make drop down list item unselectable

asp.net drop-down-menu
ErnieStings picture ErnieStings · Sep 4, 2009 · Viewed 82k times · Source

I have a dropdownlist which has several options for generating reports. Based on the type of account the user has certain options which should be visible but not selectable (as an incentive for them to upgrade).

I was wondering if anyone knew of a way to accomplish this.

The permissions are already in place i just need assistance with making certain items unselectable.

Any help would be much appreciated.

Answer

Adam Fox picture Adam Fox · Feb 2, 2010

Not sure if you are still looking for an answer for this?

Mark Redman's answer is great if you can define the select list in the aspx page, however if you bind the drop down list dynamically obviously you cannot.

I had success using the following to achieve the result you are after (not sure on full browser support but works in newer versions of IE)

foreach ( ListItem item in dropdownlist.Items )
{
    if ( [item should be disabled condition] )
    {
        item.Attributes.Add( "disabled", "disabled" );
    }
}

This will render your disabled elements greyed out.

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