Organizing lists in HTML/CSS

Question

I have a list and I need two sections in each item. I also need the first section to be of fixed width. How should I code it?

I've tried using definition lists:

    <dl>
      <dt style="width: 2em;">foo</dt><dd>bar</dd>
    ...

    </dl>

... and user lists with span:

    <ul>
      <li><span style="width: 2em;">foo<span>bar</li>
    ...

    </ul>

Neither worked. Are there any canonical ways to do that?

Answer 1

The way I came up with is, perhaps, not canonical (but only because I'm not convinced that there is a 'canonical' means of implementing it), but it does work:

    <style type="text/css" media="screen">

        #container
            {width: 50%;
            margin: 0 auto;
            }

        ol,
        ul  {border: 1px solid #ccc;
            width: 90%;
            padding: 1.4em 0;
            }

        ol li,
        ul li   {background-color: #ccc;
            margin-left: 20%;
            }

        ol li span.list-head,
        ul li span.list-head
            {background-color: #ffa;
            float: left;
            display: block;
            width: 6em;
            }

        dl  {border: 1px solid #ccc;
            line-height: 1.4em;
            padding: 1.4em 0 0 0;
            }

        dl dt   {background-color: #ffa;
            display: block;
            margin: 0;
            width: 10%;
            }

        dl dd   {background-color: #fc0;
            display: block;
            margin: 0;
            width: 88%;
            margin-left: 11%;
            position: relative;
            top: -1.4em;
            }       

    </style>
...
    <div id="container">

        <ol>

            <li><span class="list-head">Foo:</span> bar.</li>

            <li><span class="list-head">Bar:</span> baz.</li>

            <li><span class="list-head">Baz:</span> foo.</li>

        </ol>

        <ul>

            <li><span class="list-head">Foo:</span> bar.</li>

            <li><span class="list-head">Bar:</span> baz.</li>

            <li><span class="list-head">Baz:</span> foo.</li>

        </ul>

        <dl>

            <dt>Foo:</dt>
            <dd>bar.</dd>

            <dt>Bar:</dt>
            <dd>baz.</dd>

            <dt>Baz:</dt>
            <dd>foo.</dd>

        </dl>

    </div>

There's a working demo over at: http://www.davidrhysthomas.co.uk/so/lists.html.

Answer 2

Like Alan said but if you just put a div it won't work the way you want, try this:

<ul>
  <li><div style="width: 200px; display: inline-block;">foo</div>bar</li>
  <li><div style="width: 200px; display: inline-block;">foo12</div>bar</li>
  <li><div style="width: 200px; display: inline-block;">foo12345</div>bar</li>
  <li><div style="width: 200px; display: inline-block;">foo12345678</div>bar</li>
</ul>

(maybe you'd like to use a class instead of repeating the style attribute each list item)

Answer 3

Width does not apply to <span> tags as they are inline. Try replacing the tag with a <div> or <p> or any other block element.

Answer 4

Use a dl and float the dt to the left.

<style type="text/css">
dt {clear:left; float:left; width: 8em;}
</style>

<dl>
     <dt>foo<dt>
     <dd>bar</dd>
     <dt>foo1<dt>
     <dd>bar1</dd>
     <dt>foo12345<dt>
     <dd>bar</dd>
 </dl>

Answer 5

try either a label for the first portion or an inline div

Answer 6

I'd like to ask: is this for representing tabular data? We've been indoctrinated into thinking that HTML tables are evil, but for showing, well, a table of data, they're perfect. I've seen more than one coder try and duplicate the functionality of the <table> tag using <div>s and CSS.

Of course, if it's not, then please, carry on. :-)