Effortlessly alternate between dual-column and single-column layouts using CSS

Question

Effortlessly alternate between dual-column and single-column layouts using CSS

Creating a basic two column layout with fixed widths is my current project.

<div id='box'>
    <div id='ontop'>Ontop</div>
    <div id='column1'>Column1</div>
    <div id='column2'>Column1</div>
</div>

To style this, I used the following CSS:

#box { width: 20em; }
#column1 {width: 12em;}
#column2 {float: left; width: 8em;}

I am now exploring if it's possible for column1 to expand to "100%" if column2 is empty or not present without using JavaScript, but only CSS.

edit: updated #column1 width. The example had an error and added a div ontop.

html css layout

Answer 1

Answer №1

If you find that your elements are arranged in reverse order, this task becomes much simpler.

<div id='box'>
    <div id='column2'></div>
    <div id='column1'></div>
</div>

#column2 + #column1 { width: 10em }

However, if the elements need to remain in the specific order you provided, adjusting the table display properties is a viable solution (while ensuring #column1 doesn't wrap around #column2 when #column2 is shorter):

#box { width: 20em; display: table }
#column1, #column2 { display: table-cell }
#column2 { width: 8em; } /* consider adding some margin/padding here */

Please note that these suggestions only address scenarios where #column2 is absent. To determine whether an element is empty or not, one can utilize the :empty pseudo-class combined with :not: #column2:not(:empty) (exact syntax may vary).

Edit: Additional options involve checking if #column1 is an only child (#column1:only-child), or if it's the first/last child when it should be the last/first child (#column1:first-child/#column1:last-child).

Answer 2

If you find that your elements are arranged in reverse order, this task becomes much simpler.

<div id='box'>
    <div id='column2'></div>
    <div id='column1'></div>
</div>

#column2 + #column1 { width: 10em }

However, if the elements need to remain in the specific order you provided, adjusting the table display properties is a viable solution (while ensuring #column1 doesn't wrap around #column2 when #column2 is shorter):

#box { width: 20em; display: table }
#column1, #column2 { display: table-cell }
#column2 { width: 8em; } /* consider adding some margin/padding here */

Please note that these suggestions only address scenarios where #column2 is absent. To determine whether an element is empty or not, one can utilize the :empty pseudo-class combined with :not: #column2:not(:empty) (exact syntax may vary).

Edit: Additional options involve checking if #column1 is an only child (#column1:only-child), or if it's the first/last child when it should be the last/first child (#column1:first-child/#column1:last-child).

Answer 3

Answer №2

If a div's width is not defined, it will default to 100%. To avoid this, I recommend setting the widths explicitly like this:

#container { width: 30em; }
#sidebar1 { width: auto; }
#sidebar2 {float: left; width: 10em; margin-left: 3em; }

Make sure that

<div id="sidebar2">..</div>

is only included when necessary.

Answer 4

If a div's width is not defined, it will default to 100%. To avoid this, I recommend setting the widths explicitly like this:

#container { width: 30em; }
#sidebar1 { width: auto; }
#sidebar2 {float: left; width: 10em; margin-left: 3em; }

Make sure that

<div id="sidebar2">..</div>

is only included when necessary.

Effortlessly alternate between dual-column and single-column layouts using CSS

Answer №1

Answer №2

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