How to get this 2 columns layout (were one fits to content)

Question

Please note

• the vertical scrollbars shoud show up when needed
• left columns fits to width
• right column takes the rest of the space

Answer 1

HTML

<div class="main">
    <div class="header"></div>
    <div class="mid">
        <div class="left"></div>
        <div class="right"></div>
    </div>
    <div class="footer"></div>
</div>

CSS

body, html {
    width: 100%;
    height: 100%;
    background-color: black;
    padding: 0;
    margin: 0;
}
.main {
    background-color: white;
    top: 4px;
    left: 4px;
    right: 4px;
    bottom: 4px;
}
.main, .header, .left, .right, .mid, .footer {
    position: absolute;
}
.header {
    height: 100px;
    top: 0px;
    left: 0px;
    right: 0px;
    border-bottom: 4px solid black;
}
.mid {
    top: 104px;
    left: 0px;
    right: 0px;
    bottom: 14px;
}
.left {
    overflow-y:auto;
    width: 100px;
    top: 0px;
    bottom: 0px;
}
.right {
    overflow-y:auto;
    top: 0px;
    bottom: 0px;
    left: 100px;
    right: 0px;
    border-left: 4px solid black;
}
.footer {
    left: 0px;
    right: 0px;
    bottom: 0px;
    height: 10px;
    border-top: 4px solid black;
}

Working Fiddle (as shown in your post)

Answer 2

Here is one approach that uses CSS only.

The HTML looks like:

<div id="pageWrapper">
    <header>Header</header>
    <div id="contentWrapper">
        <div class="table-wrap">
            <div class="cell col1">
                <div class="content">Column 1: Shrink-to-Fit Width</div>
            </div>
            <div class="cell col2">
                <div class="content">Column 2: Variable Width</div>
            </div>
        </div>
    </div>
    <div id="footerWrapper">Footer</div>
</div>

and the CSS:

html, body {
    height: 100%;
    margin: 0;
}
body {
    background-color: #E3E3E3;
}
#pageWrapper {
    margin: 0 auto;
    position: relative;
    width: 90%; /*set to 100% or smaller or fixed width... */
    height: 100%;
}
header {
    display:block;
    width: 100%;
    height: 100px;
    background: yellow;
}
#contentWrapper {
    width: 100%;
    position: absolute;
    top: 100px;
    bottom: 100px;
    left: 0;
    background: beige;
}
#footerWrapper {
    width: 100%;
    position: absolute;
    height: 100px;
    bottom: 0px;
    left: 0;
    background: gray;
}
.table-wrap {
    width: 100%;
    height: 100%;
}
.table-wrap .cell {
    height: 100%;
}
.table-wrap .col1 {
    float: left;
    border: 1px dotted blue;
    max-width: 80%; /* This is critical or else Column 2 can disappear */
}
.table-wrap .col1 .content {
    height: inherit;
    display: inline-block;
    overflow-y: auto;
}
.table-wrap .col2 {

}
.table-wrap .col2 .content {
    height: inherit;
    overflow-y: auto;
}

See demo at: http://jsfiddle.net/audetwebdesign/kbAwf/

How This Works

Use absolute positioning to place the header, main content area and footer within the view port area.

Within the content area (#contentWrapper), the .table-wrap container has two cells, one which is floated left (column 1). This allows column 2 to fill the rest of the width.

To get the shrink-to-fit width for column 1, set display: inline-block to the inner .content container.

Finally, use overflow-y: auto for the scroll bars. (You can also use the scroll value.)

You need to set a maximum width to .col1 so that .col2 does not get pushed out of the view port. I set it to 80% but you can adjust it.

Also, note that an inline-block will expand as much as possible to flow its content, which is why you need to constrain it.

You man want to set a minimum width on #pageWrapper to prevent the layout from shrinking to something that is less than useful.

Answer 3

Like this

DEMO1

DEMO1 CSS

 html, body {
    height:100%;
}
header{
    width: 100%;
    background: yellow;
    position: fixed; 
    top: 0;
    height: 60px !important;
    opacity:.8;
}

.content {
    position:relative;
    height: 100%;
    /*width:600px;  Sizing - any length */
    padding:60px 0 30px 0; /* Header height and footer height */
    margin:0 auto 0 auto; /* Center content */
    -moz-box-sizing:border-box;
    -webkit-box-sizing:border-box;
    -o-box-sizing:border-box;
    -ms-box-sizing:border-box;
    box-sizing:border-box;
}

.sidebar1, .sidebar2 {
    background: red;
    top:60px;
    bottom:30px;
    width: 70%;
    position:absolute;
    -moz-box-sizing:border-box;
    -webkit-box-sizing:border-box;
    -o-box-sizing:border-box;
    -ms-box-sizing:border-box;
    box-sizing:border-box;
    overflow-y:scroll;
}

.sidebar1 {

  left:0;
    width:30%;

}

.sidebar2 {
  right: 0;
}

#scrollable2 {
  background:green;
  height: 100%;
  min-width: 300px;
  margin-left: 100px;
  margin-right: 100px;
    overflow:auto;
    -moz-box-sizing:border-box;
    -webkit-box-sizing:border-box;
    -o-box-sizing:border-box;
    -ms-box-sizing:border-box;
    box-sizing:border-box;
}

footer {
    width: 100%;
    background: yellow;
    position: fixed; 
    bottom: 0;
    height: 30px;
}

DEMO2