Using twitter bootstrap 2.0 - How to make equal column heights?

Question

Does bootstrap 2.0 have any helpers to make .span1, .span2 .... .span12 equal height. I've nested this type of html

<div class='container'>
  <div class='row'>
    <div class='span2'>
      <div class='well'>
        XXXX
      </div>
    </div>
    <div class='span2'>
      <div class='well'>
        XXXX
        XXXX
      </div>
    </div>
    <div class='span2'>
      <div class='well'>
        XXXX
        XXXX
        XXXX
      </div>
    </div>
  </div>
</div>

I would like each well to end up the same height if possible?

Answer 1

Here's a responsive CSS solution, based on adding a large padding and an equally large negative margin to each column, then wrapping the entire row in in a class with overflow hidden.

.col{
    margin-bottom: -99999px;
    padding-bottom: 99999px;
    background-color:#ffc;
}

.col-wrap{  
    overflow: hidden;   
}

You can see it working at jsFiddle

Edit

In response to a question, here's a variation if you need equal height wells or equal height columns with rounded corners: http://jsfiddle.net/panchroma/4Pyhj/

Edit

In response to a question, here's the same technique in Bootstrap 3, same principle, just update the class names in the Bootstap grid: http://jsfiddle.net/panchroma/bj4ys/embedded/result/

Answer 2

Try something like this (not very elegant, though):

$('.well').css({
    'height': $('.well').height()
});

The jQuerys height() method returns the highest value when multiple elements are selected.

See the jsFiddle: http://jsfiddle.net/4HxVT/

Answer 3

jQuery's height() method returns the value of the "first element in the set of matched elements". The answer in http://jsfiddle.net/4HxVT/ only works because the first element in the row is also the highest.

Here's another jQuery based solution:

http://www.filamentgroup.com/lab/setting_equal_heights_with_jquery/

(Via this answer: https://stackoverflow.com/a/526316/518535)

Answer 4

Expanding upon the answers already given, I have just solved this using jquery and underscore. The snippet below equalizes the height of my wells and alerts that appear on a given row, regardless of where the tallest one appears:

$('.well, .alert').height(function () {
    var h = _.max($(this).closest('.row').find('.well, .alert'), function (elem, index, list) {
        return $(elem).height();
    });
    return $(h).height();
});

Answer 5

$.fn.matchHeight = function() {
  var max = 0;

  $(this).each(function(i, e) {
    var height = $(e).height();
    max = height > max ? height : max;
  });

  $(this).height(max);
};

$('.match-height').matchHeight();

Answer 6

I solved this with a custom jQuery max plugin:

$.fn.max = function(selector) { 
    return Math.max.apply(null, this.map(function(index, el) { return selector.apply(el); }).get() ); 
}

Here content-box is my internal column element, content-container is the wrapper that contains the columns:

$('.content-box').height(function () {
  var maxHeight = $(this).closest('.content-container').find('.content-box')
                  .max( function () {
                    return $(this).height();
                  });
  return maxHeight;
})

Answer 7

The above solutions all work until you add nice bootstrap buttons! How do you position buttons I thought (yes, that was my problem).

I combined the CSS with the jquery answer from How might I force a floating DIV to match the height of another floating DIV?

After a bit of frigging I got this, which works with CSS although the buttons don't line up, and is fine with jQuery

Feel free to fix the CSS button line up bit :)

jQuery:

$.fn.equalHeights = function (px) {
    $(this).each(function () {
        var currentTallest = 0;
        $(this).children().each(function (i) {
            if ($(this).height() > currentTallest) {
                currentTallest = $(this).height();
            }
        });
        if (!px && Number.prototype.pxToEm) {
            currentTallest = currentTallest.pxToEm(); //use ems unless px is specified
        }
        // for ie6, set height since min-height isn't supported
        if ($.browser.msie && $.browser.version == 6.0) {
            $(this).children().css({
                'height': currentTallest
            });
        }
        $(this).children().css({
            'min-height': currentTallest + 40 // THIS IS A FRIG - works for jquery but doesn't help CSS only
        });
    });
    return this;
};

$(document).ready(function() {
    var btnstyle = {
    position : 'absolute',
    bottom : '5px',
    left : '10px'
    };
    $('.btn').css(btnstyle);
    var colstyle = {
    marginBottom : '0px',
    paddingBottom : '0px',
    backgroundColor : '#fbf'
    };
    $('.col').css(colstyle);    
    $('.row-fluid').equalHeights();
});

CSS

.col {
    margin-bottom: -99999px;
    padding-bottom: 99999px;
    background-color:#ffb;
    position:relative;
}
.col-wrap {
    overflow: hidden; 
}

.btn{
   margin-left:10px ;   
}
p:last-child {
 margin-bottom:20px ;   
}

jsfiddle - http://jsfiddle.net/brianlmerritt/k8Bkm/

Answer 8

Here is my solution with 2 columns (adapt this to more columns is simple, just add more conditions). Run on the load event to have the correct heights of all elements.

$(window).on('load', function () { 
    var left = $('.left');
    var leftHeight = left.height();
    var right = $('.right');
    var rightHeight = right.height();

    // Width like mobile, the height calculation is not needed
    if ($(window).width() <= 751)
    {
        if (leftHeight > rightHeight) {
            right.css({
                'height': 'auto'
            });
        }
        else {
            left.css({
                'height': 'auto'
            });
        }

        return;
    }

    if (leftHeight > rightHeight) {
        right.css({
            'height': leftHeight
        });
    }
    else {
        left.css({
            'height': rightHeight
        });
    }
});

<div class="row">
    <div class="span4 left"></div>
    <div class="span8 right"></div>
</div>