Canopy Inline Message (Alert) — Best Practices

This skill provides usage guidance, dos and don'ts, and input reference for the Canopy lg-alert component (LgAlertComponent) from @legal-and-general/canopy.

Apply this skill whenever you use LgAlertComponent or lg-alert.

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Import

import { LgAlertComponent } from '@legal-and-general/canopy';

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Basic Usage

<lg-alert status="info" [showIcon]="true">
  This product comes with a free umbrella.
  Here is some <a href="#">link text</a>.
</lg-alert>

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Statuses

Status	When to use	Example
generic	Basic message; no semantic role assigned. Icon is customisable.	<lg-alert status="generic">Check out our new feature</lg-alert>
info	Calmly highlight information; no action required.	This product comes with a free umbrella.
success	Confirm a completed action; no further user action needed.	Your umbrella has been dispatched successfully.
warning	Elevated alert; interrupted service or something that may affect the user's holding.	We can't get details of your umbrella right now.
error	Error that stops the user completing their journey; include steps to resolve.	You must confirm the terms and conditions before proceeding.

The alert ARIA role is automatically applied for warning, error, and success statuses, sending an accessible event to assistive technologies.

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Customising Icons

For generic and info statuses, you can provide a custom icon via the icon input. All other statuses use fixed icons that cannot be overridden.

<lg-alert status="generic" [icon]="'help'">
  This is helpful information.
</lg-alert>

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Inputs

Input	Type	Default	Description
status	'generic' | 'info' | 'success' | 'warning' | 'error'	'generic'	Applies colour treatment and ARIA role.
statusTheme	'neutral' | 'bold'	'neutral'	The theme variant applied alongside the status.
showIcon	boolean	true	Whether to show the status icon. Applies to all statuses.
icon	IconName | null	null	Custom icon for generic or info statuses. Ignored for other statuses.
role	string	auto	Override the ARIA role, or pass 'none' to suppress it.

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Dos and Don'ts

Do

1. Do display inline messages in a timely manner so users can resolve issues immediately.
2. Do keep the message succinct.
3. Do include a link to take an action or get more detailed information when appropriate.
4. Do place the inline message close to the element it relates to so users understand the context.

Don't

1. Don't use inline messages when space is not an issue — consider using Primary Message with Pictogram instead.
2. Don't overload the page with multiple inline messages simultaneously.
3. Don't use error status without providing clear steps to resolve the issue.
4. Don't use inline messages to hide important information; place them where users will see them in context.

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Accessibility

• warning, error, and success statuses automatically add role="alert", which triggers an accessible alert event in assistive technologies.
• info and generic statuses do not receive an ARIA role by default.
• To suppress the role on any status, pass [role]="'none'.
• Always include meaningful, actionable text in error messages — explain the problem and how to fix it.
• Error messages should include a link to detailed help or next steps when appropriate.