How can I change the background color of the initial word in a textbox?

Question

How can I change the background color of the initial word in a textbox?

In my HTML, I have a text box input. While I am familiar with how to use CSS to set the background color of the entire textbox using background-color, I am wondering if it is possible to specifically target and change the background color of only the first word typed. For example, if someone enters "hello there," I would like the word 'hello' to appear in orange, while typing "how are you" should make the word 'how' blue.

I was able to style the complete textbox in this JSFiddle using jQuery and CSS. However, I am seeking a way to modify the background color for just the initial word. Is this achievable?

javascript jquery html css

Answer 1

Answer №1

Simple and quick solution (not perfect) put together in just a few minutes, but it might assist you in building a better solution.

Visit this link for the demo

HTML:

<div class="magic-input-container">
    <div class="form-control first-word"></div>
    <input type="text" id="textbox" class="form-control" placeholder="Type here..."/>
</div>

JS:

$(document).on('keydown keyup change', '.magic-input-container input', function (){

    if(($(this).val().length) && ($(this).val().split(' ').length)){

        $(this).closest('.magic-input-container').find('.first-word').html($(this).val().split(' ')[0]).show();
    }
    else{

        $(this).closest('.magic-input-container').find('.first-word').hide();
    }    
});


$(document).on('click', '.magic-input-container .first-word', function (){

    $(this).closest('.magic-input-container').find('input').focus();
});

CSS:

body {
    padding: 10px;
}

.magic-input-container {
    width: 100%;
    height: auto;
    position: relative;
    float: left;
}

.magic-input-container .first-word {
    background: red;
    width: auto;
    height: 20px;
    line-height: 20px;
    box-shadow: none;
    margin: 6px 12px;
    padding: 0px 1px;
    border: 0px;
    top: 0px;
    position: absolute;
    border-radius: 0px;
    display: none;
    color: #FFF;
}

Answer 2

Simple and quick solution (not perfect) put together in just a few minutes, but it might assist you in building a better solution.

Visit this link for the demo

HTML:

<div class="magic-input-container">
    <div class="form-control first-word"></div>
    <input type="text" id="textbox" class="form-control" placeholder="Type here..."/>
</div>

JS:

$(document).on('keydown keyup change', '.magic-input-container input', function (){

    if(($(this).val().length) && ($(this).val().split(' ').length)){

        $(this).closest('.magic-input-container').find('.first-word').html($(this).val().split(' ')[0]).show();
    }
    else{

        $(this).closest('.magic-input-container').find('.first-word').hide();
    }    
});


$(document).on('click', '.magic-input-container .first-word', function (){

    $(this).closest('.magic-input-container').find('input').focus();
});

CSS:

body {
    padding: 10px;
}

.magic-input-container {
    width: 100%;
    height: auto;
    position: relative;
    float: left;
}

.magic-input-container .first-word {
    background: red;
    width: auto;
    height: 20px;
    line-height: 20px;
    box-shadow: none;
    margin: 6px 12px;
    padding: 0px 1px;
    border: 0px;
    top: 0px;
    position: absolute;
    border-radius: 0px;
    display: none;
    color: #FFF;
}

Answer 3

Answer №2

As there is no specific formatting style for a textbox or textarea like this, you can create the desired effect by implementing some creative techniques. Here are two ideas:

One option is to set the background color of the text input to transparent and then create a colored background using elements like span or div. Adjust the position or margin so that the text box appears on top of the background.
Another approach is to write or use a formatted text editor that renders text using HTML.

$(document).ready(function() {
    $('input').keyup(function(){
        var str= $(this).val();
        var idx = str.indexOf(' ') != -1?str.indexOf(' '):str.length;
        $('span').text(str.substr(0, idx));
        $(this).css('margin-left',-$('span').width()-6);
    });    
});

<script src="https://ajax.googleapis.com/ajax/libs/jquery/1.11.1/jquery.min.js"></script>
<span style="background-color:green; color:transparent">hello</span>
<input value="hello there" style="margin-left:-36px; background: transparent"/>

Answer 4

As there is no specific formatting style for a textbox or textarea like this, you can create the desired effect by implementing some creative techniques. Here are two ideas:

One option is to set the background color of the text input to transparent and then create a colored background using elements like span or div. Adjust the position or margin so that the text box appears on top of the background.
Another approach is to write or use a formatted text editor that renders text using HTML.

$(document).ready(function() {
    $('input').keyup(function(){
        var str= $(this).val();
        var idx = str.indexOf(' ') != -1?str.indexOf(' '):str.length;
        $('span').text(str.substr(0, idx));
        $(this).css('margin-left',-$('span').width()-6);
    });    
});

<script src="https://ajax.googleapis.com/ajax/libs/jquery/1.11.1/jquery.min.js"></script>
<span style="background-color:green; color:transparent">hello</span>
<input value="hello there" style="margin-left:-36px; background: transparent"/>

Answer 5

Answer №3

Here's my jQuery-free version of the code :)

HTML:

<div class="box">
    <span id="background"></span>
    <input id="inputField" type="text" name="textfield" size="50" />
</div>

CSS:

.box {
    position: relative;
}

.box span {
    background: blue;
    display: block;
    position: absolute;
    top: 0;
    left: 0;
    z-index: 2;
    opacity: 0.6;
}
.box input {
    position: absolute;
    z-index: 1;
}

JavaScript:

var bgElement = document.getElementById("background");
var inpElement = document.getElementById("inputField");
bgElement.style.height = inpElement.offsetHeight + "px";

inpElement.addEventListener("keyup", function() {

    var value = this.value.trim();
    var firstWord = value.split(" ")[0];
    var spanWidth = document.createElement("span");
    spanWidth.textContent = firstWord;
    spanWidth.style.display = 'none';
    document.body.appendChild(spanWidth);
    var width = spanWidth.offsetWidth - 4;
    document.body.removeChild(spanWidth);
    bgElement.style.width = width + "px";
});

Check out the demo here.

Answer 6

Here's my jQuery-free version of the code :)

HTML:

<div class="box">
    <span id="background"></span>
    <input id="inputField" type="text" name="textfield" size="50" />
</div>

CSS:

.box {
    position: relative;
}

.box span {
    background: blue;
    display: block;
    position: absolute;
    top: 0;
    left: 0;
    z-index: 2;
    opacity: 0.6;
}
.box input {
    position: absolute;
    z-index: 1;
}

JavaScript:

var bgElement = document.getElementById("background");
var inpElement = document.getElementById("inputField");
bgElement.style.height = inpElement.offsetHeight + "px";

inpElement.addEventListener("keyup", function() {

    var value = this.value.trim();
    var firstWord = value.split(" ")[0];
    var spanWidth = document.createElement("span");
    spanWidth.textContent = firstWord;
    spanWidth.style.display = 'none';
    document.body.appendChild(spanWidth);
    var width = spanWidth.offsetWidth - 4;
    document.body.removeChild(spanWidth);
    bgElement.style.width = width + "px";
});

Check out the demo here.

How can I change the background color of the initial word in a textbox?

Answer №1

Answer №2

Answer №3

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