How TO - Custom Select Box
Learn how to create custom select boxes with CSS and JavaScript.
Custom Select Box
Default:
Custom:
Create a Custom Select Menu
Step 1) Add HTML:
Example
  <!-- Surround the select box within a "custom-select" DIV element.
Remember 
  to set the width: -->
<div class="custom-select" style="width:200px;">
  
  <select>
    <option value="0">Select car:</option>
    
  <option value="1">Audi</option>
    <option 
  value="2">BMW</option>
    <option 
  value="3">Citroen</option>
    <option 
  value="4">Ford</option>
    <option value="5">Honda</option>
    
  <option value="6">Jaguar</option>
    <option value="7">Land 
  Rover</option>
    <option value="8">Mercedes</option>
    
  <option value="9">Mini</option>
    <option 
  value="10">Nissan</option>
    <option 
  value="11">Toyota</option>
    <option 
  value="12">Volvo</option>
  </select>
</div>
Step 2) Add CSS:
Example
  /* The container must be positioned relative: */
.custom-select {
  
  position: relative;
  font-family: Arial;
}
.custom-select select {
  
  display: none; /*hide original SELECT element: */
}
.select-selected {
  
  background-color: DodgerBlue;
}
/* Style the arrow inside the select 
  element: */
.select-selected:after {
  position: absolute;
  
  content: "";
  top: 14px;
  right: 10px;
  width: 0;
  
  height: 0;
  border: 6px solid transparent;
  border-color: #fff 
  transparent transparent transparent;
}
  /* Point the arrow upwards when the select box is open (active): */
.select-selected.select-arrow-active:after 
  {
  border-color: transparent transparent #fff transparent;
  
  top: 7px;
}
  /* style the items (options), including the selected item: */
.select-items 
  div,.select-selected {
  color: #ffffff;
  padding: 8px 16px;
  
  border: 1px solid transparent;
  border-color: transparent transparent 
  rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.1) transparent;
  cursor: pointer;
}
/* Style items (options): */
  .select-items {
  position: absolute;
  background-color: 
  DodgerBlue;
  top: 100%;
  left: 0;
  right: 0;
  
  z-index: 99;
}
/* Hide the items 
  when the select box is closed: */
.select-hide {
  display: none;
  }
  .select-items div:hover, .same-as-selected {
  background-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.1);
}
Step 3) Add JavaScript:
Example
  var x, i, j, selElmnt, a, b, c;
/* Look for any elements with the class 
  "custom-select": */
x = document.getElementsByClassName("custom-select");
  for (i = 0; i < x.length; i++) {
  selElmnt = x[i].getElementsByTagName("select")[0];
  /* 
  For each element, create a new 
  DIV that will act as the selected item: */
  
  a = document.createElement("DIV");
  a.setAttribute("class", 
  "select-selected");
  a.innerHTML = selElmnt.options[selElmnt.selectedIndex].innerHTML;
  
  x[i].appendChild(a);
  /* For each element, create a new DIV that will 
  contain the option list: */
  b = document.createElement("DIV");
  
  b.setAttribute("class", "select-items select-hide");
  for (j = 
  1; j < selElmnt.length; j++) {
    /* For each option in the 
  original select element,
    create a new DIV that will act 
  as an option item: */
    c = document.createElement("DIV");
    
  c.innerHTML = selElmnt.options[j].innerHTML;
    
  c.addEventListener("click", function(e) {
        
  /* When an item is clicked, update the original select box,
        
  and the selected item: */
        var y, 
  i, k, s, h;
        s = 
  this.parentNode.parentNode.getElementsByTagName("select")[0];
        
  h = this.parentNode.previousSibling;
        
  for (i = 0; i < s.length; i++) {
          
  if (s.options[i].innerHTML == this.innerHTML) {
            
  s.selectedIndex = i;
            
  h.innerHTML = this.innerHTML;
            
  y = this.parentNode.getElementsByClassName("same-as-selected");
            
  for (k = 0; k < y.length; k++) {
              
  y[k].removeAttribute("class");
            
  }
            
  this.setAttribute("class", "same-as-selected");
            
  break;
          }
        
  }
        h.click();
    
  });
    b.appendChild(c);
  }
  x[i].appendChild(b);
  
  a.addEventListener("click", function(e) {
    
  /* When the select box is clicked, close any other select boxes,
    
  and open/close the current select box: */
    
  e.stopPropagation();
    closeAllSelect(this);
    
  this.nextSibling.classList.toggle("select-hide");
    this.classList.toggle("select-arrow-active");
  });
}
function closeAllSelect(elmnt) {
  /* 
  A function that will 
  close all select boxes in the document,
  except the current select 
  box: */
  var x, y, i, arrNo = [];
  x = 
  document.getElementsByClassName("select-items");
  y = 
  document.getElementsByClassName("select-selected");
  for (i = 0; i < 
  y.length; i++) {
    if (elmnt == y[i]) {
      
  arrNo.push(i)
    } else {
      
  y[i].classList.remove("select-arrow-active");
    }
  
  }
  for (i = 0; i < x.length; i++) {
    if (arrNo.indexOf(i)) 
  {
      x[i].classList.add("select-hide");
    
  }
  }
}
/* If the user clicks anywhere outside the select box,
then 
  close all select boxes: */
document.addEventListener("click", closeAllSelect);
Try it Yourself »

