How do I make an editable DIV look like a text field?

HtmlCss

Html Problem Overview


I've got a DIV which has contentEditable=true so the user can edit it. The problem is that it doesn't look like a text field, so it may not be clear to the user that it can be edited.

Is there a way that I can style the DIV so that it appears to the user like a text input field?

Html Solutions


Solution 1 - Html

These look the same as their real counterparts in Safari, Chrome, and Firefox. They degrade gracefully and look OK in Opera and IE9, too.

Demo: http://jsfiddle.net/ThinkingStiff/AbKTQ/

CSS:

textarea {
    height: 28px;
    width: 400px;
}

#textarea {
    -moz-appearance: textfield-multiline;
    -webkit-appearance: textarea;
    border: 1px solid gray;
    font: medium -moz-fixed;
    font: -webkit-small-control;
    height: 28px;
    overflow: auto;
    padding: 2px;
    resize: both;
    width: 400px;
}

input {
    margin-top: 5px;
    width: 400px;
}

#input {
    -moz-appearance: textfield;
    -webkit-appearance: textfield;
    background-color: white;
    background-color: -moz-field;
    border: 1px solid darkgray;
    box-shadow: 1px 1px 1px 0 lightgray inset;  
    font: -moz-field;
    font: -webkit-small-control;
    margin-top: 5px;
    padding: 2px 3px;
    width: 398px;    
}

HTML:

<textarea>I am a textarea</textarea>
<div id="textarea" contenteditable>I look like textarea</div>

<input value="I am an input" />
<div id="input" contenteditable>I look like an input</div>

Output:

enter image description here

Solution 2 - Html

If you use bootstrap just add form-control class. For example:

class="form-control" 

Solution 3 - Html

In WebKit, you can do: -webkit-appearance: textarea;

Solution 4 - Html

You could go for an inner box shadow:

div[contenteditable=true] {
  box-shadow: inset 0px 1px 4px #666;
}

I updated the jsfiddle from Jarish: http://jsfiddle.net/ZevvE/2/

Solution 5 - Html

I would suggest this for matching Chrome's style, extended from Jarish's example. Notice the cursor property which previous answers have omitted.

cursor: text;
border: 1px solid #ccc;
font: medium -moz-fixed;
font: -webkit-small-control;
height: 200px;
overflow: auto;
padding: 2px;
resize: both;
-moz-box-shadow: inset 0px 1px 2px #ccc;
-webkit-box-shadow: inset 0px 1px 2px #ccc;
box-shadow: inset 0px 1px 2px #ccc;

Solution 6 - Html

The problem with all these is they don't address if the lines of text are long and much wider that the div overflow:auto does not ad a scroll bar that works right. Here is the perfect solution I found:

Create two divs. An inner div that is wide enough to handle the widest line of text and then a smaller outer one which acts at the holder for the inner div:

<div style="border:2px inset #AAA;cursor:text;height:120px;overflow:auto;width:500px;">
    <div style="width:800px;">

     now really long text like this can be put in the text area and it will really <br/>
     look and act more like a real text area bla bla bla <br/>

    </div>
</div>

Solution 7 - Html

You can place a TEXTAREA of similar size under your DIV, so the standard control's frame would be visible around div.

It's probably good to set it to be disabled, to prevent accidental focus stealing.

Attributions

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Content TypeOriginal AuthorOriginal Content on Stackoverflow
QuestionsanityView Question on Stackoverflow
Solution 1 - HtmlThinkingStiffView Answer on Stackoverflow
Solution 2 - HtmlparapluView Answer on Stackoverflow
Solution 3 - HtmlAbhi BeckertView Answer on Stackoverflow
Solution 4 - HtmltimingView Answer on Stackoverflow
Solution 5 - HtmlRobert WaddellView Answer on Stackoverflow
Solution 6 - Htmlevan toderView Answer on Stackoverflow
Solution 7 - Htmlwizzard0View Answer on Stackoverflow