# alertWithMessageText:defaultButton:alternateButton:otherButton:informativeTextWithFormat: Creates an alert compatible with alerts created using the [`NSRunAlertPanel`](/documentation/AppKit/NSRunAlertPanel) function for display as a warning-style alert. ``` + (NSAlert *) alertWithMessageText:(NSString *) message defaultButton:(NSString *) defaultButton alternateButton:(NSString *) alternateButton otherButton:(NSString *) otherButton informativeTextWithFormat:(NSString *) format; ``` ## Parameters `message` Title of the alert. When `nil` or an empty string, a default localized title is used (“Alert” in English). `defaultButton` Title for the default button. When `nil` or an empty string, a default localized button title (“OK” in English) is used. `alternateButton` Title for the alternate button. When `nil`, the alternate button is not created. `otherButton` Title for the other button. When `nil`, the other button is not created. `format` Informative text. This is optional but must be an empty string (`@””`) not `nil`. Can embed variable values using a format string; list any necessary arguments for this formatted string at the end of the method’s argument list. For more information on format strings, see [Formatting String Objects](https://developer.apple.com/library/archive/documentation/Cocoa/Conceptual/Strings/Articles/FormatStrings.html#//apple_ref/doc/uid/20000943). ## Return Value Initialized alert. ## Discussion For languages that read left to right, the buttons are laid out on the bottom-right corner of the alert sheet or window, with `defaultButtonTitle` on the right, `alternateButtonTitle` on the left, and `otherButtonTitle` in the middle. The return values identifying these buttons are constants— `NSAlertDefaultReturn`, `NSAlertAlternateReturn`, and `NSAlertOtherReturn`—that correspond to the keywords. By default, the first button has a key equivalent of Return, any button with a title of “Cancel” has a key equivalent of Escape, and any button with the title “Don’t Save” has a key equivalent of Command-D (but only if it is not the first button). You can also assign different key equivalents for the buttons using the [`keyEquivalent`](/documentation/AppKit/NSButton/keyEquivalent) method of the `NSButton` class. To access the alert’s buttons, use the [`buttons`](/documentation/AppKit/NSAlert/buttons) property. ### Special Considerations This is a compatibility method. It is designed for easy adoption by apps migrating from the corresponding function-based API. This method uses earlier return values—`NSAlertDefaultReturn`, `NSAlertAlternateReturn`, and `NSAlertOtherReturn`—compatible with the earlier API, rather than the return values defined by the `NSAlert` class, described in `Button Return Values`. Unless you must maintain compatibility with existing alert-processing code that uses the function-based API, you should allocate (`alloc`) and initialize (`init`) the object, and then set its attributes using the appropriate methods of the `NSAlert` class. --- Copyright © 2026 Apple Inc. All rights reserved. | [Terms of Use](https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/terms/site.html) | [Privacy Policy](https://www.apple.com/privacy/privacy-policy)