---
title: "Active Overlay"
framework: angular
version: "36.1.0"
---

# Active Overlay

Applications can display an overlay on demand regardless of grid state. This is achieved by providing an active overlay which can be one of the provided overlays or be a custom overlay component.

#### Active Overlay (Component Class)

```ts
import { Component, signal } from "@angular/core";

import { AgGridAngular } from "ag-grid-angular";
import {
  ClientSideRowModelModule,
  ModuleRegistry,
  enableDevValidations,
} from "ag-grid-community";
import type { ColDef, GridApi, GridReadyEvent } from "ag-grid-community";

import { CustomOverlayComponent } from "./custom-overlay.component";
import "./styles.css";

// Enable extended validations only for development
if (process.env.NODE_ENV !== "production") {
  enableDevValidations();
}

ModuleRegistry.registerModules([ClientSideRowModelModule]);

interface IAthlete {
  athlete: string;
  country: string;
}

@Component({
  selector: "my-app",
  standalone: true,
  imports: [AgGridAngular],
  template: `<div class="example-wrapper">
    <div class="button-row">
      <button (click)="showActiveOverlay()">Show custom overlay</button>
      <button (click)="clearActiveOverlay()">Hide custom overlay</button>
      <button (click)="incParam()">Increment Param</button>
    </div>
    <ag-grid-angular
      style="width: 100%; height: 100%;"
      class="grid-wrapper"
      [columnDefs]="columnDefs"
      [rowData]="rowData"
      [activeOverlay]="activeOverlay()"
      [activeOverlayParams]="activeOverlayParams()"
    />
  </div>`,
})
export class AppComponent {
  columnDefs: ColDef[] = [
    { field: "athlete", flex: 1 },
    { field: "country", flex: 1 },
  ];
  rowData: IAthlete[] | null = [
    { athlete: "Michael Phelps", country: "United States" },
    { athlete: "Natalie Coughlin", country: "United States" },
    { athlete: "Aleksey Nemov", country: "Russia" },
    { athlete: "Alicia Coutts", country: "Australia" },
  ];

  activeOverlay = signal<any>(CustomOverlayComponent);
  activeOverlayParams = signal({ count: 1 });

  showActiveOverlay() {
    this.activeOverlay.set(CustomOverlayComponent);
  }

  clearActiveOverlay() {
    this.activeOverlay.set(undefined);
  }
  incParam() {
    this.activeOverlayParams.update((prev) => ({ count: prev.count + 1 }));
  }
}
```

[Live example: Active Overlay (Component Class)](https://www.ag-grid.com/examples/overlays-active/active-overlay-component/angular)

## Display an Active Overlay

To display an overlay on demand set the `activeOverlay` / `activeOverlayParams` grid option. To clear the overlay set `activeOverlay = undefined`.

| Property | Type | Required | Default | Description |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| `activeOverlay` | `any` |  |  | Display an overlay on demand. If provided takes precedence over the grid provided overlays. - name of a provided overlay, i.e `agLoadingOverlay`, `agNoRowsOverlay`, `agNoMatchingRowsOverlay`, `agExportingOverlay` - component class/function. - key of a custom component registered in the `components` map. - `undefined` to clear. |
| `activeOverlayParams` | `any` |  |  | Custom parameters to be supplied to the `activeOverlay` component in addition to `IOverlayParams`. Updating the params will trigger a refresh of the active overlay. |

Implement the `IOverlayComp` interface to provide a custom overlay the grid will supply `IOverlayParams` whenever the component is created or refreshed.

```ts

interface IOverlayAngularComp {
  // Mandatory - Params for rendering this component. 
  agInit(params: IOverlayParams): void;

  // Gets called when the `overlayComponentParams` grid option is updated
  refresh?(params: TParams): void;

}
```

The example below demonstrates using the grid provided overlays as an active overlay. Note the following:

- activeOverlays take precedence over the provided loading overlay.
- activeOverlay can be displayed no matter what the grid state, i.e showing the no-rows overlay even when there are rows.
- StatusOverlay is registered in the [components](https://www.ag-grid.com/angular-data-grid/components/#2-by-name) map and shown by setting `activateOverlay = "statusOverlay"` to the key used.

#### Active Overlay Switcher

```ts
import { Component, computed, model, signal } from "@angular/core";
import { FormsModule } from "@angular/forms";

import { AgGridAngular } from "ag-grid-angular";
import type { IOverlayAngularComp } from "ag-grid-angular";
import type { ColDef } from "ag-grid-community";
import {
  ClientSideRowModelModule,
  ModuleRegistry,
  enableDevValidations,
} from "ag-grid-community";
import type { IOverlayParams } from "ag-grid-community";

import "./styles.css";

// Enable extended validations only for development
if (process.env.NODE_ENV !== "production") {
  enableDevValidations();
}

ModuleRegistry.registerModules([ClientSideRowModelModule]);

@Component({
  standalone: true,
  template: `<div class="status-overlay">Custom</div>`,
})
export class StatusOverlayComponent implements IOverlayAngularComp {
  agInit(params: IOverlayParams): void {
    console.log("init");
  }
}

interface Athlete {
  athlete: string;
  country: string;
}

@Component({
  selector: "my-app",
  standalone: true,
  imports: [AgGridAngular, FormsModule],
  template: `<div class="example-wrapper">
    <div class="button-row">
      <label class="toggle loading-toggle"
        ><input
          type="checkbox"
          [checked]="loadingToggle()"
          (change)="loadingToggle.set(!loadingToggle())"
        />
        Loading</label
      >
      <button type="button" (click)="showNoRowsOverlay()">
        activeOverlay = agNoRowsOverlay
      </button>
      <button type="button" (click)="showCustomOverlay()">
        activeOverlay = CustomOverlay
      </button>
      <button type="button" (click)="clearOverlay()">Hide activeOverlay</button>
    </div>
    <div class="grid-wrapper">
      <ag-grid-angular
        style="width: 100%; height: 100%;"
        [columnDefs]="columnDefs"
        [rowData]="rowData"
        [components]="components"
        [loading]="loading()"
        [activeOverlay]="activeOverlay()"
      />
    </div>
  </div>`,
})
export class AppComponent {
  public readonly columnDefs: ColDef<Athlete>[] = [
    { field: "athlete", flex: 1 },
    { field: "country", flex: 1 },
  ];

  public readonly rowData: Athlete[] = [
    { athlete: "Michael Phelps", country: "United States" },
    { athlete: "Natalie Coughlin", country: "United States" },
  ];

  public readonly components = { statusOverlay: StatusOverlayComponent };

  public readonly activeOverlay = signal<string | undefined>(undefined);
  public readonly loadingToggle = signal<boolean>(false);
  public readonly loading = computed(() => this.loadingToggle());

  public showNoRowsOverlay(): void {
    this.activeOverlay.set("agNoRowsOverlay");
  }

  public showCustomOverlay(): void {
    this.activeOverlay.set("statusOverlay");
  }

  public clearOverlay(): void {
    this.activeOverlay.set(undefined);
  }
}
```

[Live example: Active Overlay Switcher](https://www.ag-grid.com/examples/overlays-active/active-overlay-switcher/angular)