What is the best way to add a new div below a specific div without disrupting the existing layout of other elements on the page?

Question

What is the best way to add a new div below a specific div without disrupting the existing layout of other elements on the page?

Is there a way to create a new div that appears below a specific div on a webpage, but is displayed above all other elements without affecting their positioning? Here is an example:

  ---------------------------------------------
  |               |          |                |
  |    div1       |   div2   |         div3   |
  |               |          |                |
  ---------------------------------------------
  |                     |                     |
  |    div4             |         div5        |
  |                     |                     |    
  ---------------------------------------------
  |... additional divs...

I am looking to generate a new div in the onClick handler of div2, so that when div2 is clicked, a new div will be shown that is aligned to the left of div2, appears below div2, and is positioned on top of other elements below it. The layout of the page will be:

  ---------------------------------------------
  |               |          |                |
  |    div1       |   div2   |         div3   |
  |               |          |                |
  ---------------------------------------------
  |               |                  |        |
  |    div4       |     Newly        |  div5  |
  |               |     Created      |        | 
  -----------------     Div          ----------
  | ...additional |                  |        | 
  |    divs...    |                  |        | 
  |               |                  |        | 
  |               |                  |        | 
  |               |                  |        | 
  ---------------------------------------------

The solution needs to be versatile. For example, the JavaScript function might look like this:

 createDivBelow(css selector, height, width)

This function would create a div below any specified div, aligned to the left, with the specified height and width. The key challenge is ensuring that the new div is absolutely positioned to prevent the movement of other elements. I believe that the new div should be positioned absolutely, possibly with respect to the body element. However, determining the correct position is the issue, especially if div2 is nested within other elements.

EDIT in response to feedback and proposed solutions I require a solution that is independent of the page structure and does not rely on the CSS of other elements. The solution should be agnostic to the placement of div2 within the document.

javascript jquery html css

Answer 1

Answer №1

Updated based on feedback from the original poster

One way to achieve this is as follows:

Upon clicking a div, add a class to it that changes its position to something other than static, such as position: relative, set its z-index to a value higher than the other divs, making it appear on top.
Attach the newly created div to the clicked one, positioning it absolutely with left: 0 and top: 100%, ensuring it aligns to the left/bottom without affecting other elements, regardless of which div is clicked.

By implementing the above method, the layout remains responsive, adjusting to screen width changes seamlessly.

Here's a simple demonstration:

Code snippet:

$("nav div").click(function () {

  $(this).toggleClass('haspopup');

  if ($(this).hasClass('haspopup')) { 
     $(this).append("<div class='popup'>Here is your popup</div>");
  } else {
     $(this).find('.popup').remove();
  }
  
});

nav {
margin-top: 50px;
  display: flex;
  counter-reset: demo;
}
nav div {
  border: 1px solid black;
  flex: 1;
  padding: 20px;
}
nav > div::before {
  content: 'DIV';
}
nav + div {
  background: lightgray;
  padding: 20px;
}

nav div.haspopup {
  position: relative;
  z-index: 1000;
}
nav div.haspopup .popup {
  position: absolute;
  left: 0;
  top: 100%;
  background: white;
}

<script src="https://ajax.googleapis.com/ajax/libs/jquery/2.1.1/jquery.min.js"></script>

<nav>
  <div></div>
  <div></div>
  <div></div>
</nav>

<div>This element won't move or be affected when the popup shows</div>

Answer 2

Updated based on feedback from the original poster

One way to achieve this is as follows:

Upon clicking a div, add a class to it that changes its position to something other than static, such as position: relative, set its z-index to a value higher than the other divs, making it appear on top.
Attach the newly created div to the clicked one, positioning it absolutely with left: 0 and top: 100%, ensuring it aligns to the left/bottom without affecting other elements, regardless of which div is clicked.

By implementing the above method, the layout remains responsive, adjusting to screen width changes seamlessly.

Here's a simple demonstration:

Code snippet:

$("nav div").click(function () {

  $(this).toggleClass('haspopup');

  if ($(this).hasClass('haspopup')) { 
     $(this).append("<div class='popup'>Here is your popup</div>");
  } else {
     $(this).find('.popup').remove();
  }
  
});

nav {
margin-top: 50px;
  display: flex;
  counter-reset: demo;
}
nav div {
  border: 1px solid black;
  flex: 1;
  padding: 20px;
}
nav > div::before {
  content: 'DIV';
}
nav + div {
  background: lightgray;
  padding: 20px;
}

nav div.haspopup {
  position: relative;
  z-index: 1000;
}
nav div.haspopup .popup {
  position: absolute;
  left: 0;
  top: 100%;
  background: white;
}

<script src="https://ajax.googleapis.com/ajax/libs/jquery/2.1.1/jquery.min.js"></script>

<nav>
  <div></div>
  <div></div>
  <div></div>
</nav>

<div>This element won't move or be affected when the popup shows</div>

Answer 3

Answer №2

It seems like you're interested in creating a navigation bar. Here's a sample code snippet to get you started:

$("nav div").click(function () {
  if ($(this).data("menu")) {
    $(this).data("menu").remove();
    $(this).removeData("menu")
  } else {
    var t = this.offsetTop;
    var l = this.offsetLeft;
    var h = this.offsetHeight;
    $(this).data("menu",
      $("<div class=\"menu\">menu</div>")
      .appendTo(document.body)
      .css({ "left": l, "top": t + h})
    );
  }
});

body {
  position: relative;
  padding-top: 2em; /* test */
}
div {
  display: inline-block;
  border: 1px solid black;
  box-sizing: border-box;
}
nav div {
  width: 100px;
}
main div {
  width: 150px;
}
.menu {
  background: white;
  position: absolute;
  padding: 20px;
}

<script src="https://ajax.googleapis.com/ajax/libs/jquery/2.1.1/jquery.min.js"></script>
<nav><div>div 1</div><div>div 2</div><div>div 3</div></nav>
<main><div>div 4</div><div>div 5</div><main>

Answer 4

It seems like you're interested in creating a navigation bar. Here's a sample code snippet to get you started:

$("nav div").click(function () {
  if ($(this).data("menu")) {
    $(this).data("menu").remove();
    $(this).removeData("menu")
  } else {
    var t = this.offsetTop;
    var l = this.offsetLeft;
    var h = this.offsetHeight;
    $(this).data("menu",
      $("<div class=\"menu\">menu</div>")
      .appendTo(document.body)
      .css({ "left": l, "top": t + h})
    );
  }
});

body {
  position: relative;
  padding-top: 2em; /* test */
}
div {
  display: inline-block;
  border: 1px solid black;
  box-sizing: border-box;
}
nav div {
  width: 100px;
}
main div {
  width: 150px;
}
.menu {
  background: white;
  position: absolute;
  padding: 20px;
}

<script src="https://ajax.googleapis.com/ajax/libs/jquery/2.1.1/jquery.min.js"></script>
<nav><div>div 1</div><div>div 2</div><div>div 3</div></nav>
<main><div>div 4</div><div>div 5</div><main>

Answer 5

Answer №3

Here is a solution that may be beneficial to you:

$(document).ready(function(){
    $(".child").click(function(){        
        createDivBelow($(this), "150px", "150px");
    });
});
function createDivBelow(cssSelector,height,width){
        $(".newchild").show();
        $(".newchild").css({"left":cssSelector.position().left+"px"});
        $(".newchild").css({"top":(cssSelector.position().top+cssSelector.height())+"px"});
        $(".newchild").css({"height":height});
        $(".newchild").css({"width":width});
}

.parent{
width:100%;
}

.child{
  width:150px;
  height:150px;
  float:left;
  border:1px solid gray;
}
.newchild{
  position:absolute;
  width:150px;
  height:150px;
  display:none;
  background:red;
}

<script src="https://ajax.googleapis.com/ajax/libs/jquery/2.1.1/jquery.min.js"></script>
<div class="parent">
  
  <div class="child">div1</div>
  <div class="child">div2</div>
  <div class="child">div3</div>
  <div class="child">div4</div>
  <div class="child">div5</div>
  <div class="child">div6</div> 
  <div class="child">div7</div>
  <div class="newchild">Newly created div</div>
</div>

Answer 6

Here is a solution that may be beneficial to you:

$(document).ready(function(){
    $(".child").click(function(){        
        createDivBelow($(this), "150px", "150px");
    });
});
function createDivBelow(cssSelector,height,width){
        $(".newchild").show();
        $(".newchild").css({"left":cssSelector.position().left+"px"});
        $(".newchild").css({"top":(cssSelector.position().top+cssSelector.height())+"px"});
        $(".newchild").css({"height":height});
        $(".newchild").css({"width":width});
}

.parent{
width:100%;
}

.child{
  width:150px;
  height:150px;
  float:left;
  border:1px solid gray;
}
.newchild{
  position:absolute;
  width:150px;
  height:150px;
  display:none;
  background:red;
}

<script src="https://ajax.googleapis.com/ajax/libs/jquery/2.1.1/jquery.min.js"></script>
<div class="parent">
  
  <div class="child">div1</div>
  <div class="child">div2</div>
  <div class="child">div3</div>
  <div class="child">div4</div>
  <div class="child">div5</div>
  <div class="child">div6</div> 
  <div class="child">div7</div>
  <div class="newchild">Newly created div</div>
</div>

What is the best way to add a new div below a specific div without disrupting the existing layout of other elements on the page?

Answer №1

Answer №2

Answer №3

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