.outerWidth()

Categories: CSS | Dimensions | Manipulation > Style Properties
Get the current computed outer width (including padding, border, and optionally margin) for the first element in the set of matched elements or set the outer width of every matched element.

Contents:

.outerWidth( [includeMargin ] )Returns: Number

Description: Get the current computed outer width (including padding, border, and optionally margin) for the first element in the set of matched elements.

Returns the width of the element, including left and right padding, border, and optionally margin, in pixels. If called on an empty set of elements, returns undefined (null before jQuery 3.0).

This method is not applicable to window and document objects; for these, use .width() instead. Although .outerWidth() can be used on table elements, it may give unexpected results on tables using the border-collapse: collapse CSS property.

Figure 1 - Illustration of the measured width

Additional Notes:

  • The number returned by dimensions-related APIs, including .outerWidth(), may be fractional in some cases. Code should not assume it is an integer. Also, dimensions may be incorrect when the page is zoomed by the user; browsers do not expose an API to detect this condition.
  • The value reported by .outerWidth() is not guaranteed to be accurate when the element or its parent is hidden. To get an accurate value, ensure the element is visible before using .outerWidth(). jQuery will attempt to temporarily show and then re-hide an element in order to measure its dimensions, but this is unreliable and (even when accurate) can significantly impact page performance. This show-and-rehide measurement feature may be removed in a future version of jQuery.

Example:

Get the outerWidth of a paragraph.

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<!doctype html>
<html lang="en">
<head>
  <meta charset="utf-8">
  <title>outerWidth demo</title>
  <style>
  p {
    margin: 10px;
    padding: 5px;
    border: 2px solid #666;
  }
  </style>
  <script src="https://code.jquery.com/jquery-1.10.2.js"></script>
</head>
<body>
 
<p>Hello</p><p></p>
 
<script>
var p = $( "p:first" );
$( "p:last" ).text(
  "outerWidth:" + p.outerWidth() +
  " , outerWidth( true ):" + p.outerWidth( true ) );
</script>
 
</body>
</html>

Demo:

.outerWidth( value )Returns: jQuery

Description: Set the CSS outer width of each element in the set of matched elements.

  • version added: 1.8.0.outerWidth( value )

    • value
      Type: String or Number
      A number representing the number of pixels, or a number along with an optional unit of measure appended (as a string).

  • version added: 1.8.0.outerWidth( function(index, width) )

    • function(index, width)
      Type: Function()
      A function returning the outer width to set. Receives the index position of the element in the set and the old outer width as arguments. Within the function, this refers to the current element in the set.

When calling .outerWidth(value), the value can be either a string (number and unit) or a number. If only a number is provided for the value, jQuery assumes a pixel unit. If a string is provided, however, any valid CSS measurement may be used (such as 100px, 50%, or auto).

Example:

Change the outer width of each div the first time it is clicked (and change its color).

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<!doctype html>
<html lang="en">
<head>
  <meta charset="utf-8">
  <title>outerWidth demo</title>
  <style>
  div {
    width: 60px;
    padding: 10px;
    height: 50px;
    float: left;
    margin: 5px;
    background: red;
    cursor: pointer;
  }
  .mod {
    background: blue;
    cursor: default;
  }
  </style>
  <script src="https://code.jquery.com/jquery-1.10.2.js"></script>
</head>
<body>
 
<div>d</div>
<div>d</div>
<div>d</div>
<div>d</div>
<div>d</div>
 
<script>
var modWidth = 60;
$( "div" ).one( "click", function() {
  $( this ).outerWidth( modWidth ).addClass( "mod" );
  modWidth -= 8;
});
</script>
 
</body>
</html>

Demo: