Chosen (v1.3.0)

Chosen has a number of options and attributes that allow you to have full control of your select boxes.

Options

The following options are available to pass into Chosen on instantiation.

Example:

  $(".my_select_box").chosen({
    disable_search_threshold: 10,
    no_results_text: "Oops, nothing found!",
    width: "95%"
  });

Option	Default	Description
allow_single_deselect	false	When set to true on a single select, Chosen adds a UI element which selects the first element (if it is blank).
disable_search	false	When set to true, Chosen will not display the search field (single selects only).
disable_search_threshold	0	Hide the search input on single selects if there are fewer than (n) options.
enable_split_word_search	true	By default, searching will match on any word within an option tag. Set this option to false if you want to only match on the entire text of an option tag.
inherit_select_classes	false	When set to true, Chosen will grab any classes on the original select field and add them to Chosen’s container div.
max_selected_options	Infinity	Limits how many options the user can select. When the limit is reached, the chosen:maxselected event is triggered.
no_results_text	"No results match"	The text to be displayed when no matching results are found. The current search is shown at the end of the text (e.g., No results match "Bad Search").
placeholder_text_multiple	"Select Some Options"	The text to be displayed as a placeholder when no options are selected for a multiple select.
placeholder_text_single	"Select an Option"	The text to be displayed as a placeholder when no options are selected for a single select.
search_contains	false	By default, Chosen’s search matches starting at the beginning of a word. Setting this option to true allows matches starting from anywhere within a word. This is especially useful for options that include a lot of special characters or phrases in ()s and []s.
single_backstroke_delete	true	By default, pressing delete/backspace on multiple selects will remove a selected choice. When false, pressing delete/backspace will highlight the last choice, and a second press deselects it.
width	Original select width.	The width of the Chosen select box. By default, Chosen attempts to match the width of the select box you are replacing. If your select is hidden when Chosen is instantiated, you must specify a width or the select will show up with a width of 0.
display_disabled_options	true	By default, Chosen includes disabled options in search results with a special styling. Setting this option to false will hide disabled results and exclude them from searches.
display_selected_options	true	By default, Chosen includes selected options in search results with a special styling. Setting this option to false will hide selected results and exclude them from searches. Note: this is for multiple selects only. In single selects, the selected result will always be displayed.

Attributes

Certain attributes placed on the select tag or its options can be used to configure Chosen.

Example:

  <select class="my_select_box" data-placeholder="Select Your Options">
    <option value="1">Option 1</option>
    <option value="2" selected>Option 2</option>
    <option value="3" disabled>Option 3</option>
  </select>

Attribute	Description
data-placeholder	The text to be displayed as a placeholder when no options are selected for a select. Defaults to "Select an Option" for single selects or "Select Some Options" for multiple selects. Note:This attribute overrides anything set in the placeholder_text_multiple or placeholder_text_single options.
multiple	The attribute multiple on your select box dictates whether Chosen will render a multiple or single select.
selected, disabled	Chosen automatically highlights selected options and disables disabled options.

Classes

Classes placed on the select tag can be used to configure Chosen.

Example:

  <select class="my_select_box chosen-rtl">
    <option value="1">Option 1</option>
    <option value="2">Option 2</option>
    <option value="3">Option 3</option>
  </select>

Classname	Description
chosen-rtl	Chosen supports right-to-left text in select boxes. Add the class chosen-rtl to your select tag to support right-to-left text options. Note: The chosen-rtl class will pass through to the Chosen select even when the inherit_select_classes option is set to false.

Triggered Events

Chosen triggers a number of standard and custom events on the original select field.

Example:

  $('.my_select_box').on('change', function(evt, params) {
    do_something(evt, params);
  });

Event	Description
change	Chosen triggers the standard DOM event whenever a selection is made (it also sends a selected or deselected parameter that tells you which option was changed). Note: in order to use change in the Prototype version, you have to include the Event.simulate class. The selected and deselected parameters are not available for Prototype.
chosen:ready	Triggered after Chosen has been fully instantiated.
chosen:maxselected	Triggered if max_selected_options is set and that total is broken.
chosen:showing_dropdown	Triggered when Chosen’s dropdown is opened.
chosen:hiding_dropdown	Triggered when Chosen’s dropdown is closed.
chosen:no_results	Triggered when a search returns no matching results.

Note: all custom Chosen events (those that being with chosen:) also include the chosen object as a parameter.

Triggerable Events

You can trigger several events on the original select field to invoke a behavior in Chosen.

Example:

  // tell Chosen that a select has changed
  $('.my_select_box').trigger('chosen:updated');

Event	Description
chosen:updated	This event should be triggered whenever Chosen’s underlying select element changes (such as a change in selected options).
chosen:activate	This is the equivalant of focusing a standard HTML select field. When activated, Chosen will capure keypress events as if you had clicked the field directly.
chosen:open	This event activates Chosen and also displays the search results.
chosen:close	This event deactivates Chosen and hides the search results.