IE Dropdown List Width Modification

In Internet Explorer, the dropdown list mirrors the width of its dropbox, while in Firefox, it adapts to the content. This constraint necessitates expanding the dropbox to accommodate the longest selection, resulting in an aesthetically unappealing web page.

CSS-Based Solution to Varying Widths

To overcome this issue and allow different widths for the dropbox and dropdown list using CSS, consider the following:

The jQuery-based method outlined below handles all keyboard and mouse events, including clicks:

if (!$.support.leadingWhitespace) { // if IE6/7/8
    $('select.wide')
        .bind('focus mouseover', function() { $(this).addClass('expand').removeClass('clicked'); })
        .bind('click', function() { $(this).toggleClass('clicked'); })
        .bind('mouseout', function() { if (!$(this).hasClass('clicked')) { $(this).removeClass('expand'); }})
        .bind('blur', function() { $(this).removeClass('expand clicked'); });
}

Combine this script with the following CSS:

select {
    width: 150px; /* Or whatever width you want. */
}
select.expand {
    width: auto;
}

By adding the "wide" class to the necessary dropdown elements, you can apply these modifications. For example:

    ...

Explore a live demonstration in this jsfiddle: [link]