CSS3 Multiple Columns

The CSS3 multi-column layout allows easy definition of multiple columns of text - just like in newspapers:



CSS3 Multi-column Properties
In this chapter you will learn about the following multi-column properties:

• column-count
• column-gap
• column-rule-style
• column-rule-width
• column-rule-color
• column-rule
• column-span
• column-width

CSS3 Create Multiple Columns
The column-count property specifies the number of columns an element should be divided into.

The following example will divide the text in the <div> element into 3 columns:

Example

div {
    -webkit-column-count: 3; /* Chrome, Safari, Opera */
    -moz-column-count: 3; /* Firefox */
    column-count: 3;
}

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CSS3 Specify the Gap Between Columns
The column-gap property specifies the gap between the columns.

The following example specifies a 40 pixels gap between the columns:

Example

div {
    -webkit-column-gap: 40px; /* Chrome, Safari, Opera */
    -moz-column-gap: 40px; /* Firefox */
    column-gap: 40px;
}

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CSS3 Column Rules
The column-rule-style property specifies the style of the rule between columns:

Example

div {
    -webkit-column-rule-style: solid; /* Chrome, Safari, Opera */
    -moz-column-rule-style: solid; /* Firefox */
    column-rule-style: solid;
}

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The column-rule-width property specifies the width of the rule between columns:

Example

div {
    -webkit-column-rule-width: 1px; /* Chrome, Safari, Opera */
    -moz-column-rule-width: 1px; /* Firefox */
    column-rule-width: 1px;
}

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The column-rule-color property specifies the color of the rule between columns:

Example

div {
    -webkit-column-rule-color: lightblue; /* Chrome, Safari, Opera */
    -moz-column-rule-color: lightblue; /* Firefox */
    column-rule-color: lightblue;
}

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The column-rule property is a shorthand property for setting all the column-rule-* properties above.

The following example sets the width, style, and color of the rule between columns:

Example

div {
    -webkit-column-rule: 1px solid lightblue; /* Chrome, Safari, Opera */
    -moz-column-rule: 1px solid lightblue; /* Firefox */
    column-rule: 1px solid lightblue;
}

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Specify How Many Columns an Element Should Span
The column-span property specifies how many columns an element should span across.

The following example specifies that the <h2> element should span across all columns:

Example

h2 {
    -webkit-column-span: all; /* Chrome, Safari, Opera */
    column-span: all;
}

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Specify The Column Width
The column-width property specifies a suggested, optimal width for the columns.

The following example specifies that the suggested, optimal width for the columns should be 100px:

Example

div {
    -webkit-column-width: 100px; /* Chrome, Safari, Opera */
    -moz-column-width: 100px; /* Firefox */
    column-width: 100px;
}

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CSS3 Multi-columns Properties
The following table lists all the multi-columns properties:

Property	Description
column-count	Specifies the number of columns an element should be divided into
column-fill	Specifies how to fill columns
column-gap	Specifies the gap between the columns
column-rule	A shorthand property for setting all the column-rule-* properties
column-rule-color	Specifies the color of the rule between columns
column-rule-style	Specifies the style of the rule between columns
column-rule-width	Specifies the width of the rule between columns
column-span	Specifies how many columns an element should span across
column-width	Specifies a suggested, optimal width for the columns
columns	A shorthand property for setting column-width and column-count