Is there a way to eliminate the additional and varying pseudo-padding on text inputs in both Webkit and Gecko browsers?

Question

Is there a way to eliminate the additional and varying pseudo-padding on text inputs in both Webkit and Gecko browsers?

The issue I'm facing is specific to input[type="text"] elements in Webkit. No matter what adjustments I make, it seems like there is an additional padding: 1px 0 0 1px (top and left only) applied to the element.

A similar anomaly occurs in Gecko as well - input[type="text"] receives an extra padding: 1px 0 0 1px, while input[type="button"] has an unusual padding: 1px 0 0 0.

You can explore all my attempted solutions in this JSFiddle link without success so far: http://jsfiddle.net/PncMR/10/

Interestingly, when setting the line-height of all elements to 0 (as seen here: http://jsfiddle.net/PncMR/11/), the only elements unaffected by this adjustment are those experiencing issues. This leads me to believe that the browser defaults to a specific line-height, prompting me to search for a way to override it.

Despite scouring through the webkit base styles, I have yet to identify any factors causing this behavior. Feel free to investigate yourself:

This issue cannot be attributed to moz-focus-inner, appearance: none, box-sizing, or outline. Regrettably, I have not found alternative solutions thus far.

Edit: While I have addressed the vertical padding concerns in my response below, I am still on the lookout for a resolution regarding the excess padding-left: 1px exclusively present in text-inputs within Webkit and Gecko browsers. (See http://jsfiddle.net/PncMR/14/)

html css firefox webkit

Answer 1

Answer №1

Regarding Webkit

In Webkit, the additional vertical "padding" on input[type="text"] is a result of text inputs not being able to have a line-height value lower than normal. This value varies based on the typeface used, as discussed in more detail here.

Although this is identified as the root cause, it remains a mystery where this styling for the input is coming from since it is not present in the Webkit UA stylesheets.

About Gecko

In Gecko, the extra vertical spacing seen on input[type="text"] and input[type="button"] is due to the user-agent stylesheet including the following code:

input {
    line-height: normal !important;
}

The "!important" declaration within the user-agent stylesheet means that attempts to override this style are futile, as explained further here.

Final Thoughts

Webkit restricts going below line-height: normal, while Gecko enforces only having line-height: normal on these elements. Therefore, the recommended approach is to consistently style these elements with line-height: normal for optimal uniformity, though acknowledging this may not be an ideal solution. Ideally, there should be a way to override all UA styles.

Note that neither explanation covers the additional 1px resembling text-indent that exclusively appears on input[type="text"] in both rendering engines.

If you find this issue concerning, consider sharing your feedback on the following Bugzilla threads:

Answer 2

Regarding Webkit

In Webkit, the additional vertical "padding" on input[type="text"] is a result of text inputs not being able to have a line-height value lower than normal. This value varies based on the typeface used, as discussed in more detail here.

Although this is identified as the root cause, it remains a mystery where this styling for the input is coming from since it is not present in the Webkit UA stylesheets.

About Gecko

In Gecko, the extra vertical spacing seen on input[type="text"] and input[type="button"] is due to the user-agent stylesheet including the following code:

input {
    line-height: normal !important;
}

The "!important" declaration within the user-agent stylesheet means that attempts to override this style are futile, as explained further here.

Final Thoughts

Webkit restricts going below line-height: normal, while Gecko enforces only having line-height: normal on these elements. Therefore, the recommended approach is to consistently style these elements with line-height: normal for optimal uniformity, though acknowledging this may not be an ideal solution. Ideally, there should be a way to override all UA styles.

Note that neither explanation covers the additional 1px resembling text-indent that exclusively appears on input[type="text"] in both rendering engines.

If you find this issue concerning, consider sharing your feedback on the following Bugzilla threads:

Answer 3

Answer №2

The issue at hand is caused by the browser treating the content within the <input> tag as if it were an inline element, regardless of its actual display setting. Inline elements inherently have a minimum height requirement, which can be seen in action here: http://jsfiddle.net/ThinkingStiff/zhReb/

To override this behavior, one can make the "child" element appear as an inline-block. This can be achieved using the first-line pseudo-element.


input:first-line {
    display: inline-block;    
}

For further explanation on this topic, I delve into more specifics in my response to another question:

It should be noted that this method may not be effective in Firefox due to different reasons outlined in @Ian's answer.

Answer 4

The issue at hand is caused by the browser treating the content within the <input> tag as if it were an inline element, regardless of its actual display setting. Inline elements inherently have a minimum height requirement, which can be seen in action here: http://jsfiddle.net/ThinkingStiff/zhReb/

To override this behavior, one can make the "child" element appear as an inline-block. This can be achieved using the first-line pseudo-element.


input:first-line {
    display: inline-block;    
}

For further explanation on this topic, I delve into more specifics in my response to another question:

It should be noted that this method may not be effective in Firefox due to different reasons outlined in @Ian's answer.

Is there a way to eliminate the additional and varying pseudo-padding on text inputs in both Webkit and Gecko browsers?

Answer №1

Regarding Webkit

About Gecko

Final Thoughts

Answer №2

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