Custom Select for Twitter Bootstrap 3

Introduction to Custom Select for Twitter Bootstrap 3

When it comes to selecting options from a list, the default <select> element in HTML can be quite limiting. For instance, it doesn't provide a way to easily search for options, it doesn't look very stylish, and it can be quite difficult to navigate with a large number of options. This is where the Custom Select component comes in.

The Custom Select is a popular plugin for Twitter Bootstrap 3 that provides a more user-friendly and stylish way to select options from a list. It's highly customizable, and with this tutorial, you'll learn how to use it to enhance your Bootstrap-based applications.

Tutorial: Using Custom Select for Twitter Bootstrap 3

In this tutorial, we'll go over the steps to install and use the Custom Select plugin with Twitter Bootstrap 3. We'll also cover some of the basic configuration options and advanced features.

Step 1: Installing the Custom Select Plugin

To get started, you'll need to download and install the Custom Select plugin. You can do this by adding the following script tag to your HTML file:

<script src="https://cdnjs.cloudflare.com/ajax/libs/custom-select/1.2.0/custom-select.min.js"></script>

Alternatively, you can install it using npm or bower:

npm install custom-select

or

bower install custom-select

Step 2: Creating a Custom Select Element

To create a Custom Select element, you'll need to wrap a standard <select> element in a <div> with the class cs-select. Here's an example:

<div class="cs-select" data-live-search="true">
  <select>
    <option value="option1">Option 1</option>
    <option value="option2">Option 2</option>
    <option value="option3">Option 3</option>
  </select>
</div>

In this example, we're adding the data-live-search attribute to enable live search functionality.

Step 3: Configuring the Custom Select

The Custom Select plugin comes with a range of configuration options that you can use to customize its behavior. Here are a few examples:

• data-live-search: Enables live search functionality. You can set it to true or false.
• data-size: Sets the maximum number of options to display. For example, data-size="5" will only display the first 5 options.
• data-filter: Sets the filter option. For example, data-filter="exact" will only match options that exactly match the search query.

Here's an updated example that includes some of these configuration options:

<div class="cs-select" data-live-search="true" data-size="5" data-filter="contains">
  <select>
    <option value="option1">Option 1</option>
    <option value="option2">Option 2</option>
    <option value="option3">Option 3</option>
    <option value="option4">Option 4</option>
    <option value="option5">Option 5</option>
    <option value="option6">Option 6</option>
    <option value="option7">Option 7</option>
  </select>
</div>

Step 4: Styling the Custom Select

The Custom Select plugin comes with a range of built-in styles that you can use to customize its appearance. Here are a few examples:

• cs-select-search-input: Styles the search input field.
• cs-select-options: Styles the options list.
• cs-select-option: Styles individual options.

You can use these classes to add custom styles to your Custom Select element. For example:

.cs-select-search-input {
  border: 1px solid #ccc;
  padding: 5px;
  width: 100%;
}

.cs-select-options {
  background-color: #f9f9f9;
  padding: 10px;
  border: 1px solid #ccc;
}

.cs-select-option {
  padding: 5px;
  border-bottom: 1px solid #ccc;
}

Conclusion

That's it! With these steps, you should now have a basic understanding of how to use the Custom Select plugin with Twitter Bootstrap 3. The plugin provides a range of features and configuration options that you can use to customize its behavior and appearance. By following this tutorial, you should be able to enhance your Bootstrap-based applications with a more user-friendly and stylish way to select options from a list.