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MessageBox

MessageBox is a modal feedback dialog for communicating information and collecting simple user confirmation.

It supports common dialog types like info, warning, error, question/confirm, and can return a result indicating what the user chose.

Use MessageBox for:

  • confirmations (Delete? Quit without saving?)

  • error reporting (Something failed)

  • simple alerts (Action completed)

Quick start

Information

import bootstack as bs

app = bs.App()

bs.MessageBox.ok(
    title="Saved",
    message="Your changes have been saved.",
)

app.mainloop()

Confirm / question

result = bs.MessageBox.yesno(
    title="Delete file?",
    message="This action can't be undone.",
)
print("User chose:", result)  # typically True/False or "Yes"/"No"

When to use

Use MessageBox when:

  • you need the user to acknowledge or decide something before continuing

  • the decision is simple (1-3 buttons)

  • the dialog should be modal

Consider a different control when...

  • you want non-blocking feedback (Saved!, Copied!) - use Toast instead

  • feedback is contextual and shouldn't interrupt workflow - use Tooltip or inline messaging instead

Examples & patterns

Common dialog types

Most apps stick to a small set of patterns:

  • Info - success/neutral notification

  • Warning - proceed with caution

  • Error - operation failed

  • Question - user must choose

Use the highest-level helper that matches your intent (e.g., ok, yesno, okcancel) to keep UI consistent.

Common options

title and message

bs.MessageBox.ok(title="Notice", message="Hello!")

Detail / secondary text (if supported)

Use detail text for stack traces or extra explanation.

bs.MessageBox.show(
    title="Import failed",
    message="Could not import the file.",
    detail="The file format was not recognized.",
    icon="error",
    buttons=("OK",),
)

Parent / positioning (if supported)

Pass a parent to keep the dialog on top of the correct window.

bs.MessageBox.ok(parent=app, title="Saved", message="Done.")

Value model

Message boxes return a single committed choice (or no value if dismissed):

  • OK-only dialogs - no decision, just acknowledgement

  • Yes/No, OK/Cancel - one decision

  • Retry/Cancel - one decision for error recovery

Return values vary by implementation (bool, string token, enum). Treat the result as your source of truth.

Behavior

  • Opens as modal (blocks interaction until dismissed)

  • Escape typically cancels (when cancel is available)

  • Enter typically activates the default action (OK/Yes)

Keep messages short, actionable, and avoid putting long text in the main message line.

Additional resources

API reference