Icon button

A compact button with an icon and no text.

Props

icon

GoAIconType

Sets the icon.

size

IconSize

Sets the size of button.

Defaults to medium.

theme

IconTheme

Sets the icon theme. 'outline' for stroked icons, 'filled' for solid icons.

Defaults to outline.

variant

color | nocolor | light | dark | destructive

Styles the button to show color, light, dark or destructive action.

Defaults to color.

title

string

Sets the title of the button.

testId

string

Sets the data-testid attribute. Used with ByTestId queries in tests.

disabled

boolean

Disables the button.

Defaults to false.

inverted

boolean

When true, inverts the icon colors for use on dark backgrounds.

Defaults to false.

ariaLabel

string

Sets the aria-label of the button.

mt, mr, mb, ml

none | 3xs | 2xs | xs | s | m | l | xl | 2xl | 3xl | 4xl

Apply margin to the top, right, bottom, and/or left of the component.

Events

onClick

(event: Event) => void

_click

CustomEvent

Examples

Copy to clipboard

React

Angular

Web Components

.token-block {
  background-color: var(--goa-color-interactive-default);
  height: 22px;
  width: 24px;
  border-radius: var(--goa-border-radius-s);
}

const [isCopied, setIsCopied] = useState(false);

  function copyCode() {
    const codeToCopy = "$goa-color-interactive-default";
    navigator.clipboard.writeText(codeToCopy).then(() => {
      setIsCopied(true);
      setTimeout(() => setIsCopied(false), 1000);
    });
  }

<GoabBlock alignment="center">
        <div className="token-block" />
        <span>$goa-color-interactive-default</span>
        <GoabTooltip content={isCopied ? "Copied" : "Copy?"} position="top">
          <GoabIconButton icon="copy" onClick={copyCode} mt="2xs" />
        </GoabTooltip>
      </GoabBlock>

Show a label on an icon only button

React

Angular

Web Components

<GoabButtonGroup alignment="start">
      <GoabTooltip content="Edit">
        <GoabIconButton icon="pencil" ariaLabel="Edit" />
      </GoabTooltip>
      <GoabTooltip content="Alerts">
        <GoabIconButton icon="notifications" ariaLabel="Alerts" />
      </GoabTooltip>
      <GoabTooltip content="Settings">
        <GoabIconButton icon="settings" ariaLabel="Settings" />
      </GoabTooltip>
    </GoabButtonGroup>

Show multiple actions in a compact table

React

Angular

Web Components

const rows = [
    { status: "information", statusText: "In progress", name: "Darlene Robertson", id: 45904 },
    { status: "dark", statusText: "Inactive", name: "Floyd Miles", id: 47838 },
    { status: "success", statusText: "Active", name: "Kathryn Murphy", id: 34343 },
    { status: "important", statusText: "Recent", name: "Annette Black", id: 89897 },
    { status: "success", statusText: "Active", name: "Esther Howard", id: 12323 },
    { status: "success", statusText: "Active", name: "Jane Cooper", id: 56565 },
  ];

<GoabTable width="100%">
      <thead>
        <tr>
          <th>Status</th>
          <th>Name</th>
          <th style={{ textAlign: "right" }}>Id Number</th>
          <th style={{ width: "1%", whiteSpace: "nowrap" }}>Edit | Flag | Send</th>
        </tr>
      </thead>
      <tbody>
        {rows.map((row) => (
          <tr key={row.id}>
            <td>
              <GoabBadge
                type={row.status as "information" | "dark" | "success" | "important"}
                content={row.statusText}
                icon={false}
              />
            </td>
            <td>{row.name}</td>
            <td className="goa-table-number-column">{row.id}</td>
            <td>
              <GoabBlock>
                <GoabIconButton size="small" icon="pencil" ariaLabel="Edit" />
                <GoabIconButton size="small" icon="flag" ariaLabel="Flag" />
                <GoabIconButton size="small" icon="mail" ariaLabel="Send" />
              </GoabBlock>
            </td>
          </tr>
        ))}
      </tbody>
    </GoabTable>

States

Submit

Only use disabled buttons if research shows it makes the user interface easier to understand.

Consider removing options that are unavailable or not applicable. Show actions that are only relevant and useful to the user at a given time.

Don't

Avoid using disabled buttons. They have poor contrast and can confuse users.

Submit

When you must disable a button or input:

Provide nearby text explaining what needs to happen first
Consider showing the element enabled with validation on submit instead
Use aria-describedby to link the disabled element to explanatory text

Don't

Don't disable buttons or inputs without explaining why. Disabled controls can be confusing and users may not understand why they can't interact with an element.

Types

Go to homepage

Don't

Don't use Button for simple navigation (use Link), toggling state (use Toggle or Checkbox), or minor utility functions (use Icon Button).

Positioning

Submit

Cancel

Use a button group when putting multiple buttons together.

All GoA Design System components are built to meet WCAG 2.2 AA standards. The following guidelines provide additional context for accessible implementation.

Screen Readers

Icon-only interactive elements must have an accessible label so screen reader users understand their purpose.

For IconButton: The ariaLabel prop is required.

// Good - describes the action
<GoabIconButton icon="trash" ariaLabel="Delete item" />

// Bad - no label for screen readers
<GoabIconButton icon="trash" />

For Badge with icon only: Provide ariaLabel when there’s no visible text.

<GoabBadge icon="warning" ariaLabel="Warning" type="important" />

For Icon: Use ariaLabel when the icon conveys meaning, not just decoration.

The label should describe:

What action happens (for buttons): “Delete”, “Edit”, “Close”
What the icon represents (for informational icons): “Warning”, “Success”

Don't

Don't use icon-only elements without an accessible label

Icon-only buttons must include a descriptive label for screen readers.

Focus

Don't

Don't focus on just the icon within a button. Focus the button as a whole.