How to style a <select> dropdown with only C

Question

Is there a CSS-only way to style a <select> dropdown?

I need to style a <select> form as much as humanly possible, without any JavaScript. What are the properties I can use to do so in CSS?

This code needs to be compatible with all major browsers:

• Internet Explorer 6,7 and 8
• Firefox
• Safari

I know I can make it with JavaScript: Example.

And I'm not talking about simple styling. I want to know, what the best we can do with CSS only.

I found similar questions on Stack Overflow.

And this one on Doctype.com.

Answer 1

A very nice example that uses :after and :before to do the trick is in Styling Select Box with CSS3 | CSSDeck

Answer 2

I had this exact problem, except I couldn't use images and was not limited by browser support. This should be «on spec» and with luck start working everywhere eventually.

It uses layered rotated background layers to «cut out» a dropdown arrow, as pseudo-elements wouldn't work for the select element.

Edit: In this updated version I am using CSS variables and a tiny theming system.

:root {
  --radius: 2px;
  --baseFg: dimgray;
  --baseBg: white;
  --accentFg: #006fc2;
  --accentBg: #bae1ff;
}

.theme-pink {
  --radius: 2em;
  --baseFg: #c70062;
  --baseBg: #ffe3f1;
  --accentFg: #c70062;
  --accentBg: #ffaad4;
}

.theme-construction {
  --radius: 0;
  --baseFg: white;
  --baseBg: black;
  --accentFg: black;
  --accentBg: orange;
}

select {
  font: 400 12px/1.3 sans-serif;
  -webkit-appearance: none;
  appearance: none;
  color: var(--baseFg);
  border: 1px solid var(--baseFg);
  line-height: 1;
  outline: 0;
  padding: 0.65em 2.5em 0.55em 0.75em;
  border-radius: var(--radius);
  background-color: var(--baseBg);
  background-image: linear-gradient(var(--baseFg), var(--baseFg)),
    linear-gradient(-135deg, transparent 50%, var(--accentBg) 50%),
    linear-gradient(-225deg, transparent 50%, var(--accentBg) 50%),
    linear-gradient(var(--accentBg) 42%, var(--accentFg) 42%);
  background-repeat: no-repeat, no-repeat, no-repeat, no-repeat;
  background-size: 1px 100%, 20px 22px, 20px 22px, 20px 100%;
  background-position: right 20px center, right bottom, right bottom, right bottom;   
}

select:hover {
  background-image: linear-gradient(var(--accentFg), var(--accentFg)),
    linear-gradient(-135deg, transparent 50%, var(--accentFg) 50%),
    linear-gradient(-225deg, transparent 50%, var(--accentFg) 50%),
    linear-gradient(var(--accentFg) 42%, var(--accentBg) 42%);
}

select:active {
  background-image: linear-gradient(var(--accentFg), var(--accentFg)),
    linear-gradient(-135deg, transparent 50%, var(--accentFg) 50%),
    linear-gradient(-225deg, transparent 50%, var(--accentFg) 50%),
    linear-gradient(var(--accentFg) 42%, var(--accentBg) 42%);
  color: var(--accentBg);
  border-color: var(--accentFg);
  background-color: var(--accentFg);
}

<select>
  <option>So many options</option>
  <option>...</option>
</select>

<select class="theme-pink">
  <option>So many options</option>
  <option>...</option>
</select>

<select class="theme-construction">
  <option>So many options</option>
  <option>...</option>
</select>

Answer 3

The blog post How to CSS form drop down style no JavaScript works for me, but it fails in Opera though:

select {
    border: 0 none;
    color: #FFFFFF;
    background: transparent;
    font-size: 20px;
    font-weight: bold;
    padding: 2px 10px;
    width: 378px;
    *width: 350px;
    *background: #58B14C;
}

#mainselection {
    overflow: hidden;
    width: 350px;
    -moz-border-radius: 9px 9px 9px 9px;
    -webkit-border-radius: 9px 9px 9px 9px;
    border-radius: 9px 9px 9px 9px;
    box-shadow: 1px 1px 11px #330033;
    background: url("arrow.gif") no-repeat scroll 319px 5px #58B14C;
}

<div id="mainselection">
    <select>
    <option>Select an Option</option>
    <option>Option 1</option>
    <option>Option 2</option>
    </select>
</div>

Answer 4

You definitely should do it like in Styling select, optgroup and options with CSS. In many ways, background-color and color are just what you would typically need to style options, not the entire select.

Answer 5

A CSS & HTML only solution

I seems compatible with Chrome, Firefox & IE11. But please leave your feedback regarding other web browsers.

As suggested by @Danield answer, I wrap my select in a div (even two divs for x-browser compatibility) to get the expected behavior.

See http://jsfiddle.net/bjap2/

HTML:

<div class="sort-options-wrapper">
    <div class="sort-options-wrapper-2">
        <select class="sort-options">
                <option value="choiceOne">choiceOne</option>
                <option value="choiceOne">choiceThree</option>
                <option value="choiceOne">choiceFour</option>
                <option value="choiceFiveLongTestPurpose">choiceFiveLongTestPurpose</option>
        </select>
    </div>
    <div class="search-select-arrow-down"></div>
</div>

Notice the 2 div wrappers. Also notice the extra div added to place the arrow-down button wherever you like (positioned absolutely), here we put it on the left.

CSS

.sort-options-wrapper {
    display: inline-block;
    position: relative;
    border: 1px solid #83837f;
}
/* this second wrapper is needed for x-browser compatibility */
.sort-options-wrapper-2 {
    overflow: hidden;
}
select {
    margin-right: -19px; /* that's what hidding the default-provided browser arrow */
    padding-left: 13px;
    margin-left: 0;
    border: none;
    background: none;
    /* margin-top & margin-bottom must be set since some browser have default values for select elements */
    margin-bottom: 1px;
    margin-top: 1px;
}
select:focus {
    outline: none; /* removing default browsers outline on focus */
}
.search-select-arrow-down {
    position: absolute;
    height:10px;
    width: 12px;
    background: url(http://i.imgur.com/pHIYN06.png) scroll no-repeat 2px 0px;
    left: 1px;
    top: 5px;
}

Answer 6

I got to your case using Bootstrap. This is the simplest solution that works:

select.form-control {
    -moz-appearance: none;
    -webkit-appearance: none;
    appearance: none;
    background-position: right center;
    background-repeat: no-repeat;
    background-size: 1ex;
    background-origin: content-box;
    background-image: url("data:image/svg+xml;base64,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");
}

<link href="https://maxcdn.bootstrapcdn.com/bootstrap/3.3.6/css/bootstrap.min.css" rel="stylesheet" />
<section class="container">
  <form class="form-horizontal">
    <select class="form-control">
      <option>One</option>
      <option>Two</option>
    </select>
  </form>
</section>

Note: the base64 stuff is fa-chevron-down in SVG.