How to Create a Dropdown Navigation Bar Using HTML and CSS

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Introduction

A dropdown navigation bar is essential for websites with extensive content, allowing for a clean and organized menu structure. In this tutorial, we'll create a straightforward dropdown navigation bar that shows dropdown content when you hover over a main menu item.

Development Steps

  1. Create the HTML Structure: Define the layout for the navigation bar, including a dropdown section.
  2. Style the Navigation Bar Using CSS: Apply CSS to style the navigation bar and enable the dropdown functionality.
  3. Provide the Complete Code: Summarize the full HTML document for easy implementation.

Step 1: Create the HTML Structure

We start by constructing the HTML for a basic navigation bar that includes static links and a dropdown menu.

<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
<head>
<meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1">
<link rel="stylesheet" href="https://cdnjs.cloudflare.com/ajax/libs/font-awesome/4.7.0/css/font-awesome.min.css">
</head>
<body>

<div class="navbar">
  <a href="#home">Home</a>
  <a href="#news">News</a>
  <div class="dropdown">
    <button class="dropbtn">Dropdown 
      <i class="fa fa-caret-down"></i>
    </button>
    <div class="dropdown-content">
      <a href="#">Link 1</a>
      <a href="#">Link 2</a>
      <a href="#">Link 3</a>
    </div>
  </div> 
</div>

<h3>Dropdown Menu inside a Navigation Bar</h3>
<p>Hover over the "Dropdown" link to see the dropdown menu.</p>

</body>
</html>

Step 2: Style the Navigation Bar Using CSS

Next, we style the navigation bar and dropdown. The dropdown will appear when the user hovers over the "Dropdown" button.

<style>
body {
  font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;
}

.navbar {
  overflow: hidden;
  background-color: #333;
}

.navbar a {
  float: left;
  font-size: 16px;
  color: white;
  text-align: center;
  padding: 14px 16px;
  text-decoration: none;
}

.dropdown {
  float: left;
  overflow: hidden;
}

.dropdown .dropbtn {
  font-size: 16px;  
  border: none;
  outline: none;
  color: white;
  padding: 14px 16px;
  background-color: inherit;
  font-family: inherit;
  margin: 0;
}

.navbar a:hover, .dropdown:hover .dropbtn {
  background-color: red;
}

.dropdown-content {
  display: none;
  position: absolute;
  background-color: #f9f9f9;
  min-width: 160px;
  box-shadow: 0px 8px 16px 0px rgba(0,0,0,0.2);
  z-index: 1;
}

.dropdown-content a {
  float: none;
  color: black;
  padding: 12px 16px;
  text-decoration: none;
  display: block;
  text-align: left;
}

.dropdown-content a:hover {
  background-color: #ddd;
}

.dropdown:hover .dropdown-content {
  display: block;
}
</style>

Complete Code

Here is the complete HTML code including the structure and styles for your dropdown navigation bar:

<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
<head>
<meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1">
<link rel="stylesheet" href="https://cdnjs.cloudflare.com/ajax/libs/font-awesome/4.7.0/css/font-awesome.min.css">
<style>
body {
  font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;
}
.navbar {
  overflow: hidden;
  background-color: #333;
}
.navbar a {
  float: left;
  font-size: 16px;
  color: white;
  text-align: center;
  padding: 14px 16px;
  text-decoration: none;
}
.dropdown {
  float: left;
  overflow: hidden;
}
.dropdown .dropbtn {
  font-size: 16px;  
  border: none;
  outline: none;
  color: white;
  padding: 14px 16px;
  background-color: inherit;
  font-family: inherit;
  margin: 0;
}
.navbar a:hover, .dropdown:hover .dropbtn {
  background-color: red;
}
.dropdown-content {
  display: none;
  position: absolute;
  background-color: #f9f9f9;
  min-width: 160px;
  box-shadow: 0px 8px 16px 0px rgba(0,0,0,0.2);
  z-index: 1;
}
.dropdown-content a {
  float: none;
  color: black;
  padding: 12px 16px;
  text-decoration: none;
  display: block;
  text-align: left;
}
.dropdown-content a:hover {
  background-color: #ddd;
}
.dropdown:hover .dropdown-content {
  display: block;
}
</style>
</head>
<body>

<div class="navbar">
  <a href="#home">Home</a>
  <a href="#news">News</a>
  <div class="dropdown">
    <button class="dropbtn">Dropdown 
      <i class="fa fa-caret-down"></i>
    </button>
    <div class="dropdown-content">
      <a href="#">Link 1</a>
      <a href="#">Link 2</a>
      <a href="#">Link 3</a>
    </div>
  </div> 
</div>

<h3>Dropdown Menu inside a Navigation Bar</h3>
<p>Hover over the "Dropdown" link to see the dropdown menu.</p>

</body>
</html>

Output

You can play with the above HTML in Online HTML Editor and Compiler. Here is the output of the above HTML page.:

Conclusion

This guide provided a straightforward approach to creating a dropdown navigation bar. It enhances site navigation by neatly organizing multiple links under a single header, improving the user experience and website usability.

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