Floating divs, equal height - fill space with additional div without overflow

Question

I have two div-columns of different height which I like to have the same height. I achieved this using the padding-margin hack with the following css for my div-columns:

.lane1 {
    padding-bottom: 800px;
    margin-bottom: -800px;
}

The html is displaying a flow-diagram. I would like to have a line from the end of each lane to the bottom of the two-lane part to have a continuous diagram.

I tried to achieve this with an additional div with class .LineFilling that is a line going down, but I don't know how heigh the line should be. So I put

position: absolute;
overflow: hidden;

in the .lane1-class and made the .LineFilling-element of height 600px, but that doesn't work, since the overflow is displayed. Is there a way to have the .LineFilling-element extend to the end of the lane? Or extend further but the overflow being cut?

Thanks for help.

EDIT: I posted the code online here: Click here to see code

Answer 1

Yes it is possible with pure css. I have used display table-row and table-cell properties to achieve it.

HTML:

<div class="parent">
    <div class="child">
        <p>line 1</p>
    </div>
    <div class="child">
        <p>line 1</p>
        <p>line 2</p>
        <p>line 3</p>
        <p>line 4</p>
    </div>
</div>

CSS:

.parent{display:table-row;}
.child{display:table-cell;border:1px solid #ccc;padding:10px;}
p{margin:5px 0;}

See fiddle.

Update: probable solution DEMO

Answer 2

Pure CSS solution

Here is a DEMO of that solution.

In this DEMO, you see multipple Rows, each Row can have a variable number of columns without stating anything in the markup, and without fixing any width. (the width is always divided evenly between the columns). Each column is called ElementsHolder, and can have any number of Elements you want.

all the column in a row will always have the same height, and the last arrow in the row will fill that space.

In the DEMO you can see 3 Rows. The First Row has the starting point, so no stretch needed there. The Second Row has 3 ElementsHolder, without stating anything special in the markup, 2 of them will stretch to fill the gap. The Third Row has 2 ElementsHolder, behave as expected.

notice that the stretching works regardless of the Elements height. (some of them have 2 or 3 lines of text, and it works perfectly)

If you want to use that technique, you only have to implement the other kind of boxes and arrows (Curve etc..)

The solution is done by using the new CSS flex model. the direction is set via flex-direction: row;, Each row has ElementsHolders that gets equal width.

each one of those ElementsHolder is also a flex box, but this time his direction is opposite (flex-direction: column;).

the child's of ElementsHolder are Elements & Arrows, I dont want them to have equal height, but to span excatly the natural height. except the last arrow, that should span the rest of the container.

all of that is achieved using the flex property with the appropriate values.

More about the flex-model can be found HERE