Difficulty creating CSS menu with multiple columns - css

Question

I've read through some similar threads on this site and found some helpful tips, but I'm still having difficulty getting columns to work correctly in my CSS drop down menu. The test site is here: http://iphonebuy-host1.gaiahost.net/index.html
In part I'm using ideas from method 4 in this article - http://alistapart.com/article/multicolumnlists - however this is for XHTML and I'm using HTML, maybe that's causing my issue?
The main thing is the list items in the second column don't stick to the bottom of the header. According to the referenced article, setting a negative margin on .reset is supposed to bring the entire second column up where I want it, but only the header (which has .reset applied to it) is moving up.
I should say that you probably have to view my menu in Firefox to see what I'm talking about - so far it's even more messed up in Safari and I haven't even tried IE or Chrome.
CSS
/** top navigation menu **/
.topnav {
list-style: none;
background-color: #FFF;
font: 1.313em arial, sans-serif;
color: #0071BC;
margin: -1.8em 0 1.2em 25em;
text-align: center;
}
.topnav li {
position: relative;
display: inline;
padding: 0 .5em 0 .5em;
border: none;
}
.topnav a {
display: inline-block;
}
/** for drop-down menu **/
.topnav li ol {
background: #fff;
list-style: none;
position: absolute;
width: 15.5em;
font: .8em arial, sans-serif;
padding: 0 1em .5em .5em;
margin-top: -.1em;
left: -9999px;
z-index: 200;
-webkit-border-radius: 0 0 .5em .5em;
-moz-border-radius: 0 0 .5em .5em;
border-radius: 0 0 .5em .5em;
-webkit-box-shadow: 0 3px 2px 1px #ccc;
-moz-box-shadow: 0 3px 2px 1px #ccc;
box-shadow: 0 3px 2px 1px #ccc;
}
.topnav li li h1 {
font: bold 1.2em arial, sans-serif;
white-space: nowrap;
margin: .5em 0 .5em 0;
}
.topnav li li h2 {
font: 1em arial, sans-serif;
white-space: nowrap;
}
.topnav li li a {
white-space: nowrap;
display: block;
}
.topnav li: hover ol {
left: 0;
margin-left: -.9em;
}
.topnav li: hover a {
color: #99CCCC;
}
.topnav li: hover ol a {
color: #0071BC;
}
.topnav li: hover ol a: hover {
color: #99CCCC;
}
.topnav li li.column1 {
margin-left: 0em;
width: 6.8em;
float: left;
line-height: 1.5em;
}
.topnav li li.column2 {
margin-left: 10em;
width: 4em;
float: left;
line-height: 1.5em;
}
.topnav li li.reset {
margin-top: -10.8em;
}
HTML
<div class="topnav">
<ol>
<li>Home</li>
<li>Get Quote
<ol>
<li class="column1"><h1>Select phone:</h1></li>
<li class="column1"><h2>CDMA</h2></li>
<li class="column1">3GS 8GB</li>
<li class="column1">3GS 16GB</li>
<li class="column1">4 8GB</li>
<li class="column1">4 16GB</li>
<li class="column1">4S 16GB</li>
<li class="column1">4S 32GB</li>
<li class="column2 reset"><h2>AT&T GSM</h2></li>
<li class="column2">3GS 8GB</li>
<li class="column2">3GS 16GB</li>
<li class="column2">4 8GB</li>
<li class="column2">4 16GB</li>
<li class="column2">4S 16GB</li>
<li class="column2">4S 32GB</li>
</ol>
</li>
<li>About</li>
</ol>
</div>

Answer 1

The code in the question floats the list items. The method 4 approach that it's based on doesn't. That one change prevents the approach from having the chance to work as intended.
In a case like this, it's best to either stay entirely consistent with the approach, or go in an completely different direction and do not imitate it at all. Getting caught in the middle -- inconsistently following the approach -- is likely to cause the most trouble.
Split the HTML into bite-sized chunks
You'll have a far easier time styling this if you change the HTML. Instead of putting everything into a single list and splitting the list up into 2 columns, try splitting the HTML into 2 separate lists.
It may require adding a few wrapper divs as well. Something like the following:
<div class="topnav">
<ul>
<li>Home</li>
<li>Get Quote
<div class="dropdown">
<h1>Select phone:</h1>
<div class="columns clearfix"> <!-- add a reliable clearfix -->
<div class="column1"> <!-- floated left -->
<h2>CDMA</h2>
<ul>
<li>3GS 8GB</li>
<li>3GS 16GB</li>
...
</ul>
</div>
<div class="column2"> <!-- floated left -->
<h2>AT&T GSM</h2>
<ul>
<li>3GS 8GB</li>
<li>3GS 16GB</li>
...
</ul>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</li>
<li>About</li>
</ul>
</div>
Splitting the related parts of the dropdown into separate HTML elements gives you more flexibility with styling it.
And semantically, HTML of this sort is much better, because the h1 and h2 tags aren't being treated as if they're the same type of content as the specific models of phone. That helps with SEO and accessibility.

Answer 2

Use The following CSS
.topnav {
list-style:none;
background-color:#FFF;
font:1.313em arial, sans-serif;
color:#0071BC;
margin:-1.8em 0 1.2em 25em;
text-align:center;
}
.topnav li {
position:relative;
display:inline;
padding:0 .5em 0 .5em;
border:none;
}
.topnav a {
display:inline-block;
}
.topnav li ol {
background:#fff;
list-style:none;
position:absolute;
width:15.5em;
font:.8em arial, sans-serif;
padding:0 1em .5em .5em;
margin-top:-.1em;
left:-9999px;
z-index:200;
-moz-border-radius:0 0 .5em .5em;
-webkit-border-radius:0 0 .5em .5em;
border-radius:0 0 .5em .5em;
-moz-box-shadow: 0 3px 2px 1px #ccc;
-webkit-box-shadow: 0 3px 2px 1px #ccc;
box-shadow: 0 3px 2px 1px #ccc;
}
.topnav li li {
}
.topnav li li h1 {
font:bold 1.2em arial, sans-serif;
white-space:nowrap;
margin:.5em 0 .5em 0;
}
.topnav li li h2 {
font:1em arial, sans-serif;
white-space:nowrap;
}
.topnav li li a {
white-space:nowrap;
display:block;
}
.topnav li:hover ol {
left:0;
}
.topnav li:hover a {
color:#99CCCC;
}
.topnav li:hover ol a {
color:#0071BC;
}
.topnav li:hover ol a:hover {
color:#99CCCC;
}
.topnav li li.column1 {
margin-left: 0em;
width:6.8em;
float:left;
line-height:1.5em;
}
.topnav li li.column2 {
/*margin-left:10em;*/
width:4em;
float:left;
line-height:1.5em;
}
.topnav li li.reset {
margin-top:-10.8em;
}
And The HTML
<div class="topnav">
<ol>
<li>Home</li>
<li>Get Quote
<ol>
<li class="column1"><h1>Select phone:</h1></li>
<div style="width:130px;height:auto;float:left">
<li class="column1"><h2>CDMA</h2></li>
<li class="column1">3GS 8GB</li>
<li class="column1">3GS 16GB</li>
<li class="column1">4 8GB</li>
<li class="column1">4 16GB</li>
<li class="column1">4S 16GB</li>
<li class="column1">4S 32GB</li>
</div>
<div style="width:130px;height:auto;float:left">
<li class="column2"><h2>AT&T GSM</h2></li>
<li class="column2">3GS 8GB</li>
<li class="column2">3GS 16GB</li>
<li class="column2">4 8GB</li>
<li class="column2">4 16GB</li>
<li class="column2">4S 16GB</li>
<li class="column2">4S 32GB</li>
</div>
</ol>
</li>
<li>About</li>
</ol>
</div>
What I did over here is, put column1 inside a division and column 2 on a different division. Hope this will solve your problem. Thank you.