What steps can I take to create a textbox that expands as more text is

Question

What steps can I take to create a textbox that expands as more text is

Looking to create a unique textbook design that starts out with specific width and height dimensions, but expands downward as users type beyond the initial space. Wondering if CSS can help achieve this functionality? In a standard textbox, only a scroll bar appears when users exceed the predefined rows. How can I make the textbox automatically expand by an additional 5 rows?

<form method="post" action="">
<textarea name="comments" cols="50" rows="5"></textarea><br>
<input type="submit" value="Submit" />
</form>

Interested in implementing the approach mentioned by Robert Harvey, but have limited experience with JavaScript. Any guidance on how to proceed?

javascript html css

Answer 1

Answer №1

Enhance Textareas with jQuery AutoResize Plugin

Instructions for usage:

First, make sure you have jQuery. If not, add it to your page using the following code:

<script type="text/javascript"
    src="http://ajax.googleapis.com/ajax/libs/jquery/1.4.2/jquery.js"></script>

Next, download the auto resize plugin and save it in the same folder as your webpage. Reference it in your webpage by adding this line of code:

<script type="text/javascript"
    src="autoresize.jquery.js"></script>

Add a textarea element to your webpage:

<textarea id="comment" style="width: 400px; padding: 10px; height: 50px; 
    display: block; font-family:Sans-serif; font-size:1.2em;">
    Type some text here, and watch the box expand as you reach the end!
</textarea>

Finally, in a script block, add the following code snippet to activate the auto resizing functionality for the textarea:

<script type="text/javascript">
    $('textarea#comment').autoResize({
        // On resize:
        onResize : function() {
            $(this).css({opacity:0.8});
        },
        // After resize:
        animateCallback : function() {
            $(this).css({opacity:1});
        },
        // Animation duration:
        animateDuration : 300,
        // Additional space after resizing:
        extraSpace : 40
    });
</script>

Answer 2

Enhance Textareas with jQuery AutoResize Plugin

Instructions for usage:

First, make sure you have jQuery. If not, add it to your page using the following code:

<script type="text/javascript"
    src="http://ajax.googleapis.com/ajax/libs/jquery/1.4.2/jquery.js"></script>

Next, download the auto resize plugin and save it in the same folder as your webpage. Reference it in your webpage by adding this line of code:

<script type="text/javascript"
    src="autoresize.jquery.js"></script>

Add a textarea element to your webpage:

<textarea id="comment" style="width: 400px; padding: 10px; height: 50px; 
    display: block; font-family:Sans-serif; font-size:1.2em;">
    Type some text here, and watch the box expand as you reach the end!
</textarea>

Finally, in a script block, add the following code snippet to activate the auto resizing functionality for the textarea:

<script type="text/javascript">
    $('textarea#comment').autoResize({
        // On resize:
        onResize : function() {
            $(this).css({opacity:0.8});
        },
        // After resize:
        animateCallback : function() {
            $(this).css({opacity:1});
        },
        // Animation duration:
        animateDuration : 300,
        // Additional space after resizing:
        extraSpace : 40
    });
</script>

Answer 3

Answer №2

Feel free to include a library if you wish, or simply monitor the scrollTop property of the textarea.

When the scrollTop is not at zero, it's time to add new rows dynamically.

<!doctype html>
<html lang= "en">
<head>
<meta charset= "utf-8">
<title>Adjusting Textarea Size </title>
<style>
textarea{overflow-y:scroll}
</style>
<script>
onload=function(){
    var textbox=document.getElementsByName('comments')[0];
    textbox.onkeyup=function(){
        if(textbox.scrollTop)textbox.rows=parseInt(textbox.rows)+5;
    }
}
</script>
</head>
<body>
<textarea name="comments" cols="50" rows="5"></textarea>
</body>
</html>

Answer 4

Feel free to include a library if you wish, or simply monitor the scrollTop property of the textarea.

When the scrollTop is not at zero, it's time to add new rows dynamically.

<!doctype html>
<html lang= "en">
<head>
<meta charset= "utf-8">
<title>Adjusting Textarea Size </title>
<style>
textarea{overflow-y:scroll}
</style>
<script>
onload=function(){
    var textbox=document.getElementsByName('comments')[0];
    textbox.onkeyup=function(){
        if(textbox.scrollTop)textbox.rows=parseInt(textbox.rows)+5;
    }
}
</script>
</head>
<body>
<textarea name="comments" cols="50" rows="5"></textarea>
</body>
</html>

Answer 5

Answer №3

Check out this solution utilizing only vanilla JavaScript.
Tested and confirmed to be functional in Chrome, Firefox & IE8 and above.

You can implement this on page load or within a function:

var element = document.getElementById('comments');
var retractsAutomatically = false;

var sizeOfOne = element.clientHeight;
element.rows = 2;
var sizeOfExtra = element.clientHeight - sizeOfOne;
element.rows = 1;

var resize = function() {
    var length = element.scrollHeight;

    if (retractsAutomatically) {
        if (element.clientHeight == length)
            return;
    }
    else {
        element.rows = 1;
        length = element.scrollHeight;
    }

    element.rows = 1 + (length - sizeOfOne) / sizeOfExtra;
};

//modern
if (element.addEventListener)
    element.addEventListener('input', resize, false);
//IE8
else {
    element.attachEvent('onpropertychange', resize)
    retractsAutomaticaly = true;
}

CSS & HTML:

textarea#comments { overflow:hidden; }

<textarea id="comments" cols="50" rows="1"></textarea>

Answer 6

Check out this solution utilizing only vanilla JavaScript.
Tested and confirmed to be functional in Chrome, Firefox & IE8 and above.

You can implement this on page load or within a function:

var element = document.getElementById('comments');
var retractsAutomatically = false;

var sizeOfOne = element.clientHeight;
element.rows = 2;
var sizeOfExtra = element.clientHeight - sizeOfOne;
element.rows = 1;

var resize = function() {
    var length = element.scrollHeight;

    if (retractsAutomatically) {
        if (element.clientHeight == length)
            return;
    }
    else {
        element.rows = 1;
        length = element.scrollHeight;
    }

    element.rows = 1 + (length - sizeOfOne) / sizeOfExtra;
};

//modern
if (element.addEventListener)
    element.addEventListener('input', resize, false);
//IE8
else {
    element.attachEvent('onpropertychange', resize)
    retractsAutomaticaly = true;
}

CSS & HTML:

textarea#comments { overflow:hidden; }

<textarea id="comments" cols="50" rows="1"></textarea>

What steps can I take to create a textbox that expands as more text is

Answer №1

Answer №2

Answer №3

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