After struggling with this same issue for some time, I finally figured out a solution that meets all of my requirements:
- Does not require that I know the container's height.
- Unlike relative+absolute solutions, the content doesn't float in its own layer (i.e., it embeds normally in the container div).
- Works across browsers (IE8+).
- Simple to implement.
The solution just takes one <div>, which I call the "aligner":
CSS
.bottom_aligner {
display: inline-block;
height: 100%;
vertical-align: bottom;
width: 0px;
}
html
<div class="bottom_aligner"></div>
... Your content here ...
This trick works by creating a tall, skinny div, which pushes the text baseline to the bottom of the container.
Here is a complete example that achieves what the OP was asking for. I've made the "bottom_aligner" thick and red for demonstration purposes only.
CSS:
.outer-container {
border: 2px solid black;
height: 175px;
width: 300px;
}
.top-section {
background: lightgreen;
height: 50%;
}
.bottom-section {
background: lightblue;
height: 50%;
margin: 8px;
}
.bottom-aligner {
display: inline-block;
height: 100%;
vertical-align: bottom;
width: 3px;
background: red;
}
.bottom-content {
display: inline-block;
}
.top-content {
padding: 8px;
}
HTML:
<body>
<div class="outer-container">
<div class="top-section">
This text
<br> is on top.
</div>
<div class="bottom-section">
<div class="bottom-aligner"></div>
<div class="bottom-content">
I like it here
<br> at the bottom.
</div>
</div>
</div>
</body>
