magically scrolling input element

magic.js

var $inputEl = this.$inputEl, //get a jquery element
    $tmp = $('<span />'), //create a span
    $body = $('body'); // get the body

$tmp.html(_.escape($inputEl.val()));
$body.append($tmp);
var theWidth = $tmp.width();
$tmp.remove();
var widthToSet = (14 + theWidth) + 'px';
$inputEl.width(widthToSet);