New to CSS, a little confused about height: 100%

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1

Hi I’ve started work on learning CSS, neat stuff. However I’ve run into a little trouble and require assistance. I have 3 divs (columns), all on left float and wrapped around a container div with overflow: auto.

I understand that divs expand to the amount of contents inside, so when my middle column (div) expands, the container div does too. However the two other divs don’t since their content stays the same. I want the other two divs to match the height of the middle div, in other words height of all 3 divs should be the same at all times. I’ve tried setting the heights to 100%, however this doesn’t work… any tips?

2

ok, I’m probably going to annoy a few people, but I’ve got my crash helmet on so here goes.

The pure css solution is a bit “messy” imho, but that’s just me - if using javascript is not an issue then this sample code sets all the column divs in a container to the height of the tallest column.

the sample code has only 2 columns but you can add as many as you like without having to alter the javascript.

 
<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Strict//EN" 
"http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-strict.dtd"> 
<html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml"> 
<head> 
<title></title> 
<style type="text/css"> 
 
ul { 
margin: 0px 0px 0px 0px;
padding: 0px 0px 0px 0px;
list-style-type: none}
 
#container { 
border: 1px solid red; 
width: 800px;
overflow: hidden; 
margin: 0px auto 0px auto;
padding: 20px 20px 20px 20px} 
 
#sidebar { 
margin: 0px 0px 0px 0px;
padding: 10px 10px 10px 10px;
border: 1px solid green; 
float: left; 
width: 250px} 
 
#content { 
margin: 0px 0px 0px 0px;
padding: 10px 10px 10px 10px;
border: 1px solid blue; 
float: right; 
width: 490px} 
 
</style> 
<script type="text/javascript"> 
 
window.onload=function() {
    var maxHeight = 0;
    //get the column containers
    var colsA = document.getElementById("container").childNodes;

    //get the height of the tallest column
    for(var i=0; i < colsA.length; i=i+1) {
         if(colsA[i].clientHeight > maxHeight) maxHeight = colsA[i].clientHeight;
    }

 //set all the column containers heights to maxHeight
    for(var i=0; i < colsA.length; i=i+1) {
         if(colsA[i].nodeType == 1) colsA[i].style.height = maxHeight+'px';
    }   
} 
</script> 
</head> 
<body> 

<div id="container"> 

    <div id="sidebar"> 
     <ul id="menu_list">
         <li>Menu item 1</li>
            <li>Menu item 2</li>
            <li>Menu item 3</li>
            <li>Menu item 4</li>
        </ul>
    </div>  

    <div id="content"> 
    Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, tellus et. Molestie auctor nisl faucibus ut, lorem tortor mattis, fusce nullam enim fringilla vel. 
Mauris vitae gravida dolor praesent. Id in nascetur aut odio, nam et. Pede libero bibendum sit felis pretium sodales, fusce 
pharetra vestibulum bibendum morbi ultricies nullam, est nulla, id amet mollis. Nec consectetuer urna dapibus luctus ut, 
ipsum nascetur consequat dapibus dui ac molestie, est nascetur id nec nunc. Mi etiam mauris facilisi sed, nec ut id, 
aliquam non, taciti donec ut. Risus integer hymenaeos velit, nisl suspendisse sollicitudin ut, sed tempor sagittis curae dolor, 
volutpat massa ut sagittis. Voluptatem a enim, lobortis lectus volutpat, vitae vero diam purus morbi class, tristique donec 
ante sed, ac turpis dis dui vestibulum aut.
    </div> 

</div> 

</body> 
</html>
3

Kalon, a solution is better than no solution. Thanks for the input, I’ll try it when I get back home.

If you don’t mind posting the pure css solution as well, I would love to see it.

4

I’ve bookmarked this link from another thread here on a similar issue.

http://www.pmob.co.uk/pob/equal-columns.htm

there is some really good stuff there.

5

Cheers thanks.

Just ran the script on the browser, excellent stuff. There’s only one problem (I know zilch JS):

My page is a search and results page. The first column is your search form, 2nd is the results. Each result is wrapped in a collapsible div. Using you script you’ve provided when click on one of these collapse divs the bottom results are no longer seen. I can see this being due to the overflow: hidden property on the container div.

Does the script only run once the page loads? I need it to continuously run because later on I’m going to implement a search form that doesn’t reset the page when it is submitted and this would be a possible conflict. If you can modify it or suggest I go with the pure CSS that would be awesome.

6

the js in my code runs only when the page is loaded.

for dynamic pages with changing content via ajax or something else that doesn’t refresh the page, you would need to modify the js to call the function each time the content changes.

in this case you would be better off with the css method in the link I posted.

7

Cool.

Uhh my brain is being fried now… definitely not for CSS newbies:

http://www.pmob.co.uk/search-this/absolute-columns3.htm

Can anyone explain? That or I might try improving the JS.

8

I haven’t seen your CSS, so this is just a example of the Paul OB three column method. You obviously have to adjust the widths to your own liking:


html, body {
	height: 100%;
	margin: 0;
	padding: 0	
}

#wrapper {
    width: 960px;
    min-height: 100%;
    margin: 0 auto;
}

#content {
    width: 960px; /* Adjust to the width you are using */
    position: relative;
    overflow: hidden;
    clear: both;
}

#left, #middle, #right {/* Apply styles for your floating elements which are all the same except for the width and the float for the right column  */
    width: 230px; 
	min-height: 100px;
    position: relative; /*Z-index can only be applied to positioned elements, see z-index below*/
    float: left;
    z-index: 1;  
	color: #FFF;
}

#left p, #middle p, #right p {
	margin: 10px;
	font-size: .8em;	
}

#middle {
    width: 500px;
	color: #474747;
	
}

#right {
    float: right;
}

.col { /* Apply Styles to absolute columns that will create the equal heights */
    width: 230px;
    position: absolute;
    left: 0;
    bottom: 0;
    z-index: 0; /*Z-index can only be applied to positioned elements, see z-index below. z-index is lower than the relative counter parts above*/ 
    background: #2aa37f;
}

.middle {
    width: 500px;
    left: 230px;
    background: #DDD;
}

.right {
    left: 730px;
}

html > body .col {
    top: 0;
}



<div id="wrapper">

<div id="content">

<div id="left">
<p>Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Fusce varius pretium nibh, et aliquet sem tristique pellentesque. Nam commodo massa eget urna dignissim vulputate.</p>
</div>

<div id="middle">
<p>Sed pellentesque consequat pretium. Class aptent taciti sociosqu ad litora torquent per conubia nostra, per inceptos himenaeos. Donec eu nisi justo. Quisque felis libero, imperdiet non ultricies consequat, bibendum ut purus. Curabitur sit amet nisi quis sapien sagittis egestas. Proin dapibus ligula eget leo facilisis tincidunt. Praesent diam massa, posuere et semper sit amet, volutpat vel tellus. Morbi tempus pharetra consectetur. Maecenas luctus, leo vitae gravida vehicula, leo lectus luctus magna, ac fringilla odio eros sed tellus. Morbi eget fringilla odio.</p>
<p>magna augue tristique magna, vel dignissim sem nisi at tortor. Proin lacinia est non urna tincidunt ut malesuada sem facilisis. Proin ac libero at mi adipiscing venenatis. Nullam auctor accumsan semper. Nunc a porta libero. Aenean quam dolor, commodo ut elementum ac, gravida nec erat. Etiam vel lacus tortor, vitae rhoncus tellus. Aenean lobortis adipiscing orci. Nullam consectetur vestibulum arcu, in feugiat elit rutrum ac. Nam est quam, vulputate eget porttitor eget, sodales tincidunt velit. Sed vitae leo nisi, ut laoreet quam. In ac lectus nunc, in tempor massa.</p>
</div>

<div id="right">
<p>Nullam ac ultricies diam. Nulla facilisi. Morbi interdum tempus malesuada. Mauris mollis molestie gravida. Suspendisse ullamcorper imperdiet dignissim. Maecenas libero sem, porttitor vel volutpat non, eleifend sollicitudin ligula. Morbi ac tempor dui. Suspendisse placerat, erat at hendrerit ullamcorper</p>
</div>

<!-- Absolute columns creating the equal height columns, holding the background -->
<div class="col"></div>
<div class="col middle"></div>
<div class="col right"></div>

</div>

</div>

I hope this helps you somehow. If not just shout.

9 
<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd">
<html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml">
<head>
<meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=utf-8" />
<title>Untitled Document</title>
<style type="text/css">
<!--
body {
	font: 100%/1.4 Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;
	background: #4E5869;
	margin: 0;
	padding: 0;
	color: #000;
}

/* ~~ Element/tag selectors ~~ */
ul, ol, dl { /* Due to variations between browsers, it's best practices to zero padding and margin on lists. For consistency, you can either specify the amounts you want here, or on the list items (LI, DT, DD) they contain. Remember that what you do here will cascade to the .nav list unless you write a more specific selector. */
	padding: 0;
	margin: 0;
}
h1, h2, h3, h4, h5, h6, p {
	margin-top: 0;	 /* removing the top margin gets around an issue where margins can escape from their containing div. The remaining bottom margin will hold it away from any elements that follow. */
	padding-right: 15px;
	padding-left: 15px; /* adding the padding to the sides of the elements within the divs, instead of the divs themselves, gets rid of any box model math. A nested div with side padding can also be used as an alternate method. */
}
a img { /* this selector removes the default blue border displayed in some browsers around an image when it is surrounded by a link */
	border: none;
}

/* ~~ Styling for your site's links must remain in this order - including the group of selectors that create the hover effect. ~~ */
a:link {
	color:#414958;
	text-decoration: underline; /* unless you style your links to look extremely unique, it's best to provide underlines for quick visual identification */
}
a:visited {
	color: #4E5869;
	text-decoration: underline;
}
a:hover, a:active, a:focus { /* this group of selectors will give a keyboard navigator the same hover experience as the person using a mouse. */
	text-decoration: none;
}

/* ~~ this container surrounds all other divs giving them their percentage-based width ~~ */
.container {
	width: 80%;
	max-width: 1260px;/* a max-width may be desirable to keep this layout from getting too wide on a large monitor. This keeps line length more readable. IE6 does not respect this declaration. */
	min-width: 780px;/* a min-width may be desirable to keep this layout from getting too narrow. This keeps line length more readable in the side columns. IE6 does not respect this declaration. */
	background: #FFF;
	margin: 0 auto; /* the auto value on the sides, coupled with the width, centers the layout. It is not needed if you set the .container's width to 100%. */
}

/* ~~ the header is not given a width. It will extend the full width of your layout. It contains an image placeholder that should be replaced with your own linked logo ~~ */
.header {
	background: #6F7D94;
}

/* ~~ These are the columns for the layout. ~~ 

1) Padding is only placed on the top and/or bottom of the divs. The elements within these divs have padding on their sides. This saves you from any "box model math". Keep in mind, if you add any side padding or border to the div itself, it will be added to the width you define to create the *total* width. You may also choose to remove the padding on the element in the div and place a second div within it with no width and the padding necessary for your design.

2) No margin has been given to the columns since they are all floated. If you must add margin, avoid placing it on the side you're floating toward (for example: a right margin on a div set to float right). Many times, padding can be used instead. For divs where this rule must be broken, you should add a "display:inline" declaration to the div's rule to tame a bug where some versions of Internet Explorer double the margin.

3) Since classes can be used multiple times in a document (and an element can also have multiple classes applied), the columns have been assigned class names instead of IDs. For example, two sidebar divs could be stacked if necessary. These can very easily be changed to IDs if that's your preference, as long as you'll only be using them once per document.

4) If you prefer your nav on the right instead of the left, simply float these columns the opposite direction (all right instead of all left) and they'll render in reverse order. There's no need to move the divs around in the HTML source.

*/
.sidebar1 {
	float: left;
	width: 20%;
	background: #93A5C4;
	padding-bottom: 10px;
}
.content {
	padding: 10px 0;
	width: 60%;
	float: left;
}
.sidebar2 {
	float: left;
	width: 20%;
	background: #93A5C4;
	padding: 10px 0;
}

/* ~~ This grouped selector gives the lists in the .content area space ~~ */
.content ul, .content ol { 
	padding: 0 15px 15px 40px; /* this padding mirrors the right padding in the headings and paragraph rule above. Padding was placed on the bottom for space between other elements on the lists and on the left to create the indention. These may be adjusted as you wish. */
}

/* ~~ The navigation list styles (can be removed if you choose to use a premade flyout menu like Spry) ~~ */
ul.nav {
	list-style: none; /* this removes the list marker */
	border-top: 1px solid #666; /* this creates the top border for the links - all others are placed using a bottom border on the LI */
	margin-bottom: 15px; /* this creates the space between the navigation on the content below */
}
ul.nav li {
	border-bottom: 1px solid #666; /* this creates the button separation */
}
ul.nav a, ul.nav a:visited { /* grouping these selectors makes sure that your links retain their button look even after being visited */
	padding: 5px 5px 5px 15px;
	display: block; /* this gives the link block properties causing it to fill the whole LI containing it. This causes the entire area to react to a mouse click. */
	text-decoration: none;
	background: #8090AB;
	color: #000;
}
ul.nav a:hover, ul.nav a:active, ul.nav a:focus { /* this changes the background and text color for both mouse and keyboard navigators */
	background: #6F7D94;
	color: #FFF;
}

/* ~~The footer ~~ */
.footer {
	padding: 10px 0;
	background: #6F7D94;
	position: relative;/* this gives IE6 hasLayout to properly clear */
	clear: both; /* this clear property forces the .container to understand where the columns end and contain them */
}

/* ~~miscellaneous float/clear classes~~ */
.fltrt {  /* this class can be used to float an element right in your page. The floated element must precede the element it should be next to on the page. */
	float: right;
	margin-left: 8px;
}
.fltlft { /* this class can be used to float an element left in your page. The floated element must precede the element it should be next to on the page. */
	float: left;
	margin-right: 8px;
}
.clearfloat { /* this class can be placed on a <br /> or empty div as the final element following the last floated div (within the #container) if the #footer is removed or taken out of the #container */
	clear:both;
	height:0;
	font-size: 1px;
	line-height: 0px;
}
-->
</style><!--[if lte IE 7]>
<style>
.content { margin-right: -1px; } /* this 1px negative margin can be placed on any of the columns in this layout with the same corrective effect. */
ul.nav a { zoom: 1; }  /* the zoom property gives IE the hasLayout trigger it needs to correct extra whiltespace between the links */
</style>
<![endif]--></head>

<body>

<div class="container">
  <div class="header"><a href="#"><img src="" alt="Insert Logo Here" name="Insert_logo" width="20%" height="90" id="Insert_logo" style="background: #8090AB; display:block;" /></a> 
    <!-- end .header --></div>
  <div class="sidebar1">
    <ul class="nav">
      <li><a href="#">Link one</a></li>
      <li><a href="#">Link two</a></li>
      <li><a href="#">Link three</a></li>
      <li><a href="#">Link four</a></li>
    </ul>
    <p> The above links demonstrate a basic navigational structure using an unordered list styled with CSS. Use this as a starting point and modify the properties to produce your own unique look. If you require flyout menus, create your own using a Spry menu, a menu widget from Adobe's Exchange or a variety of other javascript or CSS solutions.</p>
    <p>If you would like the navigation along the top, simply move the ul.nav to the top of the page and recreate the styling.</p>
    <!-- end .sidebar1 --></div>
  <div class="content">
    <h1>Instructions</h1>
    <p>Be aware that the CSS for these layouts is heavily commented. If you do most of your work in Design view, have a peek at the code to get tips on working with the CSS for the liquid layouts. You can remove these comments before you launch your site. To learn more about the techniques used in these CSS Layouts, read this article at Adobe's Developer Center - <a href="http://www.adobe.com/go/adc_css_layouts">http://www.adobe.com/go/adc_css_layouts</a>.</p>
    <h2>Clearing Method</h2>
    <p>Because all the columns are floated, this layout uses a clear:both declaration in the .footer rule.  This clearing technique forces the .container to understand where the columns end in order to show any borders or background colors you place on the .container. If your design requires you to remove the .footer from the .container, you'll need to use a different clearing method. The most reliable will be to add a <br class=&quot;clearfloat&quot; /> or <div  class=&quot;clearfloat&quot;></div> after your final floated column (but before the .container closes). This will have the same clearing effect.</p>
    <h3>Logo Replacement</h3>
    <p>An image placeholder was used in this layout in the .header where you'll likely want to place  a logo. It is recommended that you remove the placeholder and replace it with your own linked logo. </p>
    <p> Be aware that if you use the Property inspector to navigate to your logo image using the SRC field (instead of removing and replacing the placeholder), you should remove the inline background and display properties. These inline styles are only used to make the logo placeholder show up in browsers for demonstration purposes. </p>
    <p>To remove the inline styles, make sure your CSS Styles panel is set to Current. Select the image, and in the Properties pane of the CSS Styles panel, right click and delete the display and background properties. (Of course, you can always go directly into the code and delete the inline styles from the image or placeholder there.)</p>
    <h4>Internet Explorer Conditional Comments</h4>
    <p>These liquid layouts contain an Internet Explorer Conditional Comment (IECC) to correct two issues. </p>
    <ol>
      <li>Browsers are inconsistent in the way they round div sizes in percent-based layouts. If the browser must render a number like 144.5px or 564.5px, they have to round it to the nearest whole number. Safari and Opera round down, Internet Explorer rounds up and Firefox rounds one column up and one down filling the container completely. These rounding issues can cause inconsistencies in some layouts. In this IECC there is a 1px negative margin to fix IE. You may move it to any of the columns (and on either the left or right) to suit your layout needs.</li>
      <li>The zoom property was added to the anchor within the navigation list since, in some cases, extra white space will be rendered in IE6 and IE7. Zoom gives IE its proprietary hasLayout property to fix this issue.</li>
    </ol>
    <!-- end .content --></div>
  <div class="sidebar2">
    <h4>Backgrounds</h4>
    <p>By nature, the background color on any div will only show for the length of the content. If you'd like a dividing line instead of a color, place a border on the side of the .content div (but only if it will always contain more content).</p>
    <!-- end .sidebar2 --></div>
  <div class="footer">
    <p>This .footer contains the declaration position:relative; to give Internet Explorer 6 hasLayout for the .footer and cause it to clear correctly. If you're not required to support IE6, you may remove it.</p>
    <!-- end .footer --></div>
  <!-- end .container --></div>
</body>
</html>

I found that very useful, I was trying to accomplish something the same to you I think. Eventually I scrapped my own work and have started modding this liquid layout. It comes out of dreamweaver cs5.

I found the comments taught me alot of things I didnt take into account before. Hope some of it can help you too. Cheers.

10

Thanks donboe, I’ve tried the styles, they seem to be work great however:

#left p, #middle p, #right p {
margin: 10px;
font-size: .8em;
}

I found that this part was critical… if I removed font-size, it won’t work. Why is it required?

11

It’s not required at all. I just removed it and it is still working. I just used a font size, since I didn’t know how your font-size was set for the site :slight_smile:

12

Actually, never mind what I said… silly me… this is my modified version over your CSS… I took out the paragraph selectors and changed widths accordingly. When I add in:

#left p, #middle p, #right p {
margin: 10px;
font-size: .8em;
}

It works brilliantly, when I take it out, it fails.

html, body {
height: 100%;
margin: 0;
padding: 0;
}

#wrapper {
width: 970px;
min-height: 100%;
margin: 0 auto;
}

Content {
width: 970px; /* Adjust to the width you are using */
position: relative;
overflow: hidden;
clear: both;
}

#left, #middle, #right {/* Apply styles for your floating elements which are all the same except for the width and the float for the right column */
width:210px;
min-height: 450px;
position: relative; /Z-index can only be applied to positioned elements, see z-index below/
float: left;
z-index: 1;
background-color: #FFF;
background-image: url(…/images/bg.png);
background-repeat: repeat-x;
background-position: bottom;
border: 1px solid #ADADAD;
}

#middle {
width: 520px;
border-left-style: none;
}

#right {
float:right;
width: 230px;

}

.col { /* Apply Styles to absolute columns that will create the equal heights */
width: 230px;
position: absolute;
left: 0;
bottom: 0;
z-index: 0; /Z-index can only be applied to positioned elements, see z-index below. z-index is lower than the relative counter parts above/
}

.middle {
width: 520px;
left: 213px;
}

.right {
left: 669px;
}

html > body .col {
top: 0;
}

My 3 columns are 210px, 450px and 230px in width, having 1px border all sides except for the 2nd’s left (no border). There should be a 5px gap between the 2nd and 3rd column.

Am I getting close?

13

What actually happens when you take the font-size out?

Edit: You say your left and right column are 210px, but on your absolute panels you still have a width of 230px I see? You need to change that accordingly


.col { /* Apply Styles to absolute columns that will create the equal heights */
width: 210px;
position: absolute;
left: 0;
bottom: 0;
z-index: 0; /*Z-index can only be applied to positioned elements, see z-index below. z-index is lower than the relative counter parts above*/ 
}

.middle {
width: 450px;
left: 215px;
}

.right {
left: 670px;
}

html > body .col {
top: 0;
}
14

The column’s height = content.

Am I supposed to modify the widths of the classes (.middle, .right, .col) too? I think my borders create a 2px extra width in total… box model or something like that?

15

Sorry, I overlooked that border. yes the border is adding to the actual content of course. But why not set the width on #left, #right and #middle to 2px less, so instead of 210px for #left and #right and 450px for #middle, 208px for #left and #right and 448px for #middle

16

I’ve been painstakingly unsuccessful…

are the class widths supposed to be = to div+border widths?

If you don’t mind, try this out:

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC “-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN” “http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd”>
<html xmlns=“http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml”>
<head>
<meta http-equiv=“Content-Type” content=“text/html; charset=utf-8” />
<title>Untitled Document</title>
<style type=“text/css”>
html, body {
height: 100%;
margin: 0;
padding: 0;
}

#wrapper {
width: 970px;
min-height: 100%;
margin: 0 auto;
}

Content {
width: 970px; /* Adjust to the width you are using */
position: relative;
overflow: hidden;
clear: both;
}

#left, #middle, #right {/* Apply styles for your floating elements which are all the same except for the width and the float for the right column */
width: 210px;
min-height: 450px;
position: relative; /Z-index can only be applied to positioned elements, see z-index below/
float: left;
z-index: 1;
background-color: #FFF;
border: 1px solid #ADADAD;
}

#middle {
width: 520px;
border-left-style: none;
}

#right {
float: right;
width: 230px;

}

.col { /* Apply Styles to absolute columns that will create the equal heights */
width: 212px;
position: absolute;
left: 0;
bottom: 0;
z-index: 0; /Z-index can only be applied to positioned elements, see z-index below. z-index is lower than the relative counter parts above/
}

.middle {
width: 522px;
left: 212px;
}

.right {
left: 739px;
width: 232px;
}

html > body .col {
top: 0;
}
</style>
</head>

<body>
<div id=“wrapper”>

<div id=“content”>

<div id=“left”>
Sed pellentesque consequat pretium. Class aptent taciti sociosqu ad litora torquent per conubia nostra, per inceptos himenaeos. Donec eu nisi justo. Quisque felis libero, imperdiet non ultricies consequat, bibendum ut purus. Curabitur sit amet nisi quis sapien sagittis egestas. Proin dapibus ligula eget leo facilisis tincidunt. Praesent diam massa, posuere et semper sit amet, volutpat vel tellus. Morbi tempus pharetra consectetur. Maecenas luctus, leo vitae gravida vehicula, leo lectus luctus magna, ac fringilla odio eros sed tellus. Morbi eget fringilla odio.
magna augue tristique magna, vel dignissim sem nisi at tortor. Proin lacinia est non urna tincidunt ut malesuada sem facilisis. Proin ac libero at mi adipiscing venenatis. Nullam auctor accumsan semper. Nunc a porta libero. Aenean quam dolor, commodo ut elementum ac, gravida nec erat. Etiam vel lacus tortor, vitae rhoncus tellus. Aenean lobortis adipiscing orci. Nullam consectetur vestibulum arcu, in feugiat elit rutrum ac. Nam est quam, vulputate eget porttitor eget, sodales tincidunt velit. Sed vitae leo nisi, ut laoreet quam. In ac lectus nunc, in tempor massa.
</div>

<div id=“middle”>
Sed pellentesque consequat pretium. Class aptent taciti sociosqu ad litora torquent per conubia nostra, per inceptos himenaeos. Donec eu nisi justo. Quisque felis libero, imperdiet non ultricies consequat, bibendum ut purus. Curabitur sit amet nisi quis sapien sagittis egestas. Proin dapibus ligula eget leo facilisis tincidunt. Praesent diam massa, posuere et semper sit amet, volutpat vel tellus. Morbi tempus pharetra consectetur. Maecenas luctus, leo vitae gravida vehicula, leo lectus luctus magna, ac fringilla odio eros sed tellus. Morbi eget fringilla odio.
magna augue tristique magna, vel dignissim sem nisi at tortor. Proin lacinia est non urna tincidunt ut malesuada sem facilisis. Proin ac libero at mi adipiscing venenatis. Nullam auctor accumsan semper. Nunc a porta libero. Aenean quam dolor, commodo ut elementum ac, gravida nec erat. Etiam vel lacus tortor, vitae rhoncus tellus. Aenean lobortis adipiscing orci. Nullam consectetur vestibulum arcu, in feugiat elit rutrum ac. Nam est quam, vulputate eget porttitor eget, sodales tincidunt velit. Sed vitae leo nisi, ut laoreet quam. In ac lectus nunc, in tempor massa.
</div>

<div id=“right”>
Nullam ac ultricies diam. Nulla facilisi. Morbi interdum tempus malesuada. Mauris mollis molestie gravida. Suspendisse ullamcorper imperdiet dignissim. Maecenas libero sem, porttitor vel volutpat non, eleifend sollicitudin ligula. Morbi ac tempor dui. Suspendisse placerat, erat at hendrerit ullamcorper
</div>

<!-- Absolute columns creating the equal height columns, holding the background –>
<div class=“col”></div>
<div class=“col middle”></div>
<div class=“col right”></div>

</div>

</div>
</body>
</html>

17

I removed all classes like background and border from the floating elements and applied them to the absolute columns instead. They are the ones creating the equal heights:


<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd">
<html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml">
<head>
<meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=utf-8" />
<title>Untitled Document</title>
<style type="text/css">
html, body {
height: 100%;
margin: 0;
padding: 0;
}

#wrapper {
width: 970px;
min-height: 100%;
margin: 0 auto;
}


#content {
width: 970px; /* Adjust to the width you are using */
position: relative;
overflow: hidden;
clear: both;
}

#left, #middle, #right {/* Apply styles for your floating elements which are all the same except for the width and the float for the right column */
width: 210px;
position: relative; /*Z-index can only be applied to positioned elements, see z-index below*/
float: left;
z-index: 1;
/* background-color: #FFF; I took the background color out, since it doesn't make sense to set the background here. The equal heights are accomplished by the absolute columns remmber border: 1px solid #ADADAD; and the same for the border */
}

#middle {
width: 520px;
}

#right {
float: right;
width: 230px;
}

#left p, #middle p, #right p {
	margin: 5px;	
}

.col { /* Apply Styles to absolute columns that will create the equal heights */
width: 212px;
position: absolute;
left: 0;
bottom: 0;
z-index: 0; /*Z-index can only be applied to positioned elements, see z-index below. z-index is lower than the relative counter parts above*/ 
background: #FF0000;
border: 1px solid #ADADAD;
}

.middle {
width: 522px;
left: 212px;
border-left: 0;
background: #FFF;
}

.right {
left: 739px;
width: 232px;
}

html > body .col {
top: 0;
}
</style>
</head>

<body>
<div id="wrapper">
<div id="content">

<div id="left">
<p>Sed pellentesque consequat pretium. Class aptent taciti sociosqu ad litora torquent per conubia nostra, per inceptos himenaeos. Donec eu nisi justo. Quisque felis libero, imperdiet non ultricies consequat, bibendum ut purus. Curabitur sit amet nisi quis sapien sagittis egestas. Proin dapibus ligula eget leo facilisis tincidunt. Praesent diam massa, posuere et semper sit amet, volutpat vel tellus. Morbi tempus pharetra consectetur. Maecenas luctus, leo vitae gravida vehicula, leo lectus luctus magna, ac fringilla odio eros sed tellus. Morbi eget fringilla odio.
magna augue tristique magna, vel dignissim sem nisi at tortor. Proin lacinia est non urna tincidunt ut malesuada sem facilisis. Proin ac libero at mi adipiscing venenatis. Nullam auctor accumsan semper. Nunc a porta libero. Aenean quam dolor, commodo ut elementum ac, gravida nec erat. Etiam vel lacus tortor, vitae rhoncus tellus. Aenean lobortis adipiscing orci. Nullam consectetur vestibulum arcu, in feugiat elit rutrum ac. Nam est quam, vulputate eget porttitor eget, sodales tincidunt velit. Sed vitae leo nisi, ut laoreet quam. In ac lectus nunc, in tempor massa.</p>
</div>

<div id="middle">
<p>Sed pellentesque consequat pretium. Class aptent taciti sociosqu ad litora torquent per conubia nostra, per inceptos himenaeos. Donec eu nisi justo. Quisque felis libero, imperdiet non ultricies consequat, bibendum ut purus. Curabitur sit amet nisi quis sapien sagittis egestas. Proin dapibus ligula eget leo facilisis tincidunt. Praesent diam massa, posuere et semper sit amet, volutpat vel tellus. Morbi tempus pharetra consectetur. Maecenas luctus, leo vitae gravida vehicula, leo lectus luctus magna, ac fringilla odio eros sed tellus. Morbi eget fringilla odio.
magna augue tristique magna, vel dignissim sem nisi at tortor. Proin lacinia est non urna tincidunt ut malesuada sem facilisis. Proin ac libero at mi adipiscing venenatis. Nullam auctor accumsan semper. Nunc a porta libero. Aenean quam dolor, commodo ut elementum ac, gravida nec erat. Etiam vel lacus tortor, vitae rhoncus tellus. Aenean lobortis adipiscing orci. Nullam consectetur vestibulum arcu, in feugiat elit rutrum ac. Nam est quam, vulputate eget porttitor eget, sodales tincidunt velit. Sed vitae leo nisi, ut laoreet quam. In ac lectus nunc, in tempor massa.</p>
</div>

<div id="right">
<p>Nullam ac ultricies diam. Nulla facilisi. Morbi interdum tempus malesuada. Mauris mollis molestie gravida. Suspendisse ullamcorper imperdiet dignissim. Maecenas libero sem, porttitor vel volutpat non, eleifend sollicitudin ligula. Morbi ac tempor dui. Suspendisse placerat, erat at hendrerit ullamcorper</p>
</div>

<div class="col"></div>
<div class="col middle"></div>
<div class="col right"></div>

</div>
</div>
</body>
</html>
18

We have lift off!

Thanks donboe and everyone who replied for their kind efforts, I appreciate it.

19

Good for you :slight_smile: