intellij-sdk-code-samples/topics/Dialog-and-popup-sizes.md

Dialog and Popup Sizes

Guidelines on choosing the correct size when creating a dialog or a popup

Follow these guidelines to select the correct size when creating a dialog or a popup for IntelliJ-based products.

Default sizes

Dialog

There are four recommended window sizes for dialogs: extra small, small, medium, and large. Select the size depending on the amount of content to keep the important information visible.

{width="706"}

When setting the default size for your dialog, it should be impossible to make it smaller.

Extra small

Size: 350×250 px.

Best for: several components that are stacked vertically.

{width="706"}

Small

Size: 500×350 px

Best for:

• Multiple components with short labels that are divided into two columns.
• A full-width table with two or three columns.
• A full-width code editor or snippet.

For example, the Evaluate Expressions dialog has two code snippets that are stacked vertically:

{width="706"}

Medium

Size: 750×525 px

Best for:

• A full-width table with four or more columns.
• Two-column layout with an image or a video in any of the columns. In this case, the image or the video takes the most space.
• Two-column layout with a code snippet or an input field with long text in any of the columns.
• Two code editors or snippets in a row.

For example, the Run/Debug Configuration dialog has a two-column layout with a tree in the first column and the list of controls with long texts in the second column:

{width="706"}

Large

Size: 1000×700 px

Best for:

• Two-column layout with long names, code editor, code snippet.
• Three-or-more-column layout regardless of the content.

For example, Code Style settings for Java in the Settings dialog. The dialog has three columns with a table and a code snippet in different columns:

{width="706"}

Popup

Popups should have the same default sizes as dialogs, but unlike dialogs, they can have adaptive height. If the popup displays different amounts of content depending on the situation, adapt the popup size to the content on opening.

For example, the height of the Git Brunches popup adapts to the amount of the content inside:

{width="706"}

When a user changes an adaptive popup’s size, the size is saved and the adaptivity becomes inapplicable.

Tool windows

• Vertical tool windows should have the min size set to 250×500 px.
• Horizontal tool windows should have the min size set to 500×250 px.

The default sizes should be set for all the states of the View Mode.

Vertical Project tool window:

Horizontal Build tool window:

Editor tabs

Place your content into a tab in the editor when there are three or more columns in a row with important information that needs to be shown.

For example, the Merge functionality features a list of changes with actions in a tool window and two code editors with line numbers:

{width="706"}

Minimum sizes for components

When the default sizes are either too big or too small for a window, or the window has a complex layout, add minimum sizes to important content inside the window. This will make the content displayed correctly and reduce any potential issues caused by resizing the window.

How to set the size correctly

1. Select how the content is displayed:

   Table cell	Width: min 65 px Height for the whole table: min 120 px Follow guidelines for table width
   Tree	Width: min 250 px
   Text area	Width: min 270 px, max 600 px Height: min 55 px For size and placement follow the text area guidelines
   Diagram	A container with horizontal and vertical insets with 100 px

2. What type of content is used:

   Class/test/file name	Width: min 250 px
   URL/Path/FQN for class	Width: min 350 px
   Class/test/file name + URL/Path/FQN for class	Width: min 400 px
   Code snippet or editor	Width: min 400 px Height (when multiple lines): min 120 px
   Standalone text	Width: min 300 px Height (when multiple lines): min 120 px

3. Select the biggest size out of the two to add the minimal size to a component

Example 1

The Rename Inheritors dialog has a table with FQNs. Add 350 px as the minimum width for a table column. This will make the dialog wider than the recommended 500 px but will show more of FQNs.

Correct

Acceptable

Example 2

Settings dialog has the default size 1000 px. In the Code Style settings for Java set 400 px as the minimal width of the code editor. This will make the dialog wider but will show more code

Correct

Acceptable

Example 3

Add horizontal and vertical 100 px insets inside the Diagram popup to make it adaptable to the different amounts of content inside

Correct

Acceptable

Empty state

Some components, for example, tables, can have an empty state when there is no content. In this case, the minimum size depends on which state takes more space: the component with content or with an empty state.

In most cases, an empty state takes less space than the minimum size of a component. In other cases, the minimum size of the component should be determined by the size of the empty state to reduce unexpected resizing.

Correct

Incorrect