and users of assistive technologies will still be able to activate these links. So to be safe, use custom JavaScript to disable such links.
Images
Responsive images
Images in Bootstrap 3 can be made responsive-friendly via the addition of the .img-responsive
class. This applies max-width: 100%;
, height: auto;
and display: block;
to the image so that it scales nicely to the parent element.
To center images which use the .img-responsive
class, use .center-block
instead of .text-xs-center
. See the helper classes section for more details about .center-block
usage.
SVG images and IE 8-10
In Internet Explorer 8-10, SVG images with .img-responsive
are disproportionately sized. To fix this, add width: 100% \9;
where necessary. Bootstrap doesn't apply this automatically as it causes complications to other image formats.
Image shapes
Add classes to an <img>
element to easily style images in any project.
Cross-browser compatibility
Keep in mind that Internet Explorer 8 lacks support for rounded corners.
Helper classes
Spacing
Several utility classes are available for spacing.
The classes are named using the format {property}-{sides}-{size}
The property options are:
m
- for classes that setmargin
p
- for classes that setpadding
The sides are:
a
- for classes that set amargin
orpadding
on all 4 sides of the elementt
- for classes that set thetop
side of the propertyb
- for classes that set thebottom
side of the propertyl
- for classes that set theleft
side of the propertyr
- for classes that set theright
side of the propertyx
- for classes that set bothleft
andright
y
- for classes that set bothtop
andbottom
The sizes are:
Our base unit for the spacer is: @spacer: 8px;
0
- for classes that eliminate themargin
orpadding
by setting it to0
1
- for classes that set themargin
orpadding
to@spacer * 1
(8px)2
- for classes that set themargin
orpadding
to@spacer * 2
(16px)3
- for classes that set themargin
orpadding
to@spacer * 3
(24px)auto
- for classes that set themargin
to auto
And only for vertical cases:
4
- for classes that set themargin-top, margin-bottom
orpadding-top, padding-bottom
to@spacer * 4
(32px)5
- for classes that set themargin-top, margin-bottom
orpadding-top, padding-bottom
to@spacer * 5
(40px)
Global clases
Vertical clases
Top
Bottom
Y axis
Horizontal clases
Left
Right
X axis
Responsive sections
These are the sizes of larger, responsive spacing used for separating sections of a page:
section-1
classes provide 16px, 24px or 32px of spacing depending on screen width.section-2
classes provide 24px, 48px or 64px of spacing depending on screen width.section-3
classes provide 48px, 72px or 96px of spacing depending on screen width.section-5
classes provide 80px, 120px or 160px of spacing depending on screen width.section-7
classes provide 112px, 168px or 224px of spacing depending on screen width.
Keep in mind that we jump 4 and 6 sizes for the moment, because they are not used.
Spacing classes are available for each of the vertical utility classes at each section size e.g.
Top
m-t-section-1
m-t-section-2
m-t-section-3
m-t-section-5
m-t-section-7
p-t-section-1
p-t-section-2
p-t-section-3
p-t-section-5
p-t-section-7
Bottom
m-b-section-1
m-b-section-2
m-b-section-3
m-b-section-5
m-b-section-7
p-b-section-1
p-b-section-2
p-b-section-3
p-b-section-5
p-b-section-7
Y axis
m-y-section-1
m-y-section-2
m-y-section-3
m-y-section-5
m-y-section-7
p-y-section-1
p-y-section-2
p-y-section-3
p-y-section-5
p-y-section-7
Contextual colors
Convey meaning through color with a handful of emphasis utility classes. These may also be applied to links and will darken on hover just like our default link styles.
Fusce dapibus, tellus ac cursus commodo, tortor mauris nibh.
Nullam id dolor id nibh ultricies vehicula ut id elit.
Duis mollis, est non commodo luctus, nisi erat porttitor ligula.
Maecenas sed diam eget risus varius blandit sit amet non magna.
Etiam porta sem malesuada magna mollis euismod.
Donec ullamcorper nulla non metus auctor fringilla.
Fusce dapibus, tellus ac cursus commodo, tortor mauris nibh.
Nullam id dolor id nibh ultricies vehicula ut id elit.
Duis mollis, est non commodo luctus, nisi erat porttitor ligula.
Maecenas sed diam eget risus varius blandit sit amet non magna.
Etiam porta sem malesuada magna mollis euismod.
Donec ullamcorper nulla non metus auctor fringilla.
Dealing with specificity
Sometimes emphasis classes cannot be applied due to the specificity of another selector. In most cases, a sufficient workaround is to wrap your text in a <span>
with the class.
Conveying meaning to assistive technologies
Using color to add meaning only provides a visual indication, which will not be conveyed to users of assistive technologies – such as screen readers. Ensure that information denoted by the color is either obvious from the content itself (the contextual colors are only used to reinforce meaning that is already present in the text/markup), or is included through alternative means, such as additional text hidden with the .sr-only
class.
Contextual backgrounds
Similar to the contextual text color classes, easily set the background of an element to any contextual class. Anchor components will darken on hover, just like the text classes.
Dealing with specificity
Sometimes contextual background classes cannot be applied due to the specificity of another selector. In some cases, a sufficient workaround is to wrap your element's content in a <div>
with the class.
Conveying meaning to assistive technologies
As with contextual colors, ensure that any meaning conveyed through color is also conveyed in a format that is not purely presentational.
Close icon
Use the generic close icon for dismissing content like modals and alerts.
Carets
Use carets to indicate dropdown functionality and direction. Note that the default caret will reverse automatically in dropup menus.
Quick floats
Float an element to the left or right with a class. !important
is included to avoid specificity issues. Classes can also be used as mixins.
Responsive floats
Float an element to the left or right only until grid collapse.
Center content blocks
Set an element to display: block
and center via margin
. Available as a mixin and class.
Clearfix
Easily clear float
s by adding .clearfix
to the parent element. Utilizes the micro clearfix as popularized by Nicolas Gallagher. Can also be used as a mixin.
Showing and hiding content
Force an element to be shown or hidden (including for screen readers) with the use of .show
and .hidden
classes. These classes use !important
to avoid specificity conflicts, just like the quick floats. They are only available for block level toggling. They can also be used as mixins.
.hide
is available, but it does not always affect screen readers and is deprecated as of v3.0.1. Use .hidden
or .sr-only
instead.
Furthermore, .invisible
can be used to toggle only the visibility of an element, meaning its display
is not modified and the element can still affect the flow of the document.
Screen reader and keyboard navigation content
Hide an element to all devices except screen readers with .sr-only
. Combine .sr-only
with .sr-only-focusable
to show the element again when it's focused (e.g. by a keyboard-only user). Necessary for following accessibility best practices. Can also be used as mixins.
Image replacement
Utilize the .text-hide
class or mixin to help replace an element's text content with a background image.
Colored dot
Use the .colored-dot
class to add the `dot` representative of our branding.
It's used for headings, usually `h1` and `h2` and the default is the blue option. Since the headings are not scored, the dot is going to be a decorative thing that is not going to appear on the DOM, so you don´t have to add it to the copy.
I've got a colored dot
Use the .colored-dot-green
modifier to get a green dot
I've got a green dot
Responsive utilities
For faster mobile-friendly development, use these utility classes for showing and hiding content by device via media query. Also included are utility classes for toggling content when printed.
Try to use these on a limited basis and avoid creating entirely different versions of the same site. Instead, use them to complement each device's presentation.
Available classes
Use a single or combination of the available classes for toggling content across viewport breakpoints.
Extra small devices Phones (<576px) | Small devices Tablets (≥576px) | Medium devices Desktops (≥768px) | Large devices Desktops (≥992px) | Extra Large devices Desktops (≥1200px) | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
.visible-xs-* |
Visible | Hidden | Hidden | Hidden | Hidden |
.visible-sm-* |
Hidden | Visible | Hidden | Hidden | Hidden |
.visible-md-* |
Hidden | Hidden | Visible | Hidden | Hidden |
.visible-lg-* |
Hidden | Hidden | Hidden | Visible | Hidden |
.visible-xl-* |
Hidden | Hidden | Hidden | Hidden | Visible |
.hidden-xs |
Hidden | Visible | Visible | Visible | Visible |
.hidden-sm |
Visible | Hidden | Visible | Visible | Visible |
.hidden-md |
Visible | Visible | Hidden | Visible | Visible |
.hidden-lg |
Visible | Visible | Visible | Hidden | Visible |
.hidden-xl |
Visible | Visible | Visible | Visible | Hidden |
As of v3.2.0, the .visible-*-*
classes for each breakpoint come in three variations, one for each CSS display
property value listed below.
Group of classes | CSS display |
---|---|
.visible-*-block |
display: block; |
.visible-*-inline |
display: inline; |
.visible-*-inline-block |
display: inline-block; |
So, for extra small (xs
) screens for example, the available .visible-*-*
classes are: .visible-xs-block
, .visible-xs-inline
, and .visible-xs-inline-block
.
The classes .visible-xs
, .visible-sm
, .visible-md
, and .visible-lg
also exist, but are deprecated as of v3.2.0. They are approximately equivalent to .visible-*-block
, except with additional special cases for toggling <table>
-related elements.
Print classes
Similar to the regular responsive classes, use these for toggling content for print.
Classes | Browser | |
---|---|---|
.visible-print-block .visible-print-inline .visible-print-inline-block
|
Hidden | Visible |
.hidden-print |
Visible | Hidden |
The class .visible-print
also exists but is deprecated as of v3.2.0. It is approximately equivalent to .visible-print-block
, except with additional special cases for <table>
-related elements.
Test cases
Resize your browser or load on different devices to test the responsive utility classes.
Visible on...
Green checkmarks indicate the element is visible in your current viewport.
Hidden on...
Here, green checkmarks also indicate the element is hidden in your current viewport.