You can modify the native <select> style through CSS or create custom components to achieve a beautiful drop-down menu; 1. Use CSS to adjust the basic appearance of native elements, such as borders, rounded corners, background colors, and hide the default arrows through attributes such as -webkit-appearance; 2. However, mobile devices may be limited, and it is recommended to use HTML CSS JavaScript to build custom components to control structure, style and interaction; 3. In either way, you need to pay attention to mobile adaptation, keyboard navigation, ARIA attributes and visual feedback to ensure compatibility and accessibility.
Let’s talk about the key point directly: the default style of the HTML drop-down menu is monotonous, but CSS can achieve a beautiful and unified style. The key is to understand the limitations of <select></select>
elements and learn to adjust the appearance with custom components or overriding the default style.

Use CSS to directly modify native <select></select>
style
Although the browser has limited control over the native <select></select>
style, you can still customize its appearance with some basic CSS:

select { padding: 10px; border: 1px solid #ccc; border-radius: 4px; font-size: 16px; background-color: #f9f9f9; }
However, it should be noted that different browsers support <select>
inconsistently, especially attributes like appearance
:
-
-webkit-appearance: none;
You can remove the default arrow under Chrome. -
appearance: none;
also supported in modern browsers.
This way you can add your own background image or icon as a drop-down arrow.

The disadvantage is that this method may fail on mobile because many devices force the system to display the drop-down box.
Create a custom drop-down menu (more flexible)
If you want full control over the appearance of the drop-down menu, it is recommended to use HTML CSS JavaScript to create a custom drop-down menu component. The structure is usually as follows:
<div class="custom-select"> <div class="selected">Option 1</div> <div class="options"> <div class="option">Option 1</div> <div class="option">Option 2</div> <div class="option">Option 3</div> </div> </div>
Then use CSS to control the appearance and interaction state, such as hovering, selecting highlighting, etc.
.custom-select { position: relative; width: 200px; cursor: pointer; } .selected { padding: 10px; border: 1px solid #ccc; background: #ffff; } .options { position: absolute; top: 100%; left: 0; right: 0; max-height: 200px; overflow-y: auto; border: 1px solid #ccc; border-top: none; background: #ffff; z-index: 10; } .option:hover { background-color: #f0f0f0; }
With a little JavaScript control, click to switch and value update:
document.querySelector('.custom-select').addEventListener('click', function () { this.classList.toggle('open'); });
This approach allows for complete control of the appearance and is suitable for projects that require unified branding or special UI design.
Pay attention to compatibility and interaction details
Whether you modify native <select></select>
or custom components, you should pay attention to the following points:
- Mobile adaptation problem: Some styles may not work on mobile phones.
- Keyboard navigation support: Ensure that the user can operate through the Tab key and arrow keys.
- ARIA attributes: add properties such as
role="listbox"
andaria-selected
to improve accessibility. - Visual feedback: The selected items should have significant changes, such as color or border highlighting.
Basically that's it. Modifying the drop-down menu looks simple, but in fact there are many details that need to be paid attention to, especially the consistency of cross-platform performance.
The above is the detailed content of How to style an HTML dropdown?. For more information, please follow other related articles on the PHP Chinese website!

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