The inner div is not adhering to the maximum height set by the CSS for the outer

I have three different divs in my setup:

  • The grey div acts as the outer div and sets the height
  • The green div is responsible for scrolling through the content inside of
  • The red div, which contains the actual content

Below is a simplified code sample that illustrates the issue I am facing.

.outer {
    max-height: 500px;

    background-color: gray;
}

.inner {
    overflow-y: scroll;
    height: 100%;

    background-color: green;
    margin-right: 100px;
}

.content {
    height: 2000px;

    background-color: red;
    margin-right: 100px;
}
<html>
    <body style="overflow-y: hidden">
        <div class="outer">
            <div class="inner">
                <div class="content"></div>
            </div>
        </div>
    </body>
</html>

Even though the grey div has a maximum height of 500px, the green div takes on the height of the red div and fails to scroll its content.

If I set height: 100% to the grey div, the scrolling works correctly for content larger than the height of the grey div. However, when the content (red div) is smaller, I want the green div to only be the height of its content.

Answer №1

Exploring various methods to achieve this goal (as previously mentioned), it has been noted that utilizing viewport height may pose challenges on mobile devices. Instead of relying on vh, consider transforming the gray container into a flex object.

.outer-section {
    max-height: 500px;
    background-color: gray;
    /* Convert to a flex container */
    display: flex;
    flex-direction: column;
}

.inner-section {
    overflow-y: scroll;
    height: 100%;
    background-color: green;
    margin-right: 100px;
}

.data-content {
    height: 2000px;
    background-color: red;
    margin-right: 100px;
    /* Enhance scrolling experience */
    background: repeating-linear-gradient(
    -55deg,
    #ff0000,
    #ff0000 10px,
    #cc0c0c 10px,
    #cc0c0c 20px
    );
}
<html>
    <body>
        <div class="outside">
            <div class="inside">
                <div class="content"></div>
            </div>
        </div>
    </body>
</html>

Fiddle: https://jsfiddle.net/0fhga6vt/

Answer №2

To ensure that the content stays within the bounds, add overflow: hidden; to the inner div. By setting the height of the inner div to 100%, you are restricting it from exceeding the maximum height of the parent div.

Answer №3

To ensure that the inner div with a height of 100% functions properly, it is essential for the parent element named .outside to have a set height. Keep in mind that using max-height will not suffice as it does not provide a fixed height. My suggestion would be to assign a reasonable height based on the viewport height. By setting a max-height limit of 500px, you can guarantee that the element won't exceed this size, allowing the .inside element to behave as intended.

.outside {
    height: 70vh; /* I made this adjustment */
    max-height: 500px;
    background-color: gray;
}

.inside {
    overflow-y: scroll;
    height: 100%;

    background-color: green;
    margin-right: 100px;
}

.content {
    height: 2000px;

    background-color: red;
    margin-right: 100px;
}
<html>
    <body style="overflow-y: hidden">
        <div class="outside">
            <div class="inside">
                <div class="content"></div>
            </div>
        </div>
    </body>
</html>

Answer №4

  • By utilizing the flex: 1 property for the inside div within the outside div and setting the flex box column layout, you can ensure that the inside div adjusts its height to fit the parent without causing overflow.
  • This approach allows smooth scrolling functionality, with the added benefit that if the content does not exceed the limit, the outside div will automatically resize based on the height of the content div.

Feel free to experiment with varying content heights, and if you have any questions or need clarification, don't hesitate to ask in the comments section.

.outside {
    max-height: 500px;
    /* Change */
    display: flex;
    flex-direction: column;
    /* Change */
    background-color: gray;
}

.inside {
    overflow-y: scroll;
    /* Change */
    /* by using flex: 1; and having 'inside' as the sole child div 
    of 'outside', the inside div will naturally fill its parent's height 
    without requiring a fixed height for the outer 'outside' div */ 
    flex: 1;
    /* Change */
    background-color: green;
    margin-right: 100px;
}

.content {
    height: 2000px;

    background-color: red;
    margin-right: 100px;
}
<html>
    <body style="overflow-y: hidden">
        <div class="outside">
            <div class="inside">
                <div class="content"></div>
            </div>
        </div>
    </body>
</html>

Answer №5

To ensure the green div fills the remaining space within its parent container, set the display property to flex and utilize the flex-grow property. Take a look at this code snippet for implementation:

.container {
    height: 500px;
    background-color: lightblue;
    display: flex;
}

.inner {
    overflow-y: scroll;
    background-color: green;
    margin-right: 20px;
    flex-grow: 1;
}

.content {
    height: 1000px;
    background-color: lightcoral;
    margin-right: 20px; 
}
<body style="overflow-y: hidden">
    <div class="container">
        <div class="inner">
            <div class="content"></div>
        </div>
    </div>
</body>

By applying this CSS structure, the green div will dynamically expand to occupy any available space if the content is smaller than the parent, while enabling scrolling functionality when it exceeds the parent's height.

Answer №6

Here's a stylish solution that combines a grid with fit-content:

.outer-box {
  background-color: gray;
  /* 👇 */
  display: grid;
  grid-auto-rows: fit-content(500px);
}

.inner-box {
  overflow-y: scroll;
  background-color: green;
  margin-right: 100px;
}

.content-box{
  height: 2000px;
  background: linear-gradient(to bottom, red, blue);
  margin-right: 100px;
}
<div class="outer-box">
  <div class="inner-box">
    <div class="content-box"></div>
  </div>
</div>

P.S. To adjust for window height as well:

*{
  margin: 0;
}

.outer-box {
  background-color: gray;
  /* 👇 */
  display: grid;
  grid-auto-rows: fit-content( min(500px, 100vh) );
}

.inner-box {
  overflow-y: scroll;
  background-color: green;
  margin-right: 100px;
}

.content-box {
  height: 2000px;
  background: linear-gradient(to bottom, red, blue);
  margin-right: 100px;
}
<div class="outer-box">
  <div class="inner-box">
    <div class="content-box"></div>
  </div>
</div>

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