IntelliJ Platform Plugin SDK Help

Icon Button

A toolbar icon button is an icon that appears on a toolbar.

Button example

Types

There are three types of toolbar icon buttons:

An action button triggers an action immediately on clicking it, e.g., the Open button.

A toggle button switches the state on clicking it, e.g., a button to show and hide warnings in the output tree.

Toggle

A drop-down button has an arrow icon in the bottom right corner and opens a menu with actions or checkboxes.

Drop down

When to use

Follow the rules for toolbar.

How to use

Provide a recognizable icon. Use an existing icon or create a new one using icon guidelines.

Provide a short and descriptive name for a toolbar icon button. Show a tooltip with the button name on mouse hover. Include a shortcut if there is one. See Context help for details.

Tooltip

Highlight a toolbar icon button on mouse hover. Highlight a toolbar icon button with a brighter color on clicking it.

  • Toggle buttons remain highlighted when they are in the switched on mode. Toggled on buttons do not change color on hover.

  • Drop-down buttons remain highlighted while the menu is opened.

States

If an action is not available in this context, disable the corresponding button and gray out the icon. For toolbar drop-down buttons, disable the arrow icon as well. Do not highlight a disabled icon on mouse hover.

Sizes and placement

Icons size is 16x16px, icon selection is 22x22px.

For guidelines on the space between toolbar icon buttons see Toolbar.

Last modified: 10 October 2024