Ways to adjust the select element to match the width of its current option

As I work on building a form, I'm looking for a way to make the select element adjust its width based on the length of its current option. Essentially, I want the select element to expand or contract depending on the width of its longest option.

I've tried using CSS to set a fixed width for the select element, but unfortunately, the jQuery .width() function doesn't provide accurate width measurements for the options within the select element.

Answer №1

The select element is fully rendered by the browser, making it impossible to hook into it. The workaround is to manually measure the options and dynamically resize the select element.

Although measuring non-monospaced fonts can be challenging, this approach may suffice.

Check out a demo here.

jQuery('#yourSelect').change(function() {
    optionValue = jQuery('#yourSelect option:selected').val();
    jQuery('#yourSelect').width(20 + (optionValue.length * 8));
});

Answer №2

According to MVP, achieving the real width of a <select> element is not possible, but it can be imitated. Here's an approach that demonstrates this:

function adjust_select_width() {
    //estimated pixel width of the arrow button in a <select> -
    //may vary across browsers
    var buffer = 24;

    //generate a hidden <span> with the text of the selected option
    var temp_span = $('<span>').html($(this).val()).hide();

    //add the <span> to the DOM for measurement purposes
    $('body').append(temp_span);

    //set the width of the select box equal to the width of the <span>,
    //plus the buffer for the arrow button
    $(this).width($(temp_span).width() + buffer);

    //remove the temporary <span>
    $(temp_span).remove();
}

//invoke function once to establish initial width
adjust_select_width.call($('#select_id'));

$('#select_id').change(adjust_select_width);

This technique should provide a close approximation to the actual width of the <option> by creating and measuring an element on the page that houses the desired text.

To illustrate that character width does not impact this method, I used M (widest English alphabet character) and i (narrowest).

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