Tips for expanding a text input field vertically, not horizontally like in Facebook, while typing or by holding down the Shift key and pressing Enter

Question

Tips for expanding a text input field vertically, not horizontally like in Facebook, while typing or by holding down the Shift key and pressing Enter

I've come across numerous plugins that enable vertical resizing of a textarea and others that allow horizontal resizing of an input field. However, I have yet to find one that enables vertical resizing of an input field similar to Facebook's comment system.

Is there a way to resize an input field vertically as the text reaches the end so that it automatically moves to the next line, mimicking Facebook's comment system? Additionally, is there a method to resize the text when the shift and enter keys are pressed, similar to how it functions on Facebook?

jquery css

Answer 1

Answer №1

Here is a great resource discussing how to create multiple lines of input within an HTML text box: Multiple lines of input in <input type="text" />

The 3rd answer from the top, provided by Sté, explains a method for implementing a multi-line input box.

"To achieve a multi-line text-input, you can use the word-break: break-word; attribute."

In the comments section, there is a helpful link to a functional example demonstrating this implementation. Check it out here: Jeremy Wadhams Fiddle

CSS:

input {
  width: 50px;
  height: 50px;  
  white-space: pre;
  word-break: break-word; 
}

HTML:

<input type="text" name="a" id="a" value="bla bla bla bla bla" />

JS:

document.getElementById('a').value = 'Am I \n on a new line?';

Answer 2

Here is a great resource discussing how to create multiple lines of input within an HTML text box: Multiple lines of input in <input type="text" />

The 3rd answer from the top, provided by Sté, explains a method for implementing a multi-line input box.

"To achieve a multi-line text-input, you can use the word-break: break-word; attribute."

In the comments section, there is a helpful link to a functional example demonstrating this implementation. Check it out here: Jeremy Wadhams Fiddle

CSS:

input {
  width: 50px;
  height: 50px;  
  white-space: pre;
  word-break: break-word; 
}

HTML:

<input type="text" name="a" id="a" value="bla bla bla bla bla" />

JS:

document.getElementById('a').value = 'Am I \n on a new line?';

Answer 3

Answer №2

This method appears to be quite effective. By using a text area, you can set the number of rows and columns it contains and then manipulate them using jQuery.

<!-- Resembles a text input field -->
<textarea cols="1"></textarea>

Now, every time a key is pressed, a new row will be added for every 20 characters entered.

$('textarea').keyup(function() {
    var rows = $(this).attr('rows'),
        cols = $(this).attr('cols') || 20, // Default column count is 20
        length = $(this).val().length;

    // Add a new row to the textarea after every 20 characters are typed
    if (length % cols === 0) {
      $(this).attr('rows', ++rows);
    }
});

Answer 4

This method appears to be quite effective. By using a text area, you can set the number of rows and columns it contains and then manipulate them using jQuery.

<!-- Resembles a text input field -->
<textarea cols="1"></textarea>

Now, every time a key is pressed, a new row will be added for every 20 characters entered.

$('textarea').keyup(function() {
    var rows = $(this).attr('rows'),
        cols = $(this).attr('cols') || 20, // Default column count is 20
        length = $(this).val().length;

    // Add a new row to the textarea after every 20 characters are typed
    if (length % cols === 0) {
      $(this).attr('rows', ++rows);
    }
});

Answer 5

Answer №3

When a key is pressed, adjust the textarea's height to match its content with this code:

input.onkeydown = function() {
    input.style.height = input.scrollHeight + "px";
}

The scrollheight represents the total height of the contents, allowing the textarea to automatically expand accordingly.

Check out the Demo here

Update: It seems that webkit calculates the scrollHeight by adding 4px to the actual height. To account for this, you can subtract 4px from the scrollHeight in each calculation (see demo), but note that it won't make the box shrink when text is removed.

Answer 6

When a key is pressed, adjust the textarea's height to match its content with this code:

input.onkeydown = function() {
    input.style.height = input.scrollHeight + "px";
}

The scrollheight represents the total height of the contents, allowing the textarea to automatically expand accordingly.

Check out the Demo here

Update: It seems that webkit calculates the scrollHeight by adding 4px to the actual height. To account for this, you can subtract 4px from the scrollHeight in each calculation (see demo), but note that it won't make the box shrink when text is removed.

Tips for expanding a text input field vertically, not horizontally like in Facebook, while typing or by holding down the Shift key and pressing Enter

Answer №1

Answer №2

Answer №3

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