Nesting optgroups in a dropdownlist/select

This is just fine but if you add option which is not in optgroup it gets buggy. 

<select>
  <optgroup label="Level One">
    <option> A.1 </option>
    <optgroup label="&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Level Two">
      <option>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; A.B.1 </option>
    </optgroup>
    <option> A.2 </option>
  </optgroup>
  <option> A </option>
</select>

Would be much better if you used css and close optgroup right away :

<select>
  <optgroup label="Level One"></optgroup>
  <option style="padding-left:15px"> A.1 </option>
  <optgroup label="Level Two" style="padding-left:15px"></optgroup>
  <option style="padding-left:30px"> A.B.1 </option>
  <option style="padding-left:15px"> A.2 </option>
  <option> A </option>
</select>

<style>
  .NestedSelect{display: inline-block; height: 100px; border: 1px Black solid; overflow-y: scroll;}
  .NestedSelect label{display: block; cursor: pointer;}
  .NestedSelect label:hover{background-color: #0092ff; color: White;}
  .NestedSelect input[type="radio"]{display: none;}
  .NestedSelect input[type="radio"] + span{display: block; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 5px;}
  .NestedSelect input[type="radio"]:checked + span{background-color: Black; color: White;}
  .NestedSelect div{margin-left: 15px; border-left: 1px Black solid;}
  .NestedSelect label > span:before{content: '- ';}
</style>

<div class="NestedSelect">
  <label><input type="radio" name="MySelectInputName"><span>Fruit</span></label>
  <div>
    <label><input type="radio" name="MySelectInputName"><span>Apple</span></label>
    <label><input type="radio" name="MySelectInputName"><span>Banana</span></label>
    <label><input type="radio" name="MySelectInputName"><span>Orange</span></label>
  </div>

  <label><input type="radio" name="MySelectInputName"><span>Drink</span></label>
  <div>
    <label><input type="radio" name="MySelectInputName"><span>Water</span></label>

    <label><input type="radio" name="MySelectInputName"><span>Soft</span></label>
    <div>
      <label><input type="radio" name="MySelectInputName"><span>Cola</span></label>
      <label><input type="radio" name="MySelectInputName"><span>Soda</span></label>
      <label><input type="radio" name="MySelectInputName"><span>Lemonade</span></label>
    </div>

    <label><input type="radio" name="MySelectInputName"><span>Hard</span></label>
    <div>
      <label><input type="radio" name="MySelectInputName"><span>Bear</span></label>
      <label><input type="radio" name="MySelectInputName"><span>Whisky</span></label>
      <label><input type="radio" name="MySelectInputName"><span>Vodka</span></label>
      <label><input type="radio" name="MySelectInputName"><span>Gin</span></label>
    </div>
  </div>
</div>

The HTML spec here is really broken. It should allow nested optgroups and recommend user agents render them as nested menus. Instead, only one optgroup level is allowed. However, they do have to say the following on the subject:

Note. Implementors are advised that future versions of HTML may extend the grouping mechanism to allow for nested groups (i.e., OPTGROUP elements may nest). This will allow authors to represent a richer hierarchy of choices.

And user agents could start using submenus to render optgoups instead of displaying titles before the first option element in an optgroup as they do now.


Ok, if anyone ever reads this: the best option is to add four &nbsp;s at each extra level of indentation, it would seem!

so: 

<select>
 <optgroup label="Level One">
  <option> A.1 </option>
  <optgroup label="&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Level Two">
   <option>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; A.B.1 </option>
  </optgroup>
  <option> A.2 </option>
 </optgroup>
</select>

Tags:

Html

Optgroup

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