Using a CSS hack to create a border cutout

The Dilemma...

I am attempting to position div elements over a border, while maintaining space on both sides of each div. Take a look at the scenario:

Note the gaps surrounding the black divs.

I am struggling to find a solution for this issue, aside from the two obvious options of:

  1. Overlaying a border across the entire width and then using an image with a background to conceal the border behind
  2. Alternatively, dividing the border into columns and adding margins (seems like the most viable option in my situation)

My Attempts So Far...

Since I am seeking advice on a clever CSS technique here on SO, I have not experimented with anything yet as I am unsure where to begin... Hence, looking for a cool CSS trick...

The Big Question (In case it wasn't clear already)

Are there any alternative methods (besides the ones mentioned earlier), or neat tricks to achieve the setup depicted in the image above?

If there are no solutions beyond what I've already stated, please refrain from answering this question as I can definitely handle writing this code myself, and there are other SO users who could benefit more from your assistance :-)

Update

Below is a jsFiddle displaying how it currently appears without the desired gaps:

http://jsfiddle.net/BDt7v/

htmlcss

Answer №1

One method to remove the borders on the left and right of divs is by using generated content to overlay them. Each div can have a :before and :after pseudo-element with a height of zero, a white border-top, and a gray border-bottom which are half the width of the red border. These pseudo-elements can then be positioned absolutely. Check out this example in the fiddle.

<div id="outer">
    <div></div>
    <div></div>
    <div></div>
</div>

#outer {
    margin-top:50px;
    padding-bottom:50px;
    border-top:4px solid red;
    background:#ccc;
    text-align:center;
}
#outer div {
    position:relative;
    display:inline-block;
    margin:-27px 25px 0 25px;
    width:50px;
    height:50px;
    background:#000;
}
#outer div:after, #outer div:before {
    content:" ";
    position:absolute;
    top:23px;
    width:5px;
    height:0;
    overflow:hidden;
    border-top:2px solid #fff;
    border-bottom:2px solid #ccc;
}
#outer div:after {
    left:-5px;
}
#outer div:before {
    right:-5px;
}

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