CSS3 Multiple Columns

CSS3 Multi-column Layout

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

Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetuer adipiscing elit, sed diam nonummy nibh euismod tincidunt ut laoreet dolore magna aliquam erat volutpat. Ut wisi enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exerci tation ullamcorper suscipit lobortis nisl ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis autem vel eum iriure dolor in hendrerit in vulputate velit esse molestie consequat, vel illum dolore eu feugiat nulla facilisis at vero eros et accumsan et iusto odio dignissim qui blandit praesent luptatum zzril delenit augue duis dolore te feugait nulla facilisi. Nam liber tempor cum soluta nobis eleifend option congue nihil imperdiet doming id quod mazim placerat facer possim assum.

---

Browser Support

The numbers in the table specify the first browser version that fully supports the property.

Numbers followed by -webkit- or -moz- specify the first version that worked with a prefix.

Property
column-count	10.0	4.0 -webkit-	2.0 -moz-	3.1 -webkit-	15.0 -webkit- 11.1
column-gap	10.0	4.0 -webkit-	2.0 -moz-	3.1 -webkit-	15.0 -webkit- 11.1
column-rule	10.0	4.0 -webkit-	2.0 -moz-	3.1 -webkit-	15.0 -webkit- 11.1
column-rule-color	10.0	4.0 -webkit-	2.0 -moz-	3.1 -webkit-	15.0 -webkit 11.1
column-rule-style	10.0	4.0 -webkit-	2.0 -moz-	3.1 -webkit-	15.0 -webkit 11.1
column-rule-width	10.0	4.0 -webkit-	2.0 -moz-	3.1 -webkit-	15.0 -webkit 11.1
column-width	10.0	4.0 -webkit-	2.0 -moz-	3.1 -webkit-	15.0 -webkit 11.1

---

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: 

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

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:

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

CSS3 Column Rules

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

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

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

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

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

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

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:

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

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:

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

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:

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

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