CSS: 3 divs - Resizing 2 outer divs automatically based on width of inner div/text - css

Question

My problem is best outlined with this schematic/image which outlines how I want it to look:
!
I have a background image and 2 divs for text over the top of it (headline, and intro-text). I also have 2 divs on either side of the headline - these are for the white horizontal stripes.
My issue is that the headline is changeable in a CMS, and I want the horizontal white stripes to automatically fill up the space to the left and to the right of it, regardless of the headline's width.
I can't figure out how to make those 2 horizontal white stripes resize automatically.
Here's my HTML:
<div id="masthead">
<div id="headline-container">
<div id="left-stripe"> </div><div id="headline">{headline}</div><div id="right-stripe"> </div>
</div>
<div class="clear-both"> </div>
<div id="intro-text">{intro_text}</div>
</div>
And here's my CSS - ignore the widths specified for the left-stripe and right-stripe - they're just placeholders:
#masthead {
height: 260px;
}
div#headline-container {
width:960px;
padding:none;
}
div#left-stripe{
float: left;
background-color:#fff;
height: 3px;
width:500px;
display: inline;
}
div#right-stripe{
float: right;
background-color:#fff;
height: 3px;
width:100px;
display: inline;
}
div#headline {
text-align:right;
color: #fff;
font-size: 200%;
float: left;
display: inline;
}
div#intro-text {
text-align: left;
float: right;
width: 300px;
color: #fff;
}
Ideas? Please let me know if I can provide more detail.

Answer 1

I'm a bit too busy to actually test this, but this might give you some direction. i'm not sure the exact effect you're trying to achieve (see comment about finding a live demo someone made).
Regardless, this kind of fluid layout is a bit difficult to achieve reliably with straight CSS. To make it easier I would suggest making the right-stripe a static width.
This CSS solution MIGHT work... no promises.
markup
<div class="container">
<div class="headline-container">
<div class="left-stripe"></div>
<div class="headline">Headline goes here</div>
<div class="right-stripe></div>
</div>
<div class="content"></div>
</div>
CSS
//static width for right stripe
.right-stripe { width: 20px; }
.headline { width: auto; }
.left-stripe { width: auto; }
Using javascript would make it really easy though... here's how i would do it with jQuery. Again, I would make the right-stripe a static width to achieve this effect.
(same markup...)
..
js
var totalWidth = $("#container").width();
var leftWidth = totalWidth - ($("headline").width() + $("right-stripe").width());
$("left-stripe").width(leftWidth);

Answer 2

You can do this dynamically, with jQuery, for example. You take the full width of the 3 div's, drop the size of the inner div and assign dynamically the widths of the 2 outer div's in which the bar should repeat horizontally.
Basically, you will need:
$("#whole-div").width() - $("#inner-div").width() for the outer div's total width. Then, depending on your positioning of the inner-div, you assign values for the outer div's.
For example: whole div has 1000px, inner div has 200px and inner div is positioned 600px left. You will then assign 600px to the left div ($("#whole-div").width() - $("#inner-div").css('left')) and 200px for the right div ($("#whole-div").width() - $("#inner-div").css('left') - $("#inner-div").width()). Of course, you will then set a background-repeat property on the outer div so that the image repeats.
Hope that helps!

Answer 3

UPDATE CSS only fluid solution: http://jsfiddle.net/SebastianPataneMasuelli/XnvYw/1/
it uses the same background image twice, on #masthead and on #headline-container. except ton headline container the background is offset to match its left position relative to its parent element. then we only need one div.line behind it, which gets covered by the background image under the headline and copy, giving the illusion of a seamless image.
do you mean like this?: http://jsfiddle.net/SebastianPataneMasuelli/XnvYw/