Styling an input type=“file” button

Question

How to style the input type="file" button.

Answer 1

You don't need JavaScript for this! Here is a cross-browser solution:

See this example! - It works in Chrome/FF/IE - (IE10/9/8/7)

The best approach would be to have a custom label element with a for attribute attached to a hidden file input element. (The label's for attribute must match the file element's id in order for this to work).

<label for="file-upload" class="custom-file-upload">
    Custom Upload
</label>
<input id="file-upload" type="file"/>

As an alternative, you could also just wrap the file input element with a label directly: (example)

<label class="custom-file-upload">
    <input type="file"/>
    Custom Upload
</label>

In terms of styling, just hide¹ the input element using the attribute selector.

input[type="file"] {
    display: none;
}

Then all you need to do is style the custom label element. (example).

.custom-file-upload {
    border: 1px solid #ccc;
    display: inline-block;
    padding: 6px 12px;
    cursor: pointer;
}

---

¹ - It's worth noting that if you hide the element using display: none, it won't work in IE8 and below. Also be aware of the fact that jQuery validate doesn't validate hidden fields by default. If either of those things are an issue for you, here are two different methods to hide the input (1, 2) that work in these circumstances.

Answer 2

Styling file inputs is notoriously difficult, as most browsers will not change the appearance from either css or javascript.

Even the size of the input will not respond to the likes of:

<input type="file" style="width:200px">

Instead you will need to use the size attribute:

<input type="file" size="60" />

For any styling more sophisticated than that (e.g. changing the look of the browse button) you will need to look at the tricksy approach of overlaying a styled button and input box on top of the native file input. The article already mentioned by rm at www.quirksmode.org/dom/inputfile.html is the best one I've seen.

Answer 3

Hide it with css and use a custom button with $(selector).click() to activate the the browse button. then set an interval to check the value of the file input type. the interval can display the value for the user so the user can see whats getting uploaded. the interval will clear when the form is submitted [EDIT] Sorry i have been very busy was meaning to update this post, here is an example

<form action="uploadScript.php" method="post" enctype="multipart/form-data">
<div>
    <!-- filename to display to the user -->
    <p id="file-name" class="margin-10 bold-10"></p>

    <!-- Hide this from the users view with css display:none; -->
    <input class="display-none" id="file-type" type="file" size="4" name="file"/>

    <!-- Style this button with type image or css whatever you wish -->
    <input id="browse-click" type="button" class="button" value="Browse for files"/>

    <!-- submit button -->
    <input type="submit" class="button" value="Change"/>
</div>

$(window).load(function () {
    var intervalFunc = function () {
        $('#file-name').html($('#file-type').val());
    };
    $('#browse-click').on('click', function () { // use .live() for older versions of jQuery
        $('#file-type').click();
        setInterval(intervalFunc, 1);
        return false;
    });
});

Answer 4

Maybe a lot of awnsers. But I like this in pure CSS with fa-buttons:

.divs {
    position: relative;
    display: inline-block;
    background-color: #fcc;
}

.inputs {
    position:absolute;
    left: 0px;
    height: 100%;
    width: 100%;
    opacity: 0;
    background: #00f;
    z-index:999;
}

.icons {
    position:relative;
}

<div class="divs">
<input type='file' id='image' class="inputs">
<i class="fa fa-image fa-2x icons"></i>
</div>

<div class="divs">
<input type='file' id='book' class="inputs">
<i class="fa fa-book fa-5x icons"></i>
</div>
<br><br><br>
<div class="divs">
<input type='file' id='data' class="inputs">
<i class="fa fa-id-card fa-3x icons"></i>
</div>





<link href="https://maxcdn.bootstrapcdn.com/font-awesome/4.7.0/css/font-awesome.min.css" rel="stylesheet"/>

Fiddle: https://jsfiddle.net/zoutepopcorn/v2zkbpay/1/

Answer 5

css can do a lot here... with a little trickery...

<div id='wrapper'>
  <input type='file' id='browse'>
</div>

#wrapper {
     width: 93px; /*play with this value */
     height: 28px; /*play with this value */
     background: url('browseBtn.png') 0 0 no-repeat;
     border:none;
     overflow:hidden;
}

#browse{
     margin-left:-145px; /*play with this value */
     opacity:0; /* set to .5 or something so you can better position it as an overlay then back to zero again after you're done */
     -ms-filter: "progid:DXImageTransform.Microsoft.Alpha(Opacity=0)";
     filter: progid:DXImageTransform.Microsoft.Alpha(Opacity=0);
}

::reference::http://site-o-matic.net/?viewpost=19

-abbey

Answer 6

Update Nevermind, this doesn't work in IE or it's new brother, FF. Works on every other type of element as expected, but doesn't work on file inputs. A much better way to do this is to just create a file input and a label that links to it. Make the file input display none and boom, it works in IE9+ seamlessly.

Warning: Everything below this is crap!

By using pseudo elements positioned/sized against their container, we can get by with only one input file (no additional markup needed), and style as per usual.

Demo

<input type="file" class="foo">

.foo {
    display: block;
    position: relative;
    width: 300px;
    margin: auto;
    cursor: pointer;
    border: 0;
    height: 60px;
    border-radius: 5px;
    outline: 0;
}
.foo:hover:after {
    background: #5978f8;
}
.foo:after {
    transition: 200ms all ease;
    border-bottom: 3px solid rgba(0,0,0,.2);
    background: #3c5ff4;
    text-shadow: 0 2px 0 rgba(0,0,0,.2);
    color: #fff;
    font-size: 20px;
    text-align: center;
    position: absolute;
    top: 0;
    left: 0;
    width: 100%;
    height: 100%;
    display: block;
    content: 'Upload Something';
    line-height: 60px;
    border-radius: 5px;
}

Enjoy guys!

Old Update

Turned this into a Stylus mixin. Should be easy enough for one of you cool SCSS cats to convert it.

file-button(button_width = 150px)
  display block
  position relative
  margin auto
  cursor pointer
  border 0
  height 0
  width 0
  outline none
  &:after
    position absolute
    top 0
    text-align center
    display block
    width button_width
    left -(button_width / 2)

Usage:

<input type="file">

input[type="file"]
    file-button(200px)