css The max-width property appears to be malfunctioning

My parent element has a width of 100px and a position of relative. Inside it, there is an inner element with a position of absolute. I want this inner element to stretch out up to 200px, but for some reason, it's not working. The maximum value it takes is only 100% of the parent's width.

UPDATE: I don't want the width to be fixed. I just need it to adjust up to 200px if there is content, and set to 'auto' if there isn't much content.

p.s. I must keep those 'position' properties

Here's the HTML structure:

<div class='parent'>
    <div>element</div>
    <div class="inner">
        <div class="item">text</div>
        <div class="item">text</div>
        <div class="item">text</div>
        <div class="item">text</div>
        <div class="item">text</div>
        <div class="item">text</div>
        <div class="item">text</div>
        <div class="item">text</div>
        <div class="item">text</div>
    </div>
</div>

Styling:

.parent {
    width: 100px;
    border: 1px solid yellow;
    position: relative;
}

.inner {
    max-width: 200px;
    border: 1px solid red;
    position: absolute;
}

.item {
    float: left;
    border: 1px dotted grey;   
}

Here's a jsfiddle link for the example

If anyone can help, please do so

Answer №2

This behavior is to be expected. The max-width setting of .inner is not fully utilized due to the constraints imposed by the width of its parent container, .parent. The floated elements within .items align horizontally until they reach the right boundary of their containing element.

To address this issue, one workaround involves using a pseudo-element to achieve a similar bordered effect without being limited by specific widths:

  • Eliminate the width property from .parent, allowing it to occupy the full width of its block-level nature. Remove the border: 1px solid yellow; declaration to prevent undesired outcomes.
  • Create a new pseudo-element called .parent:before. Specify properties like border: 1px solid yellow; and width: 100px; to display the yellow border as intended.
  • Position .parent:before absolutely with properties such as position: absolute; and height: 100%; to align it relative to .parent accurately.

With these adjustments in place, .inner will no longer be constrained by the width of .parent, thereby following the rule set by max-width: 200px;.

.parent {
  position: relative;
}
.parent:before {
  border: 1px solid yellow;
  content: "";
  display: block;
  height: 100%;
  position: absolute;
  width: 100px;
}
.inner {
  border: 1px solid red;
  max-width: 200px;
  position: absolute;
}
.item {
  border: 1px dotted grey;
  float: left;
}
<div class='parent'>
  <div>element</div>
  <div class="inner">
    <div class="item">text</div>
    <div class="item">text</div>
    <div class="item">text</div>
    <div class="item">text</div>
    <div class="item">text</div>
    <div class="item">text</div>
    <div class="item">text</div>
    <div class="item">text</div>
    <div class="item">text</div>
  </div>
</div>

Answer №3

By adding "width: 200%" to the .inner class, the max-width property will still be effective.

.inner {
    width: 200%;
    max-width: 200px;
    border: 1px solid red;
    position: absolute;
}

Check out this example on jsFiddle.

Answer №4

In case you are working with AngularJS, feel free to implement ng-style = {'width':'200%'}. If not, simply adjust it to inherit the style from the parent element.

.inner {
    max-width: inherit;
    border: 1px solid red;
    position: absolute;

}

Cheers!

Answer №5

The strange behavior you're experiencing can be traced back to the following line of code:

.item {
    float: left; /* THIS LINE HERE */
    border: 1px dotted grey;
}

To resolve this issue, consider using display: table-cell as an alternative to float for aligning text blocks. However, keep in mind that this may cause the blocks to extend beyond the boundaries of #content.

I will continue exploring other options and update my answer accordingly.

Answer №6

Apply the style rule position:static to the parent element and test.

.parent {
    border: 1px solid yellow;
    position: static;
    width: 100px;
}

.inner {
    border: 1px solid red;
    max-width: 200px;
    position: absolute;
}

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