How do you get a triangle hover effect on a pure css navbar?

Question

I would like to have a little triangle underneath the the text that points up when the user hovers over the different tabs. Here is a bit of code I'm working with.

css navbar

* {
  margin: 0;
  padding: 0;
  list-style: none;
}

body {
  font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;
  font-size: 11px;
  margin: 10px;
}

.tab {
  width: 100%;
  padding: 5px;
  background: #fff;
  color: #000;
  cursor: pointer;
  font-weight: bold;
  border-bottom: 1px solid black;
  position: relative;
}

.tab:hover {
  background: #a0a0a0;
}

.tab:hover span {
  display: block;
}

.tab_child {
  padding: 15px;
  background: #fff;
}

.selected {
  background: #a0a0a0;
}

.contain * {
  float: left;
  width: 100px;
}

span.triangle {
  background-image: url("http://www.inner.org/torah_and_science/mathematics/images/triangle.gif");
  background-repeat: none;
  display: none;
  height: 14px;
  width: 16px;
  position: absolute;
  top: 25px;
  left: 25%;
}

<div class="contain">
  <div id="one" class="tab selected">Link1</div>
  <div id="two" class="tab">Link2</div>
  <div id="three" class="tab">Link3</div>
  <div id="four" class="tab">Link4</div>
  <div id="five" class="tab">Link5</div>
</div>

Here's how to make a CSS triangle: http://stackoverflow.com/questions/7073484/how-does-this-css-triangle-shape-work - You could put it in your tab-div and play around with the color of the triangle (same as background = invisible, change the color on hover, etc.) — Quasdunk, Jan 12 '12 at 19:52
I guess thats the part im having trouble with, anytime I add a triangle in there is screw everything up. Like so: http://jsfiddle.net/88Uxw/2/ — Bramble, Jan 12 '12 at 19:55

score 11 · Accepted Answer · edited Sep 25 '19 at 05:42

I think this is probably what you're looking for:

Fiddle

Also, please use semantic markup:

If your using HTML5 wrap your navigation in <nav> tags.
Your links (if they really are going to be links) should be <a> elements.
For a list of links like you have it is advised to use a list (<ul> & <li>).

body {
  font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;
  font-size: 11px;
}

nav ul {
  margin: 0;
  padding: 0;
  list-style: none;
}

nav li {
  float: left;
  width: 20%;
}

nav a {
  display: block;
  padding: 5px;
  border-bottom: 1px solid black;
  background: #fff;
  color: #000;
  font-weight: bold;
  position: relative;
}

nav a:hover,
.active {
  background: #bbb;
}

nav a:hover:after {
  content: "";
  display: block;
  border: 12px solid #bbb;
  border-bottom-color: #000;
  position: absolute;
  bottom: 0px;
  left: 50%;
  margin-left: -12px;
}

<nav>
  <ul>
    <li><a href="#" class="active">Link1</a></li>
    <li><a href="#">Link2</a></li>
    <li><a href="#">Link3</a></li>
    <li><a href="#">Link4</a></li>
    <li><a href="#">Link5</a></li>
  </ul>
</nav>

score 2 · Answer 2 · answered Jan 12 '12 at 20:13

Here is a modification to your jsfiddle:

I've added a <span class="arrow"></span> to contain the triangles in the HTML:

<div class="tab_container">
    <div id="test1-header" class="accordion_headings header_highlight" >Home<span class="arrow"></span></div>
    <div id="test2-header" class="accordion_headings" >About<span class="arrow"></span></div>
    <div id="test3-header" class="accordion_headings" >Work<span class="arrow"></span></div>
    <div id="test4-header" class="accordion_headings" >Social<span class="arrow"></span></div>
    <div id="test5-header" class="accordion_headings" >Contact<span class="arrow"></span></div>
</div>

Here are the changes made to your menu which reduce the size of the triangle and position them at the bottom center of each menu item when hovered over: CSS:

/*
.accordion_headings:hover{
    background:#00CCFF;
    width: 0;
    height: 0;
    border-left: 5px solid transparent;
    border-right: 5px solid transparent;
    border-bottom: 5px solid red;
}
*/
.accordion_headings{
    position:relative;
}
.accordion_headings .arrow{
    display:none;
}
.accordion_headings:hover .arrow{
    width: 0;
    height: 0;
    border-left: 5px solid transparent;
    border-right: 5px solid transparent;
    border-bottom: 5px solid red;

    display:block;
    position:absolute;
    bottom:0;
    left:49%;
}

kwelch · Answer 3 · 2012-01-12T20:23:52.823

0

Here is a fiddle that uses an background-image that will display over the hovered menu item. It not pretty but further css should help with that.

UPDATE

Sorry I must have misread that. Here is a working fiddle with a smaller arrow pointing in the proper direction.

edited Jan 12 '12 at 20:23

answered Jan 12 '12 at 19:57

kwelch

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3

Maybe I'm missing it, but I don't see anything in chrome. – James Montagne Jan 12 '12 at 20:01
1

"I would like to have a little triangle underneath the the text that points up when the user hovers over the different tabs." How does your solution answer that? – j08691 Jan 12 '12 at 20:17
2

My understanding of a "pure css navbar" means to exclude images. – Micah Jan 12 '12 at 20:22
I thought it was just not using any scripting. I would agree this is does not fit that requirement. – kwelch Jan 12 '12 at 20:52

How do you get a triangle hover effect on a pure css navbar?

3 Answers3

UPDATE

Linked