Creating dropdown navigations in CSS can be a simple task, but it does require some adjustments to your code.
An important issue with your current code is that the menu items with downward arrows, which indicate a dropdown, are not properly linked to their corresponding dropdown elements. Specifically, the main menu item labeled Heren sieraden does not establish a connection with the child item Heren armbanden. Additionally, the element Schakel armbanden is not nested within Heren armbanden.
To address this issue, you need to ensure that these elements are structured as siblings rather than standalone entities. This allows CSS to recognize the hierarchy and display the submenus accordingly when hovering over the parent elements.
To implement a pure CSS solution, you will need to revise the structure of your code.
Other responses have highlighted the commonly used ul and li approach for creating menus. This method involves defining the main menu using the ul element and individual items using li. Here's a simplified example:
ul.menu
li.item
a
li
a
ul.sub-menu
li.item
a
li
a
li
a
The problem with your existing code lies in applying the a:hover selector to the links directly. Instead, you should target the li element as it encompasses both the link (a) and submenu elements. By focusing on the li, you ensure that the hover effect persists even when moving between the link and its associated submenu.
To make your dropdown functionality work effectively, you can use something like the following CSS:
ul.menu li.item ul.sub-menu { display: none; }
ul.menu li.item:hover ul.sub-menu { display: block; }
/* note: these selectors can certainly be simplified */
This setup ensures that the submenu becomes visible when hovering over the parent container.
In terms of positioning the submenus, one common approach is to give the li.item element a relative position and the ul.sub-menu an absolute position. This allows you to control the placement of the submenu relative to its parent item.
li.item { position: relative; }
ul.sub-menu {
position: absolute;
top: 100%;
left: 0;
}
The provided CSS guidelines will position the submenu below and to the right of the parent menu item, ensuring a visually appealing dropdown navigation experience.