bootstrap-multiselect
JQuery multiselect plugin based on Twitter Bootstrap.
A jQuery plugin that replaces clunky multi-select dropdowns with a styled Bootstrap button and checkbox list, making it easy for visitors to pick multiple options.
Bootstrap Multiselect is a jQuery plugin that replaces the standard HTML multi-select dropdown with a more user-friendly control. Normally, when a web page has a list where visitors can pick more than one option, the browser shows a plain box requiring awkward multi-click interactions. This plugin swaps that out for a styled button. Clicking the button opens a dropdown menu where each option appears with a checkbox next to it, making it much easier to select or deselect multiple items at once.
The plugin is built on top of Bootstrap, the popular front-end styling toolkit, and requires jQuery to be present on the page. Because it works within those existing frameworks, it slots into projects that already use them without requiring changes to the underlying data model. The underlying HTML select element with the multiple attribute stays in place; the plugin simply gives it a better visual wrapper.
The README is brief and points to an external documentation site for examples, configuration options, and frequently asked questions. The project has been available since 2012 and is licensed under both the Apache 2.0 and BSD 3-Clause licenses. The author notes they are open to others taking over active maintenance. No installation steps or code examples appear in the README itself.
Where it fits
- Replace an ugly HTML multi-select box on a form with a clean dropdown that shows checkboxes for each option.
- Add a multi-select filter control to an existing Bootstrap and jQuery project without changing your backend data model.
- Let users pick multiple categories, tags, or filters on a web page through an intuitive checkbox dropdown.