Question

I have made a CSS dropdown menu and when you hover over the main menu button it changes the background image using the hover state.

However if the person navigates to the below dropdown selections the main menu button they are currently under naturally loses it’s hover state. I have used Javascript in the past to change the class so it keeps the same background image, but was wondering is there a way to do it without Javascript?

HTML:

<div class="navWrapper">
        <div class="left"></div>
        <div class="nav">
            <ul>
                <li class="home"><a href="/">Home</a></li>
                <li class="spacer"></li>
                <li class="about">
                    <a href="about_us/">About Us</a>
                    <ul class="sub">
                        <li><a href="">option 1</a></li>
                    </ul>                        
                </li>
                <!-- About Ends -->
                <li class="spacer"></li>
                <li class="trademark"><a href="freetrademarksearch/">Free Trademark Search</a></li>
                <li class="spacer"></li>
                <li class="services">
                    <a href="services/">Services</a>
                    <ul class="sub">
                        <li><a href="">option 1</a></li>
                        <li><a href="">option 2</a></li>
                    </ul>
                    <!-- Sub Ends -->
                </li>
                <!-- Services Ends -->
                <li class="spacer"></li>
                <li class="testimonials"><a href="testimonials/">Testimonials</a></li>
                <li class="spacer"></li>
                <li class="more">
                    <a href="javascript:void(0);">More Information</a>
                    <ul class="sub">
                        <li><a href="">option 1</a></li>
                        <li><a href="">option 2</a></li>
                    </ul>
                    <!-- Sub Ends -->
                </li>
                <li class="spacer"></li>
                <li class="contact"><a href="contact-us/">Contact Us</a></li>                 
            </ul>
            <div class="contentClear"></div>
        </div>
        <!-- Nav Ends -->
        <div class="right"></div>
    </div>
    <!-- Nav Wrapper Ends -->

CSS:

#header .navWrapper {
    width: 1004px;
}

#header .navWrapper .left {
    float: left;
    width: 4px;
    min-width: 4px;
    height: 47px;
    min-height: 47px;
    background: url('../images/nav-left-bg.png') left top no-repeat;
}

#header .navWrapper .nav {
    float: left;
    width: 994px;
    border-top: 1px solid #e0d0b4;
    border-left: 1px solid #e0d0b4;
    border-right: 1px solid #e0d0b4;
    border-bottom: 1px solid #e8dcc8;
    background: url('../images/nav-button-bg.png') left top repeat-x;
}

#header .navWrapper .nav ul {
    margin: 0 1px;
    display: block;
}

#header .navWrapper .nav li {
    float: left;
    position: relative;
    display: block;
    height: 45px;
    font-family: OpenSansBold, Arial;
    font-size: 16px;
    line-height: 2.9;
    text-align: center;
    color: #646464;
}

#header .navWrapper .nav li.spacer {
    width: 2px;
    min-width: 2px;
    height: 45px;
    min-height: 45px;
    background: url('../images/nav-button-spacer-bg.png') left top no-repeat;
}

#header .navWrapper .nav li a,
#header .navWrapper .nav li a:visited
{
    display: block;
    height: 45px;
    padding: 0 20px;
    color: #646464;
    text-decoration: none;
}

#header .navWrapper .nav li a:hover,
#header .navWrapper .nav li a:active,
#header .navWrapper .nav li a:focus
{
    color: #fff;
    background: url('../images/nav-button-bg.png') left bottom repeat-x;
}

#header .navWrapper .nav li.home {
    max-width: 86px;
    text-indent: -1px;
}

#header .navWrapper .nav li ul.sub {
    position: absolute;
    display: none;
    left: -1px;
    top: 45px;
}

#header .navWrapper .nav li:hover > ul.sub {
    display: block;
}

#header .navWrapper .nav li ul.sub li {
    float: none;
    display: block;
    font-family: OpenSansSemibold, Arial;
    font-size: 14px;
    line-height: 2.3;
    height: auto;
    text-align: center;
    background-color: #f4771d;
    color: #fff;
    white-space: nowrap;
    text-align: left;    
}

#header .navWrapper .nav li ul.sub li a,
#header .navWrapper .nav li ul.sub li a
{
    color: #fff;
    height: auto;
}

#header .navWrapper .nav li ul.sub li a:hover,
#header .navWrapper .nav li ul.sub li a:focus,
#header .navWrapper .nav li ul.sub li a:active
{
    background: #d66627;
}

#header .navWrapper .right {
    float: right;
    width: 4px;
    min-width: 4px;
    height: 47px;
    min-height: 47px;    
    background: url('../images/nav-right-bg.png') left top no-repeat;
}

Answer 1

replace

#header .navWrapper .nav li a:hover,

with

#header .navWrapper .nav li:hover a,

This is, because your sub menu is a child of the li element and not the a tag.