Question

I have two divs inside of a container. One on the left, one on the right, side by side. How am I able to make each one be of equal height, even though they have different content.

For example, the right div has a lot of content, and is double the height of the left div, how do I make the left div stretch to the same height of the right div?

Is there some JavaScript (jQuery) code to accomplish this?

Answer 1

You could use jQuery, but there are better ways to do this.

This sort of question comes up a lot and there are generally 3 answers…

1. Use CSS

This is the ‘best’ way to do it, as it is the most semantically pure approach (without resorting to JS, which has its own problems). The best way is to use the display: table-cell and related values. You could also try using the faux background technique (which you can do with CSS3 gradients).

2. Use Tables

This seems to work great, but at the expense of having an unsemantic layout. You’ll also cause a stir with purists. I have all but avoided using tables, and you should too.

3. Use jQuery / JavaScript

This benefits in having the most semantic markup, except with JS disabled, you will not get the effect you desire.