IntelliJ Platform Plugin SDK Help

Tooltip

A tooltip shows an action name or provides useful information about an action or a setting.

01 top pic

When to use

There are three types of tooltips:

Action

Shows an action name or label for icons and unlabeled controls, and a shortcut if available.

02 regular tooltip

Action help

Shows help text for icons and unlabeled controls in addition to an action name or label.

03 action help tooltip

Help

Shows help text for all other controls.

03 help tooltip

All icons and unlabeled controls should have an Action or an Action help tooltip.

Use Action help and Help tooltips according to the Context help rules.

How to use

Required and optional information

Always show the required information in a tooltip:

Tooltip

Required info

Optional

Action

08 regular tooltip

Action name

Shortcut

Action help

08 toolbar help tooltip

Action name

Help text

Shortcut

Link

Help

08 help tooltip

Help text

No action name or label because it is already shown in the UI.

Shortcut

Link

Show a shortcut if an action or a setting has one. Do not show a single shortcut in a tooltip.

09 tooltip only incorrect

Provide a link to a source that can further explain the action or the setting. A link can navigate to a place in the IDE or to an external help article.

Local link

External link

10 tooltip local link
10 tooltip ext link

Do not show just an action name and a link to a help article. Provide help text so that the user does not need to switch to a web browser.

11 link only incorrect

Text length and formatting

The text width in an action tooltip is not limited. The text width in a help tooltip is limited by 250px.

Show no more than 10 lines of help text. If the text does not fit, leave only the essential information and add a link to a help article.

Incorrect

Tooltip long text incorrect

Correct

Tooltip long text correct

Text style formatting:

  • Avoid using style formatting in the help text. Usually, the text is short and no bold or italics are needed.

    Incorrect

    Tooltip no styling incorrect

    Correct

    Tooltip no styling correct
  • Use formatting for code, console commands or parameters. Use HTML tags. Enclosing the text in <html></html> tags is not needed.

    Tooltip code styling
    Editor breadcrumbs

  • Action name, shortcut and link do not allow HTML tagging.

If the help text is longer than 5 lines, separate the text into paragraphs with the <p> tag. The <p> tag adds vertical space between paragraphs to visually separate them. Do not use the <br/> tag as it does not add space.

12 tooltip paragraph
val LONG_TEXT = """A new overloading method will be created with the new parameter added to this method definition.<p> The method with the old signature will be kept and the call to the new method will be added to it. The necessary value or expression will be passed to the new method call.""" HelpTooltip().setDescription(LONG_TEXT).installOn(component)
String LONG_TEXT = "A new overloading method will be created with " + "the new parameter added to this method definition.<p>" + "The method with the old signature will be kept and the call " + "to the new method will be added to it. The necessary value " + "or expression will be passed to the new method call."; new HelpTooltip().setDescription(LONG_TEXT).installOn(component);

Writing guidelines

Make the help text short and descriptive.

In a help tooltip, do not repeat an action or a setting name in the text.

13 tooltip dont repeat setting

Question mark icon for help tooltips

Always use the help tooltip with the question mark icon. Without the icon, it is unclear which component has help information.

Always place the question mark icon to the right of the corresponding UI component.

Examples with different controls:

Checkbox

04 question icon tooltip

Tree item

05 question icon tree

Combo box

14 placement labeled input

Group header

15 placement group header

Settings breadcrumbs

16 placement settings header

Stand-alone button not at the bottom of a dialog

07 help tooltip button

Exception: do not use the help tooltip with buttons at a dialog’s bottom. Put the information into the help article that is opened with the question mark button in the bottom left corner.

Incorrect

06 help tooltip button incorrect

Style

Tooltip style

Built-in behavior

All tooltips appear on hover (not on click), including the help tooltip with the question mark icon.

All tooltips are hidden when the mouse cursor leaves the area that triggers the tooltip.

If the mouse cursor stays in the tooltip trigger area, tooltips are also hidden after a timeout specified in the table below.

Tooltip

Appears after

Hides after

If cursor is in the tooltip trigger area

Action

300 milliseconds

ide.tooltip.initialReshowDelay registry key

10 seconds

ide.helptooltip.regular.dismissDelay

Action help

30 seconds

ide.helptooltip.full.dismissDelay

Help

Never hides

If a tooltip has a link, it is possible to move the mouse cursor over the tooltip. The tooltip does not close automatically when the cursor is over it.

Tooltips are positioned automatically depending on the mouse cursor location.

Last modified: 24 May 2024