Centered vertically on the right side of a div, a CSS arrow is positioned

Question

Centered vertically on the right side of a div, a CSS arrow is positioned

Hello, I am seeking a way to vertically center a CSS triangle/arrow on the right side of a div using pure CSS. Unfortunately, I can't include images due to my low reputation.

Currently, my code is not functioning properly and lacks cross-browser compatibility (e.g. Chrome displays the arrow at the top right, while Firefox squishes it outside the bounds).

This is my code:

HTML:

<div class="main-panel">
    <nav class="left-panel">
        <ul class="page-nav">
            <li class="page-tab active"><a class="page-nav-link">Dashboard</a></li>
            
           ...truncated for brevity...
           
            <li class="page-tab"><a class="page-nav-link">Very long element abcdefghijklmno</a></li>
        </ul>
    </nav>
    <div class="right-panel">
        <p>
            Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit...truncated for brevity...
        </p>
    </div>
</div>

CSS:

* {
    margin: 0;
    padding: 0;
    font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Helvetica,sans-serif;
    
    ...truncated for brevity...

}

JSFiddle link: http://jsfiddle.net/LvG2C/

html css css-shapes

Answer 1

Answer №1

Here is a suggested solution:

.left-panel > .page-nav > .page-tab {
    position: relative;
}

.left-panel > .page-nav > .page-tab.active:after {
    width: 0px;
    height: 0px;
    border-style: solid;
    border-width: 7px 7px 7px 0;
    border-color: transparent #ffffff transparent transparent;
    position: absolute;
    top: 50%;
    right: 0;
    margin-top: -7px;
    content: "";
}

To achieve a triangle height of 14px and vertical alignment, use the formula: 14/2 = 7, resulting in margin-top: -7px;

See an example here

Additionally, you can use a triangle generator tool

Answer 2

Here is a suggested solution:

.left-panel > .page-nav > .page-tab {
    position: relative;
}

.left-panel > .page-nav > .page-tab.active:after {
    width: 0px;
    height: 0px;
    border-style: solid;
    border-width: 7px 7px 7px 0;
    border-color: transparent #ffffff transparent transparent;
    position: absolute;
    top: 50%;
    right: 0;
    margin-top: -7px;
    content: "";
}

To achieve a triangle height of 14px and vertical alignment, use the formula: 14/2 = 7, resulting in margin-top: -7px;

See an example here

Additionally, you can use a triangle generator tool

Answer 3

Answer №2

Another approach while maintaining float By using a combination of line-height value and font-size to control the size of the arrow and margin. Click here for the example.

Update: Please note that this method is not compatible with text-ellipsis if you convert the <a> into an inline-block element.

If you utilize float, it may not work well with vertical-align property.

You can make both the <a> element and the arrow inline-box elements and align them vertically by assigning a width to the <a> element to push the arrow all the way: Check out this alternate solution here.

.left-panel > .page-nav > .page-tab.active:after {
    content:" ";
    height: 0;
    width: 0;
    border-top: 7px solid transparent;
    border-bottom: 7px solid transparent;
    border-right: 7px solid white;
    vertical-align:middle;
    display: inline-block;
}
.left-panel > .page-nav > .page-tab:hover {
    box-shadow: 2px 2px 2px rgba(245, 245, 245, 0.6) inset;
}
a {
    display:inline-block;
    width:100%;
    vertical-align:middle;
    margin-right:-3px;
}

Answer 4

Another approach while maintaining float By using a combination of line-height value and font-size to control the size of the arrow and margin. Click here for the example.

Update: Please note that this method is not compatible with text-ellipsis if you convert the <a> into an inline-block element.

If you utilize float, it may not work well with vertical-align property.

You can make both the <a> element and the arrow inline-box elements and align them vertically by assigning a width to the <a> element to push the arrow all the way: Check out this alternate solution here.

.left-panel > .page-nav > .page-tab.active:after {
    content:" ";
    height: 0;
    width: 0;
    border-top: 7px solid transparent;
    border-bottom: 7px solid transparent;
    border-right: 7px solid white;
    vertical-align:middle;
    display: inline-block;
}
.left-panel > .page-nav > .page-tab:hover {
    box-shadow: 2px 2px 2px rgba(245, 245, 245, 0.6) inset;
}
a {
    display:inline-block;
    width:100%;
    vertical-align:middle;
    margin-right:-3px;
}

Answer 5

Answer №3

To achieve the desired effect of having an arrow on the left side centered vertically, one approach could be to apply a specific class to those elements. The class definition might resemble the following:

.left-arrow {
    background: url('/images/arrow.png') 0% 50% no-repeat;
    padding-left: 20px; // Adjust this value as needed to position the content after the arrow
}

This class would ensure that any element with the "left-arrow" class attribute will display an arrow vertically centered on its left side. Subsequently, the navigation code can be structured as shown below:

<nav class="left-panel">
    <ul class="page-nav">
        <li class="page-tab active"><a class="page-nav-link">Dashboard</a></li>
        <li class="page-tab"><a class="page-nav-link">Page 1</a></li>
        <li class="page-tab"><a class="page-nav-link">Page 2</a></li>
        <li class="page-tab"><a class="page-nav-link">Page 3</a></li>
        <li class="page-tab"><a class="page-nav-link left-arrow">Somewhat long</a></li>
        <li class="page-tab"><a class="page-nav-link">Somewhat long abc</a></li>
        <li class="page-tab"><a class="page-nav-link">Somewhat long abcdef</a></li>
        <li class="page-tab"><a class="page-nav-link">Somewhat long abcdefghi</a></li>
        <li class="page-tab"><a class="page-nav-link">Somewhat long abcdefghijkl</a></li>
        <li class="page-tab"><a class="page-nav-link">Very long element abcdefghijklmno</a></li>
    </ul>
</nav>

Answer 6

To achieve the desired effect of having an arrow on the left side centered vertically, one approach could be to apply a specific class to those elements. The class definition might resemble the following:

.left-arrow {
    background: url('/images/arrow.png') 0% 50% no-repeat;
    padding-left: 20px; // Adjust this value as needed to position the content after the arrow
}

This class would ensure that any element with the "left-arrow" class attribute will display an arrow vertically centered on its left side. Subsequently, the navigation code can be structured as shown below:

<nav class="left-panel">
    <ul class="page-nav">
        <li class="page-tab active"><a class="page-nav-link">Dashboard</a></li>
        <li class="page-tab"><a class="page-nav-link">Page 1</a></li>
        <li class="page-tab"><a class="page-nav-link">Page 2</a></li>
        <li class="page-tab"><a class="page-nav-link">Page 3</a></li>
        <li class="page-tab"><a class="page-nav-link left-arrow">Somewhat long</a></li>
        <li class="page-tab"><a class="page-nav-link">Somewhat long abc</a></li>
        <li class="page-tab"><a class="page-nav-link">Somewhat long abcdef</a></li>
        <li class="page-tab"><a class="page-nav-link">Somewhat long abcdefghi</a></li>
        <li class="page-tab"><a class="page-nav-link">Somewhat long abcdefghijkl</a></li>
        <li class="page-tab"><a class="page-nav-link">Very long element abcdefghijklmno</a></li>
    </ul>
</nav>

Answer 7

Answer №4

Impressive utilization of CSS3 techniques. If your client approves the use of CSS3, then your current method is sufficient (although it may not be the optimal choice). In my case, I often work with clients who still rely on legacy browsers like IE7/8.

For a simple arrow styling solution, I would recommend this approach. It is straightforward, reliable, and compatible with IE5+ as well as mobile and tablet browsers. Consider your customers' needs before deciding to implement this method as a fallback option.

Design the arrow in Photoshop and save it as a .png file. The image should be extremely small, around 50 bytes (5px X 10px).
Create the gradient in Photoshop, making it 1px wide and twice the height of an li element. Generate normal and hover states for the gradient within the same image. No need for separate images; adjust background positioning using CSS.
Implement CSS2:

li { background: url(gradient.png) repeat-x; height: 30px; line-height: 30px; text-align: center; color: #000; font-size: 14px; } li:hover { background-position: 0 -30px; } li a { background: url(arrow.png) no-repeat 100% center; }

This method should help you get started and present an alternative solution.

SO seems to be experiencing issues formatting the code block correctly.

Answer 8

Impressive utilization of CSS3 techniques. If your client approves the use of CSS3, then your current method is sufficient (although it may not be the optimal choice). In my case, I often work with clients who still rely on legacy browsers like IE7/8.

For a simple arrow styling solution, I would recommend this approach. It is straightforward, reliable, and compatible with IE5+ as well as mobile and tablet browsers. Consider your customers' needs before deciding to implement this method as a fallback option.

Design the arrow in Photoshop and save it as a .png file. The image should be extremely small, around 50 bytes (5px X 10px).
Create the gradient in Photoshop, making it 1px wide and twice the height of an li element. Generate normal and hover states for the gradient within the same image. No need for separate images; adjust background positioning using CSS.
Implement CSS2:

li { background: url(gradient.png) repeat-x; height: 30px; line-height: 30px; text-align: center; color: #000; font-size: 14px; } li:hover { background-position: 0 -30px; } li a { background: url(arrow.png) no-repeat 100% center; }

This method should help you get started and present an alternative solution.

Centered vertically on the right side of a div, a CSS arrow is positioned

Answer №1

Answer №2

Answer №3

Answer №4

SO seems to be experiencing issues formatting the code block correctly.

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