Spinner Widget

Categories: Widgets

Spinner Widgetversion added: 1.9

Description: Enhance a text input for entering numeric values, with up/down buttons and arrow key handling.

QuickNavExamples

Options

Methods


Extension Points

Events

The Spinner, or number stepper widget, is perfect for handling all kinds of numeric input. It allows users to type a value directly, or modify an existing value by spinning with the keyboard, mouse or scrollwheel. When combined with Globalize, you can even spin currencies and dates in a variety of locales.

Spinner wraps a text input with two buttons to increment and decrement the current value. Key events are added so that the same incrementing and decrementing can be done with the keyboard. Spinner delegates to Globalize for number formatting and parsing.

Spinner currently supports Globalize 0.x only. Support for Globalize 1.x is currently not planned.

Keyboard interaction

  • UP: Increment the value by one step.
  • DOWN: Decrement the value by one step.
  • PAGE UP: Increment the value by one page.
  • PAGE DOWN: Decrement the value by one page.

Focus stays in the text field, even after using the mouse to click one of the spin buttons.

When the spinner is not read only (<input readonly>), the user may enter text that causes an invalid value (below min, above max, step mismatch, non-numeric input). Whenever a step is taken, either programmatically or via the step buttons, the value will be forced to a valid value (see the description for stepUp() and stepDown() for more details).

Theming

The spinner widget uses the jQuery UI CSS framework to style its look and feel. If spinner specific styling is needed, the following CSS class names can be used for overrides or as keys for the classes option:

  • ui-spinner: The outer container of the spinner.
    • ui-spinner-input: The <input> element that the Spinner widget was instantiated with.
    • ui-spinner-button: The button controls used to increment and decrement the spinner's value. The up button will additionally have a ui-spinner-up class and the down button will additionally have a ui-spinner-down class.

Dependencies

Additional Notes:

  • This widget requires some functional CSS, otherwise it won't work. If you build a custom theme, use the widget's specific CSS file as a starting point.
  • This widget manipulates its element's value programmatically, therefore a native change event may not be fired when the element's value changes.
  • Creating a spinner on an <input type="number"> is not supported due to a UI conflict with the native spinner.

Options

classes 

Type: Object
Default: 
{
  "ui-spinner": "ui-corner-all",
  "ui-spinner-down": "ui-corner-br",
  "ui-spinner-up": "ui-corner-tr"
}

Specify additional classes to add to the widget's elements. Any of classes specified in the Theming section can be used as keys to override their value. To learn more about this option, check out the learn article about the classes option.

Code examples:

Initialize the spinner with the classes option specified, changing the theming for the ui-spinner class:

1
2
3
4
5
 
$( ".selector" ).spinner({
  classes: {
    "ui-spinner": "highlight"
  }
});

Get or set a property of the classes option, after initialization, here reading and changing the theming for the ui-spinner class:

1
2
3
4
5
 
// Getter
var themeClass = $( ".selector" ).spinner( "option", "classes.ui-spinner" );
 
// Setter
$( ".selector" ).spinner( "option", "classes.ui-spinner", "highlight" );

culture 

Type: String
Default: null
Sets the culture to use for parsing and formatting the value. If null, the currently set culture in Globalize is used, see Globalize docs for available cultures. Only relevant if the numberFormat option is set. Requires Globalize to be included.
Code examples:

Initialize the spinner with the culture option specified:

1
2
3
 
$( ".selector" ).spinner({
  culture: "fr"
});

Get or set the culture option, after initialization:

1
2
3
4
5
 
// Getter
var culture = $( ".selector" ).spinner( "option", "culture" );
 
// Setter
$( ".selector" ).spinner( "option", "culture", "fr" );

disabled 

Type: Boolean
Default: false
Disables the spinner if set to true.
Code examples:

Initialize the spinner with the disabled option specified:

1
2
3
 
$( ".selector" ).spinner({
  disabled: true
});

Get or set the disabled option, after initialization:

1
2
3
4
5
 
// Getter
var disabled = $( ".selector" ).spinner( "option", "disabled" );
 
// Setter
$( ".selector" ).spinner( "option", "disabled", true );

icons 

Type: Object
Default: { down: "ui-icon-triangle-1-s", up: "ui-icon-triangle-1-n" }
Icons to use for buttons, matching an icon provided by the jQuery UI CSS Framework.
  • up (string, default: "ui-icon-triangle-1-n")
  • down (string, default: "ui-icon-triangle-1-s")
Code examples:

Initialize the spinner with the icons option specified:

1
2
3
 
$( ".selector" ).spinner({
  icons: { down: "custom-down-icon", up: "custom-up-icon" }
});

Get or set the icons option, after initialization:

1
2
3
4
5
 
// Getter
var icons = $( ".selector" ).spinner( "option", "icons" );
 
// Setter
$( ".selector" ).spinner( "option", "icons", { down: "custom-down-icon", up: "custom-up-icon" } );

incremental 

Type: Boolean or Function( Integer count )
Default: true
Controls the number of steps taken when holding down a spin button.
Multiple types supported:
  • Boolean: When set to true, the stepping delta will increase when spun incessantly. When set to false, all steps are equal (as defined by the step option).
  • Function: Receives one parameter: the number of spins that have occurred. Must return the number of steps that should occur for the current spin.
Code examples:

Initialize the spinner with the incremental option specified:

1
2
3
 
$( ".selector" ).spinner({
  incremental: false
});

Get or set the incremental option, after initialization:

1
2
3
4
5
 
// Getter
var incremental = $( ".selector" ).spinner( "option", "incremental" );
 
// Setter
$( ".selector" ).spinner( "option", "incremental", false );

max 

Type: Number or String
Default: null
The maximum allowed value. The element's max attribute is used if it exists and the option is not explicitly set. If null, there is no maximum enforced.
Multiple types supported:
  • Number: The maximum value.
  • String: If Globalize is included, the max option can be passed as a string which will be parsed based on the numberFormat and culture options; otherwise it will fall back to the native parseFloat() method.
Code examples:

Initialize the spinner with the max option specified:

1
2
3
 
$( ".selector" ).spinner({
  max: 50
});

Get or set the max option, after initialization:

1
2
3
4
5
 
// Getter
var max = $( ".selector" ).spinner( "option", "max" );
 
// Setter
$( ".selector" ).spinner( "option", "max", 50 );

min 

Type: Number or String
Default: null
The minimum allowed value. The element's min attribute is used if it exists and the option is not explicitly set. If null, there is no minimum enforced.
Multiple types supported:
  • Number: The minimum value.
  • String: If Globalize is included, the min option can be passed as a string which will be parsed based on the numberFormat and culture options; otherwise it will fall back to the native parseFloat() method.
Code examples:

Initialize the spinner with the min option specified:

1
2
3
 
$( ".selector" ).spinner({
  min: 0
});

Get or set the min option, after initialization:

1
2
3
4
5
 
// Getter
var min = $( ".selector" ).spinner( "option", "min" );
 
// Setter
$( ".selector" ).spinner( "option", "min", 0 );

numberFormat 

Type: String
Default: null
Format of numbers passed to Globalize, if available. Most common are "n" for a decimal number and "C" for a currency value. Also see the culture option.
Code examples:

Initialize the spinner with the numberFormat option specified:

1
2
3
 
$( ".selector" ).spinner({
  numberFormat: "n"
});

Get or set the numberFormat option, after initialization:

1
2
3
4
5
 
// Getter
var numberFormat = $( ".selector" ).spinner( "option", "numberFormat" );
 
// Setter
$( ".selector" ).spinner( "option", "numberFormat", "n" );

page 

Type: Number
Default: 10
The number of steps to take when paging via the pageUp/pageDown methods.
Code examples:

Initialize the spinner with the page option specified:

1
2
3
 
$( ".selector" ).spinner({
  page: 5
});

Get or set the page option, after initialization:

1
2
3
4
5
 
// Getter
var page = $( ".selector" ).spinner( "option", "page" );
 
// Setter
$( ".selector" ).spinner( "option", "page", 5 );

step 

Type: Number or String
Default: 1
The size of the step to take when spinning via buttons or via the stepUp()/stepDown() methods. The element's step attribute is used if it exists and the option is not explicitly set.
Multiple types supported:
  • Number: The size of the step.
  • String: If Globalize is included, the step option can be passed as a string which will be parsed based on the numberFormat and culture options, otherwise it will fall back to the native parseFloat.
Code examples:

Initialize the spinner with the step option specified:

1
2
3
 
$( ".selector" ).spinner({
  step: 2
});

Get or set the step option, after initialization:

1
2
3
4
5
 
// Getter
var step = $( ".selector" ).spinner( "option", "step" );
 
// Setter
$( ".selector" ).spinner( "option", "step", 2 );

Methods

destroy()Returns: jQuery (plugin only)

Removes the spinner functionality completely. This will return the element back to its pre-init state.
  • This method does not accept any arguments.
Code examples:

Invoke the destroy method:

1
 
$( ".selector" ).spinner( "destroy" );

disable()Returns: jQuery (plugin only)

Disables the spinner.
  • This method does not accept any arguments.
Code examples:

Invoke the disable method:

1
 
$( ".selector" ).spinner( "disable" );

enable()Returns: jQuery (plugin only)

Enables the spinner.
  • This method does not accept any arguments.
Code examples:

Invoke the enable method:

1
 
$( ".selector" ).spinner( "enable" );

instance()Returns: Object

Retrieves the spinner's instance object. If the element does not have an associated instance, undefined is returned.

Unlike other widget methods, instance() is safe to call on any element after the spinner plugin has loaded.

  • This method does not accept any arguments.
Code examples:

Invoke the instance method:

1
 
$( ".selector" ).spinner( "instance" );

isValid()Returns: Boolean

Returns whether the Spinner's value is valid given its min, max, and step.
  • This method does not accept any arguments.
Code examples:

Invoke the isValid method:

1
 
var isValid = $( ".selector" ).spinner( "isValid" );

option( optionName )Returns: Object

Gets the value currently associated with the specified optionName.

Note: For options that have objects as their value, you can get the value of a specific key by using dot notation. For example, "foo.bar" would get the value of the bar property on the foo option.

  • optionName
    Type: String
    The name of the option to get.
Code examples:

Invoke the method:

1
 
var isDisabled = $( ".selector" ).spinner( "option", "disabled" );

option()Returns: PlainObject

Gets an object containing key/value pairs representing the current spinner options hash.
  • This signature does not accept any arguments.
Code examples:

Invoke the method:

1
 
var options = $( ".selector" ).spinner( "option" );

option( optionName, value )Returns: jQuery (plugin only)

Sets the value of the spinner option associated with the specified optionName.

Note: For options that have objects as their value, you can set the value of just one property by using dot notation for optionName. For example, "foo.bar" would update only the bar property of the foo option.

  • optionName
    Type: String
    The name of the option to set.
  • value
    Type: Object
    A value to set for the option.
Code examples:

Invoke the method:

1
 
$( ".selector" ).spinner( "option", "disabled", true );

option( options )Returns: jQuery (plugin only)

Sets one or more options for the spinner.
  • options
    Type: Object
    A map of option-value pairs to set.
Code examples:

Invoke the method:

1
 
$( ".selector" ).spinner( "option", { disabled: true } );

pageDown( [pages ] )Returns: jQuery (plugin only)

Decrements the value by the specified number of pages, as defined by the page option. Without the parameter, a single page is decremented.

If the resulting value is above the max, below the min, or results in a step mismatch, the value will be adjusted to the closest valid value.

Invoking pageDown() will cause start, spin, and stop events to be triggered.

  • pages
    Type: Number
    Number of pages to decrement, defaults to 1.
Code examples:

Invoke the pageDown method:

1
 
$( ".selector" ).spinner( "pageDown" );

pageUp( [pages ] )Returns: jQuery (plugin only)

Increments the value by the specified number of pages, as defined by the page option. Without the parameter, a single page is incremented.

If the resulting value is above the max, below the min, or results in a step mismatch, the value will be adjusted to the closest valid value.

Invoking pageUp() will cause start, spin, and stop events to be triggered.

  • pages
    Type: Number
    Number of pages to increment, defaults to 1.
Code examples:

Invoke the pageUp method:

1
 
$( ".selector" ).spinner( "pageUp", 10 );

stepDown( [steps ] )Returns: jQuery (plugin only)

Decrements the value by the specified number of steps. Without the parameter, a single step is decremented.

If the resulting value is above the max, below the min, or results in a step mismatch, the value will be adjusted to the closest valid value.

Invoking stepDown() will cause start, spin, and stop events to be triggered.

  • steps
    Type: Number
    Number of steps to decrement, defaults to 1.
Code examples:

Invoke the stepDown method:

1
 
$( ".selector" ).spinner( "stepDown" );

stepUp( [steps ] )Returns: jQuery (plugin only)

Increments the value by the specified number of steps. Without the parameter, a single step is incremented.

If the resulting value is above the max, below the min, or results in a step mismatch, the value will be adjusted to the closest valid value.

Invoking stepUp() will cause start, spin, and stop events to be triggered.

  • steps
    Type: Number
    Number of steps to increment, defaults to 1.
Code examples:

Invoke the stepUp method:

1
 
$( ".selector" ).spinner( "stepUp", 5 );

value()Returns: Number

Gets the current value as a number. The value is parsed based on the numberFormat and culture options.
  • This signature does not accept any arguments.
Code examples:

Invoke the method:

1
 
var value = $( ".selector" ).spinner( "value" );

value( value )Returns: jQuery (plugin only)

Code examples:

Invoke the method:

1
 
$( ".selector" ).spinner( "value", 50 );

widget()Returns: jQuery

Returns a jQuery object containing the generated wrapper.
  • This method does not accept any arguments.
Code examples:

Invoke the widget method:

1
 
var widget = $( ".selector" ).spinner( "widget" );

Extension Points

The spinner widget is built with the widget factory and can be extended. When extending widgets, you have the ability to override or add to the behavior of existing methods. The following methods are provided as extension points with the same API stability as the plugin methods listed above. For more information on widget extensions, see Extending Widgets with the Widget Factory.

_buttonHtml()Returns: String

Method that returns HTML to use for the spinner's increment and decrement buttons. Each button must be given a ui-spinner-button class name for the associated events to work.
  • This method does not accept any arguments.
Code examples:

Use <button> elements for the increment and decrement buttons.

1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
 
_buttonHtml: function() {
  return "" +
    "<button class='ui-spinner-button ui-spinner-up'>" +
      "<span class='ui-icon " + this.options.icons.up + "'>&#9650;</span>" +
    "</button>" +
    "<button class='ui-spinner-button ui-spinner-down'>" +
      "<span class='ui-icon " + this.options.icons.down + "'>&#9660;</span>" +
    "</button>";
}

_uiSpinnerHtml()Returns: String

Method that determines the HTML to use to wrap the spinner's <input> element.
  • This method does not accept any arguments.
Code examples:

Wrap the spinner with a <div> with no rounded corners.

1
2
3
 
_uiSpinnerHtml: function() {
  return "<div class='ui-spinner ui-widget ui-widget-content'></div>";
}

Events

change( event, ui )Type: spinchange

Triggered when the value of the spinner has changed and the input is no longer focused.

Note: The ui object is empty but included for consistency with other events.

Code examples:

Initialize the spinner with the change callback specified:

1
2
3
 
$( ".selector" ).spinner({
  change: function( event, ui ) {}
});

Bind an event listener to the spinchange event:

1
 
$( ".selector" ).on( "spinchange", function( event, ui ) {} );

create( event, ui )Type: spincreate

Triggered when the spinner is created.

Note: The ui object is empty but included for consistency with other events.

Code examples:

Initialize the spinner with the create callback specified:

1
2
3
 
$( ".selector" ).spinner({
  create: function( event, ui ) {}
});

Bind an event listener to the spincreate event:

1
 
$( ".selector" ).on( "spincreate", function( event, ui ) {} );

spin( event, ui )Type: spin

Triggered during increment/decrement (to determine direction of spin compare current value with ui.value).

Can be canceled, preventing the value from being updated.

  • event
    Type: Event
  • ui
    Type: Object
    • value
      Type: Number
      The new value to be set, unless the event is cancelled.
Code examples:

Initialize the spinner with the spin callback specified:

1
2
3
 
$( ".selector" ).spinner({
  spin: function( event, ui ) {}
});

Bind an event listener to the spin event:

1
 
$( ".selector" ).on( "spin", function( event, ui ) {} );

start( event, ui )Type: spinstart

Triggered before a spin. Can be canceled, preventing the spin from occurring.

Note: The ui object is empty but included for consistency with other events.

Code examples:

Initialize the spinner with the start callback specified:

1
2
3
 
$( ".selector" ).spinner({
  start: function( event, ui ) {}
});

Bind an event listener to the spinstart event:

1
 
$( ".selector" ).on( "spinstart", function( event, ui ) {} );

stop( event, ui )Type: spinstop

Triggered after a spin.

Note: The ui object is empty but included for consistency with other events.

Code examples:

Initialize the spinner with the stop callback specified:

1
2
3
 
$( ".selector" ).spinner({
  stop: function( event, ui ) {}
});

Bind an event listener to the spinstop event:

1
 
$( ".selector" ).on( "spinstop", function( event, ui ) {} );

Example:

Plain number spinner

1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
 
<!doctype html>
<html lang="en">
<head>
  <meta charset="utf-8">
  <title>spinner demo</title>
  <link rel="stylesheet" href="https://code.jquery.com/ui/1.13.3/themes/smoothness/jquery-ui.css">
  <script src="https://code.jquery.com/jquery-3.7.1.js"></script>
  <script src="https://code.jquery.com/ui/1.13.3/jquery-ui.js"></script>
</head>
<body>
 
<input id="spinner">
 
<script>
$( "#spinner" ).spinner();
</script>
 
</body>
</html>

Demo: