Readonly.js

Make form controls - even <select> - read-only.

About

Readonly.js is a lightweight wrapper to fix the inconsistency of the readonly attribute in form controls. According to current specifications the attribute will be ignored in certain input types, and is completely void in <select> elements. This little helper aims to fix that. If you're curious to know more read the Web Standards section.

Upgrade to 3.x.x

If you're coming from older versions take note:

• The control no longer gets a class added to it. You should use the attribute selector instead. e.g. select[readonly] { ... }
• Now you can keep the actual control and its surrogate (formerly known as sham) in sync by dispatching a change event on the element. .e.g input.dispatchEvent(new Event('change')). This will make sure that changes to name and/or value made via JavaScript will take effect.

Compatibility

Version 3.0.0 was rewritten with a modern syntax but we're using Babel to transpile it into a more compatible JavaScript syntax wise. We also make use of some relatively newer browser APIs like querySelectorAll. Anything newer than IE11 should be fine but if you run into issues please submit an issue so we can look into it.

Usage

Only a single function is exported: readonly. e.g.

readonly('input, select');

This will toggle the read-only state of matching elements.

The first argument can be either:

• A selector.
• A single element.
• A collection of elements (Array or NodeList).

You can also force a state by passing an additional argument; true for read-only or false for editable.

readonly('input, select', true);

If you're using jQuery it'll be installed as a plugin.

$('input, select').readonly(true);

Web Standards

Have you ever wondered why the readonly attribute doesn't work in <select> elements? Well, the whole thing is more complicated then one might think, but you can read all about it here: whatwg/html#2311. You also could help advance the web standards by leaving a comment with why such feature would be useful to you.

License

The MIT License © 2013 Arthur Corenzan. See LICENSE.md for full notice.