Creating customized placeholders using CSS padding in HTML5

I came across this helpful post and attempted various methods to adjust the padding for my placeholder text, but unfortunately, it seems unwilling to cooperate.

Below is the CSS code. (EDIT: This CSS was generated from SASS)

#search {
  margin-top: 1px;
  display: inline;
  float: left;
  margin-left: 10px;
  margin-right: 10px;
  width: 220px;
}

#search form {
  position: relative;
}

#search input {
  padding: 0 10px 0 29px;
  color: #555555;
  border: none;
  background: url('/images/bg_searchbar.png?1296191141') no-repeat;
  width: 180px;
  height: 29px;
  overflow: hidden;
}

#search input:hover {
  color: #00ccff;
  background-position: 0px -32px;
}

And here's the basic HTML structure:

<div id="search">
  <form>
    <input type="text" value="" placeholder="Search..." name="q" autocomplete="off" class="">
  </form>
  <div id="jquery-live-search" style="display: block; position: absolute; top: 15px; width: 219px;">
    <ul id="search-results" class="dropdown">
    </ul>
  </div>
</div>

Seems straightforward, right? The placeholder text is not aligned correctly, and adjusting the padding for the input element messes up the design! It appears that only the color (for webkit) of the placeholder can be modified. Frustrating!

Here are screenshots showing the placeholder text and the input field with typed text:

EDIT:

To temporarily resolve this issue, I've turned to using this jQuery plugin.

It's working perfectly and has fixed the problem in Chrome. However, I still want to understand what's causing this issue (potentially Chrome-specific, as John Catterfeld didn't face any problems on Windows). Any insights on why this is happening on both my client's Chrome and mine would be greatly appreciated!

Answer №1

I encountered a similar problem.

The issue was resolved by deleting the line-height in my input field. Please verify if there is any line height causing the problem

Answer №2

Dealing with a similar issue, I found that the problem stemmed from the side padding. Surprisingly, the solution lied in adjusting the text-indent property. It was not immediately apparent to me that changing the text indent would impact the position of the placeholder text.

input{
  text-indent: 10px;
}

Answer №3

To ensure that your line-height and placeholder text match perfectly, you can adjust the placeholder CSS directly in newer browser versions. This method worked for me:

input::-webkit-input-placeholder { /* WebKit browsers */
  line-height: 1.5em;
}
input:-moz-placeholder { /* Mozilla Firefox 4 to 18 */
  line-height: 1.5em;
}
input::-moz-placeholder { /* Mozilla Firefox 19+ */
  line-height: 1.5em;
}
input:-ms-input-placeholder { /* Internet Explorer 10+ */
  line-height: 1.5em;
}

Answer №4

line-height: standard; 

This solution worked perfectly for my issue!

Answer №5

Using Angular Material

If the padding on your input field is not working, consider adding &nbsp; to the placeholder. However, this method is not recommended.

<input matInput type="text" placeholder="&nbsp;&nbsp;Email">

Without Angular Material

To add padding to your input field, use the following code snippet:

<link href="https://stackpath.bootstrapcdn.com/bootstrap/4.3.1/css/bootstrap.min.css" rel="stylesheet"/>

<div class="container m-3 d-flex flex-column align-items-center justify-content-around" style="height:100px;">
<input type="text" class="pl-0" placeholder="Email with no Padding" style="width:240px;">
<input type="text" class="pl-3" placeholder="Email with 1 rem padding" style="width:240px;">
</div>

Answer №6

To shift the placeholder text to the right and keep the cursor in the empty space, you must include one or more spaces at the beginning of the placeholder attribute:

<input type="email" placeholder=" Your email" />

Answer №7

One issue I encountered only in Internet Explorer was with the styling of an input field.

height:38px;
line-height:38px;

In IE, the initial placeholder text did not appear in the correct position. However, clicking into the field and then leaving it caused the placeholder to shift to the right position.

To resolve this, I adjusted the line-height to:

line-height:normal;

Answer №8

After some troubleshooting, the issue was resolved by adding line-height: 0px; in Chrome

Answer №9

After removing the line-height, your text aligns with the placeholder text, but this does not fully address the issue as you need to adjust your design to account for this discrepancy (which is not a bug). Adding vertical-align also does not solve the problem. I have not tested in all browsers, but it does not work in Safari 5.1.4.

I have heard of a potential jQuery solution for styling the placeholders (not specifically for cross-browser support) called jQuery.placeholder, but I have yet to locate it.

In the meantime, you can refer to this table which outlines different browser support for various styles.

Edit: The plugin has been found! You can access jquery.placeholder.min.js which offers comprehensive styling capabilities and cross-browser support.

Answer №10

Try removing the line-height property or alternatively, set it using padding instead. This should ensure that it displays correctly across all browsers.

Answer №11

I have utilized your screenshot as a background image in a fiddle and removed unnecessary mark-up, resulting in successful functionality.

http://jsfiddle.net/fLdQG/2/ (support for webkit browser is needed)

If this does not meet your requirements, please feel free to update the fiddle with your specific mark-up and CSS.

Answer №12

Upon updating Chrome to the newest stable release (version 9.0.597.94) on my macOS system, I immediately noticed this issue. It appears to be a bug specific to Chrome, and I am hopeful that it will be rectified soon.

Instead of trying to find a workaround for this problem, I am considering waiting for the fix to avoid unnecessary additional work in removing any temporary solutions.

Answer №13

The placeholder remains unaffected by changes in line-height, while the inconsistency of padding persists across different browsers.

However, I have discovered an alternative solution.

Instead of relying on VERTICAL-ALIGN, which may only work in certain cases, give it a try and potentially streamline your CSS code significantly.

Answer №14

My search for a solution to my frustrations led me to discover the perfect answer on John Catterfeld's personal blog.

When using Chrome (v20-30), be cautious of applying certain styles to placeholder text as it may not resize the input box properly. Avoid using line-height and padding top or bottom.

If you're utilizing line-height or padding, you'll likely encounter issues with how the placeholder text displays. I haven't come across a workaround for this problem yet.

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