Summary: Visit this codepen for an example that works smoothly on Chrome, but shows misalignment in Firefox.
I have been working on a custom jQuery plugin that enhances a text input by adding a dropdown button on the left side. To ensure proper positioning, I include a wrapper div with the same height as the input element so that the button can be absolutely positioned over it without affecting the overall height:
#wrapper {
position: relative;
}
#overlay {
position: absolute;
top: 0;
bottom: 0;
width: 30px;
}
This method works well unless the input has vertical margin; in such cases, the container expands to accommodate the margin, causing the dropdown button to adjust its size accordingly. To tackle this issue, I utilized margin collapsing by setting the input display property to block, which prevented the container from respecting the input's margin adjustment.
input {
margin: 20px 0 40px; /* test */
display: block;
}
However, the problem arose because inputs are inline elements by default, meaning they are often paired with other inline elements like submit buttons. As a workaround, I enclosed the entire setup within a container div with display set to inline-block, allowing seamless alignment with adjacent inline elements.
#container {
display: inline-block;
}
While this solution functions correctly in Chrome, Firefox presents unexpected alignment discrepancies when vertical margins are applied to the input element. Below you will find the final markup along with the link to the codepen demonstration.
<div id="container">
<div id="wrapper">
<input>
<div id="overlay"></div>
</div>
</div>
<button>Submit</button>
Note: The key aspect here is that this is a plugin intended to seamlessly integrate with the user's existing HTML structure and CSS styles. The objective is to allow users to initialize the plugin on their input element effortlessly without having to alter their current markup or styling. By wrapping the enhanced input in a container div (which excludes any additional elements like buttons placed alongside inputs), we aim to maintain compatibility with various setups and designs.