css allow inline-block elements to fill the entire width of their container

Question

css allow inline-block elements to fill the entire width of their container

Well, here's the thing - it's a bit complicated.

I'm dealing with a navigation list where the list items are set to inline-block. The number of items in the list can change, so it's not fixed.

My goal is to make the list items stretch across the entire width of the container. (For example, if there are 4 list items, each should take up 25% of the container width [ignoring margins/padding]).

The tricky part is that browsers tend to add a 4px margin to inline-block elements when there is whitespace between them (like a linebreak or space).

I've created a fiddle to illustrate what I have so far with 2 examples: the first just shows the list items in inline-block mode, while the second one aligns them across the width.

However, neither of them accomplishes what I am aiming for, which is to have the elements take up the full width without wrapping onto a new line.

http://jsfiddle.net/4K4cU/2/

edit: On a slightly different note, why is there space below the lis in my second example, even though I've set the line-height and font-size to 0?

css

Answer 1

Answer №1

Alright, after considering various answers and initially believing that js/jquery was the only solution, it turns out that there is a great css-only method: utilizing table cells. Credits to @Pumbaa80 for the original suggestion.

.list {
    margin:0;
    padding: 0;
    list-style-type: none;
    display: table;
    table-layout: fixed;
    width:100%;
}
.list>li {
    display: table-cell;
    border:1px green solid;
    padding:5px;
    text-align: center;
}
.container {
    border: 1px #777 solid;
}

<div class="container">
    <ul class="list">
        <li>text</li>
        <li>text</li>
        <li>some longer text</li>
        <li>text</li>
    </ul>
</div>

This method outshines other solutions because:

it's css-only
no 4px margin issue as seen with inline-block
no need for clearfix with floated elements
keeps equally distributed width regardless of li content
concise css

Check out the Fiddle here: http://jsfiddle.net/rQhfC/

Answer 2

Alright, after considering various answers and initially believing that js/jquery was the only solution, it turns out that there is a great css-only method: utilizing table cells. Credits to @Pumbaa80 for the original suggestion.

.list {
    margin:0;
    padding: 0;
    list-style-type: none;
    display: table;
    table-layout: fixed;
    width:100%;
}
.list>li {
    display: table-cell;
    border:1px green solid;
    padding:5px;
    text-align: center;
}
.container {
    border: 1px #777 solid;
}

<div class="container">
    <ul class="list">
        <li>text</li>
        <li>text</li>
        <li>some longer text</li>
        <li>text</li>
    </ul>
</div>

This method outshines other solutions because:

it's css-only
no 4px margin issue as seen with inline-block
no need for clearfix with floated elements
keeps equally distributed width regardless of li content
concise css

Check out the Fiddle here: http://jsfiddle.net/rQhfC/

Answer 3

Answer №2

As we enter the year 2016, I felt it was necessary to provide an updated response to this question utilizing the power of flexbox. Make sure to refer to CanIUse for information on browser compatibility.

/* Key styles to note */
ul {
  display: flex;
}
li {
  flex: 1 1 100%;
  text-align: center;
}

/* Additional demo styles for illustration */
* {
  margin: 0;
  padding: 0;
}
ul {
  margin-top: 2em;
  justify-content: space-around;
  list-style: none;
  font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;
}
li {
  padding: 1em 0;
  align-items: center;
  background-color: cornflowerblue;
  color: #fff;
}
li:nth-child(even) {
  background-color: #9980FA;
}

<ul>
  <li>text</li>
  <li>text</li>
  <li>text</li>
  <li>text</li>
</ul>

Original fiddle (now embedded in the above snippet)

Answer 4

As we enter the year 2016, I felt it was necessary to provide an updated response to this question utilizing the power of flexbox. Make sure to refer to CanIUse for information on browser compatibility.

/* Key styles to note */
ul {
  display: flex;
}
li {
  flex: 1 1 100%;
  text-align: center;
}

/* Additional demo styles for illustration */
* {
  margin: 0;
  padding: 0;
}
ul {
  margin-top: 2em;
  justify-content: space-around;
  list-style: none;
  font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;
}
li {
  padding: 1em 0;
  align-items: center;
  background-color: cornflowerblue;
  color: #fff;
}
li:nth-child(even) {
  background-color: #9980FA;
}

<ul>
  <li>text</li>
  <li>text</li>
  <li>text</li>
  <li>text</li>
</ul>

Original fiddle (now embedded in the above snippet)

Answer 5

Answer №3

Here is a suggestion for enhancing your original idea.

Below is the CSS code:

.list {
    padding:0;
    margin:0;
    list-style-type:0;
    overflow: hidden;
    height: 42px;
}
.list li {
    display: inline-block;
    line-height: 40px;
    padding: 0 5px;
    border:1px green solid;
    margin:0;
    text-align:center;
}

Set a height on the parent container, .list, to contain the child elements. I chose 40px height and added 2px for the border.

Also, apply overflow: hidden to .list to hide any excess generated by the pseudo-element.

For the li elements, use line-height: 40px to center the text vertically.

By fixing the height, the second line is hidden, allowing you to style the parent with a border without any extra space affecting the design.

Example: http://jsfiddle.net/audetwebdesign/WaRZT/

Potential Limitations...

In scenarios with more links than can be displayed on one line, overflow hidden will hide the excess.

Creating Evenly Spaced Boxes

To evenly distribute the border boxes, assign widths to the li elements.

If content is dynamic, generate class names dynamically to set correct widths using predefined CSS rules, such as:

.row-of-4 .list li { width: 24%; }
.row-of-5 .list li { width: 19%; }
.row-of-6 .list li { width: 16%; }

View example here: http://jsfiddle.net/audetwebdesign/WaRZT/3/

Answer 6

Here is a suggestion for enhancing your original idea.

Below is the CSS code:

.list {
    padding:0;
    margin:0;
    list-style-type:0;
    overflow: hidden;
    height: 42px;
}
.list li {
    display: inline-block;
    line-height: 40px;
    padding: 0 5px;
    border:1px green solid;
    margin:0;
    text-align:center;
}

Set a height on the parent container, .list, to contain the child elements. I chose 40px height and added 2px for the border.

Also, apply overflow: hidden to .list to hide any excess generated by the pseudo-element.

For the li elements, use line-height: 40px to center the text vertically.

By fixing the height, the second line is hidden, allowing you to style the parent with a border without any extra space affecting the design.

Example: http://jsfiddle.net/audetwebdesign/WaRZT/

Potential Limitations...

In scenarios with more links than can be displayed on one line, overflow hidden will hide the excess.

Creating Evenly Spaced Boxes

To evenly distribute the border boxes, assign widths to the li elements.

If content is dynamic, generate class names dynamically to set correct widths using predefined CSS rules, such as:

.row-of-4 .list li { width: 24%; }
.row-of-5 .list li { width: 19%; }
.row-of-6 .list li { width: 16%; }

View example here: http://jsfiddle.net/audetwebdesign/WaRZT/3/

Answer 7

Answer №4

There are several solutions to this issue. Personally, I find it most effective to eliminate the whitespace between the elements as it simplifies the process and avoids using non-semantic CSS tricks. Here is the code to demonstrate this:

<ul class="list">
    <li>text</li><li>text</li><li>text</li><li>text</li>
</ul>

Check out the updated jsFiddle, where the first list has items set to width:25%; and fits in the window on one line. If this is not the desired outcome, please let me know.

EDIT: Dealing with an unknown number of list items

While there are CSS3 solutions available, for cross-browser compatibility down to IE8, a JavaScript solution is recommended. You can try something like this:

var listItems =  document.querySelectorAll('li');
listItems.style.width = listItems.parentNode.style.width / listItems.length;

SECOND EDIT: Using jQuery instead of plain JavaScript

Here is a possible jQuery solution:

var $listitems = $('.list').children();
$listitems.width($listitems.parent().width()/$listitems.length);

Answer 8

There are several solutions to this issue. Personally, I find it most effective to eliminate the whitespace between the elements as it simplifies the process and avoids using non-semantic CSS tricks. Here is the code to demonstrate this:

<ul class="list">
    <li>text</li><li>text</li><li>text</li><li>text</li>
</ul>

Check out the updated jsFiddle, where the first list has items set to width:25%; and fits in the window on one line. If this is not the desired outcome, please let me know.

EDIT: Dealing with an unknown number of list items

While there are CSS3 solutions available, for cross-browser compatibility down to IE8, a JavaScript solution is recommended. You can try something like this:

var listItems =  document.querySelectorAll('li');
listItems.style.width = listItems.parentNode.style.width / listItems.length;

SECOND EDIT: Using jQuery instead of plain JavaScript

Here is a possible jQuery solution:

var $listitems = $('.list').children();
$listitems.width($listitems.parent().width()/$listitems.length);

Answer 9

Answer №5

To achieve a justified text alignment in a list, consider using the display:inline-block property with the li element, and apply text-align:justify to the ul element. For more detailed information, feel free to check out this link.

Answer 10

To achieve a justified text alignment in a list, consider using the display:inline-block property with the li element, and apply text-align:justify to the ul element. For more detailed information, feel free to check out this link.

css allow inline-block elements to fill the entire width of their container

Answer №1

Answer №2

Answer №3

Answer №4

Answer №5

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