feature request: Dialog service should expose more methods

[Denny09310]

Hi, at the moment the DialogService implementation only provides the Confirm method to create a confirmation dialog. Would it be possible to introduce additional shortcuts? For instance, a Prompt method for quickly displaying a prompt dialog, or an Open method that accepts a TComponent implementing IComponent to programmatically render a custom view?

[mathewtaylor]

Dialog Service: Expose More Methods

Overview

Expand the DialogService beyond its current Confirm() method to include additional convenience methods for common dialog patterns. This addresses community feedback requesting Prompt (text input dialog), Alert (single-button acknowledgment), and Open<TComponent> (programmatic custom component dialogs).

Note: This item is linked to the "Expand DialogService API" task which contains the full implementation specification. This issue captures the original community request and acceptance criteria.

Current State

Location: src/BlazorBlueprint.Components/Components/Dialog/

The current DialogService exposes a single public method:

public class DialogService
{
    public Task<bool> Confirm(string title, string? description = null, ConfirmDialogOptions? options = null);
}

ConfirmDialogOptions:

• ConfirmText (string, default: "Continue")
• CancelText (string, default: "Cancel")
• Destructive (bool, default: false)

Supporting infrastructure:

• ConfirmDialogData with TaskCompletionSource<bool> for async result
• BbDialogProvider (placed in root layout) listens to DialogService.OnChange and renders dialogs
• Scoped DI registration via AddBlazorBlueprintComponents()

Limitations of current API:

• Only supports yes/no confirmation pattern
• Cannot display dialogs with text input
• Cannot render custom components programmatically
• No single-button "alert" variant
• No way to return typed results beyond bool

Requested Methods

1. Alert — Single-Button Acknowledgment

public Task Alert(string title, string? description = null, AlertDialogOptions? options = null);

AlertDialogOptions:

Property	Type	Default	Description
ButtonText	string	"OK"	Acknowledgment button label

• Returns Task (no result — user can only acknowledge)
• Non-dismissible via backdrop click or Escape (must click button)
• Use case: error messages, important notices, success confirmations

2. Prompt — Text Input Dialog

public Task<string?> Prompt(string title, string? description = null, PromptDialogOptions? options = null);

PromptDialogOptions:

Property	Type	Default	Description
DefaultValue	string?	null	Pre-filled input value
Placeholder	string?	null	Input placeholder text
ConfirmText	string	"OK"	Submit button label
CancelText	string	"Cancel"	Cancel button label
Required	bool	false	Disable submit when input is empty
MaxLength	int?	null	Maximum input length

• Returns Task<string?> — input value on submit, null on cancel
• Auto-focuses the input field on open
• Enter key submits, Escape cancels
• Use case: rename dialogs, quick text input, search prompts

3. Open<TComponent> — Custom Component Dialog

public Task<DialogResult> Open<TComponent>(DialogOpenOptions? options = null)
    where TComponent : IComponent;

public Task<DialogResult> Open<TComponent>(
    Dictionary<string, object?> parameters,
    DialogOpenOptions? options = null)
    where TComponent : IComponent;

DialogOpenOptions:

Property	Type	Default	Description
Title	string?	null	Dialog title (optional — component can render its own)
ShowClose	bool	true	Show X close button
Size	DialogSize	Default	Dialog width preset
PreventClose	bool	false	Prevent closing via Escape/backdrop

DialogSize Enum:

public enum DialogSize { Small, Default, Large, ExtraLarge, Full }

DialogResult:

public class DialogResult
{
    public bool Cancelled { get; }
    public object? Data { get; }
    public static DialogResult Cancel() => new(true, null);
    public static DialogResult Ok(object? data = null) => new(false, data);
    public T? GetData<T>() => Data is T typed ? typed : default;
}

IDialogReference (cascaded to the custom component):

public interface IDialogReference
{
    Task Close(DialogResult result);
    Task Cancel();
}

The custom component receives a cascaded IDialogReference to close itself with a result:

// Custom dialog component
@code {
    [CascadingParameter] IDialogReference DialogRef { get; set; }

    private async Task Submit()
    {
        await DialogRef.Close(DialogResult.Ok(formData));
    }
}

Usage Examples

Alert

await DialogService.Alert("Session Expired", "Please log in again.");

Prompt

var name = await DialogService.Prompt(
    "Rename File",
    "Enter a new name for this file:",
    new PromptDialogOptions
    {
        DefaultValue = currentFileName,
        Placeholder = "file-name.txt",
        Required = true
    });

if (name is not null)
{
    await RenameFile(name);
}

Custom Component Dialog

var result = await DialogService.Open<EditUserForm>(
    new Dictionary<string, object?> { ["UserId"] = selectedUserId },
    new DialogOpenOptions { Title = "Edit User", Size = DialogSize.Large });

if (!result.Cancelled)
{
    var updatedUser = result.GetData<UserDto>();
    // Handle updated user
}

Files to Create

File	Purpose
src/BlazorBlueprint.Components/Components/Dialog/AlertDialogData.cs	Data model for alert dialogs
src/BlazorBlueprint.Components/Components/Dialog/AlertDialogOptions.cs	Options for alert dialogs
src/BlazorBlueprint.Components/Components/Dialog/PromptDialogData.cs	Data model for prompt dialogs
src/BlazorBlueprint.Components/Components/Dialog/PromptDialogOptions.cs	Options for prompt dialogs
src/BlazorBlueprint.Components/Components/Dialog/DialogOpenOptions.cs	Options for Open<T>
src/BlazorBlueprint.Components/Components/Dialog/DialogResult.cs	Typed result container
src/BlazorBlueprint.Components/Components/Dialog/DialogSize.cs	Size enum
src/BlazorBlueprint.Components/Components/Dialog/IDialogReference.cs	Interface cascaded to custom components

Files to Modify

File	Change
src/BlazorBlueprint.Components/Components/Dialog/DialogService.cs	Add Alert(), Prompt(), Open<T>() methods
src/BlazorBlueprint.Components/Components/Dialog/BbDialogProvider.razor	Render alert, prompt, and custom component dialogs

Acceptance Criteria

• DialogService.Alert() shows a single-button dialog and returns Task
• DialogService.Prompt() shows a text input dialog and returns Task<string?>
• Prompt auto-focuses input, Enter submits, Escape cancels
• Prompt Required option disables submit when input is empty
• DialogService.Open<TComponent>() renders any IComponent inside a dialog
• Custom component receives cascaded IDialogReference to close with result
• DialogResult supports typed data retrieval via GetData<T>()
• DialogSize presets control dialog width
• All new dialog types render through BbDialogProvider
• All new dialog types support the existing animation pattern (data-[state=open/closed])
• Multiple dialogs can be queued (opened sequentially)
• Thread-safe: concurrent calls to different methods work correctly
• Backwards compatible: existing Confirm() usage unchanged
• Works in Server, WASM, and Auto render modes