rstudio / rstudio/bslib

Reconsider `.help-block` styles

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#965 0 comments 1 reaction 0 assignees View on GitHub

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Dominant language
SCSS
Stars
569
Forks
72
Avg merge
1d 2h
Merged PRs (30d)
5

Description

bslib includes BS3 backwards compat styles for the .help-block class used by helpText():

.help-text, .help-block {
  @extend .form-text; @extend .text-muted;
}

But in BS3, .help-block included display: block (hence the -block suffix). We don't have similar styles in BS4+, so helpText() renders inline instead of below the controls it tries to describe.

BS3 BS5
image image

Example shinylive app

Two options:

  1. Add a .help-block class to BS4+ that includes display: block.
  2. helpText() might be due for an update.

Contributor guide

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First steps

  1. Read the whole issue, then the project's contributing guide.
  2. Comment on the issue to say you are picking it up — it saves two people doing the same work.
  3. Fork the repository and make your change on a branch.
  4. Open a pull request that references the issue number.

Research direction

Start by reviewing the existing BS3 compatibility rule for .help-block and the helpText() behavior across Bootstrap 4 and 5. Compare the rendered examples, then resolve whether the compatibility class or helpText() should change; done means help text renders below the controls it describes without breaking supported Bootstrap versions.

Written by the indexing model from the issue text.

Assessment

Tech stack
bootstrap, scss
Domain
design, frontend
Issue type
Bug
Difficulty
3/5
Estimated time
1-2 days
Activity status
Stale
Clarity
Mostly clear
Newbie friendliness
45/100

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