I use this... but it requires the user to click on the select box...
Here are the 2 javascript functions
function expand(obj)
{
obj.size = 5;
}
function unexpand(obj)
{
obj.size = 1;
}
then i create the select box
<select id="test" multiple="multiple" name="foo" onFocus="expand(this)" onBlur="unexpand(this)">
<option >option1</option>
<option >option2</option>
<option >option3</option>
<option >option4</option>
<option >option5</option>
</select>
I know this code is a little late, but i hope it helps someone who had the same problem as me.
ps/fyi
i have not tested the code above (i create my select box dynamically), and the code i did write was only tested in FireFox.