Expandable DIV height to fit internal content - what am I doing wrong?

Question

Update

Solved this, it was the inner most div needing to have auto height, as it had a fixed height that I'd completely overlooked

---

I have - like many others I have searched and found - tried to make an expandable DIV that expands based on the length of it's contents. Mine is a little different from those I have seen so far, as I have variables coming from external Controllers to display, but aside from this what I am trying to achieve is the same. I have created a DIV that contains an image that I repeat-y in the background, however the internal content DIV doesn't want to expand. I will post my code for some clarity -

<div id="feedback_question" class="span-14">
<div id="title_bar">
    <img id="brand_image" src="<?php echo img_path() . $title_row[0]->filename;?>">
    <div id="brand_text">
        <div id="brand_title"><?php echo $title_row[0]->name;?></div>
        <div id="brand_description"><?php echo $title_row[0]->description;?></div>
    </div>
</div>

<div id="background_stretch">
    <div id="question_background">
        <div id="question_tabs" class="span-14">
            <ul id="tab_list">
                <?php for($i = 1; $i <= $maxQuestions; $i++) { ?>
                <li class="tab" id="tab_<?php echo $i; ?>">
                    Q<?php echo $i; ?>
                </li>
                <?php }; ?>
            </ul>
            <div class="question_body">
            <!--Load question template here -->
            <?php echo $questions?>
            </div>
        </div>
    </div>
    <div id="bottom_section">
        <div id="bottom_button_holder">
            <div id="next_button"></div>
        </div>
    </div>
    <br class="clear" />
</div>
<div id="background_bottom">
    <a id="invite_button" href="#"><img src="<?php echo img_path(); ?>feedback/question/invite_button.png"/></a>
</div>

---

And here is my CSS -

.clear {
    clear: both;
}

.video_multi, .video_multi, .image_multi, .image_multi,  .text_multi, .text_multi {
    display: none;
}

#feedback_question {
     background: transparent url('<?php echo img_path(); ?>feedback/question/question_bg.png') no-repeat scroll;
     height: auto;
}

#title_bar {
    height: 170px;
    border: 1px solid #EBDDE2;
    background: white;
    width: 501px;
    margin-top: 41px;
    margin-left: 8.5px;
}

#brand_image {
    height: 120px;
    width: 170px;
    border: 2.5px solid #EBDDE2;
    margin: 20px;
    float: left;
}

#brand_text {
    float: right;
    width: 283px;
    height: 150px;
    padding-top: 20px;
}

#brand_title {
    font-size: 28px;
    color: #4365c6;
}

#brand_description {
    width: 280px;
}

#question_tabs {
     background: transparent url('<?php echo img_path(); ?>feedback/question/tab_bar.png') no-repeat scroll;
     height: 40px;
     padding-top: 22px;
}


#question_background {
     border-left: 1px solid #057eb5;
     border-right: 1px solid #057eb5;
     border-top: 1px solid #057eb5;
     height: 335px;
     width: 501px;
     margin-bottom: -12px;
     overflow: hidden;

}

#tab_list {
    margin-bottom: 5px;
}
.tab {
    background: transparent url('<?php echo img_path(); ?>feedback/question/question_tab_sprite.png') no-repeat scroll 0 0;
    cursor: pointer;
    display: inline;
    height: 54px;
    list-style: none outside none;
    margin-right: -3px;
    padding-left: 16px;
    padding-right: 13px;
    padding-top: 13px;
    width: 29px;
    color: white;
    font-weight: bold;
}

.tab_hover{
    background-position: 0px -32px;
}

.tab_selected {
    background-position: 0px -64px;
    color: #0881ba;
}


#bottom_button_holder {
    background: transparent url('<?php echo img_path(); ?>feedback/question/question_button_bg.png') no-repeat scroll;
    height: 47px;
    width: 503px;
    display: block;

}

#next_button {
    background: transparent url('<?php echo img_path(); ?>feedback/question/next_button.png') no-repeat scroll;
    height: 33px;
    width: 98px;
    display: block;
    position: relative;
    left: 375px;
    top: 5px;
    cursor: pointer;
}

.question_body {
    height: 270px;
    width: 500px;
}

.question_image_holder {
    list-style: none;
    display: inline;
    margin-right: 15px;
    width: 100px;
}

.question_answer_box {
    width: 350px;
    padding-left: 100px;
}

.answer {
    position: relative;
    bottom: 45px;
}

.question {
    margin-left: 5px;
}

.answer_text {
    width: 100px;
}

.answer_list_item {
    list-style: none;
}

#background_stretch {
    background: transparent url('<?php echo img_path(); ?>feedback/question/question_bg_repeat.png') repeat-y scroll 0 0;
    display: block;
    height:auto;
    padding-left: 8.5px;
}

#background_bottom {
    background: transparent url('<?php echo img_path(); ?>feedback/question/question_bg_bottom.png') no-repeat scroll;
    display: block;
    height: 90px;
    width: 520px;
    padding-left: 4px;
    padding-top: 20px;

}

#bottom_section {
    position: relative;
    
}

#invite_button {
    background: transparent url('<?php echo img_path(); ?>feedback/question/invite_button.png') no-repeat scroll;
    display: block;
    height: 52px;
    width: 512px;
    position: relative;

}

---

Anyway, as you should be able to see, it is my background_stretch and question_background div's that stretches with the content, this all works well and if I change the height of question_background everything moves as it should. However, it's getting question_background to adjust to it's internal contents height that is the problem for me.

I have tried various versions of clear:both and floating different boxes, all to no avail...have I overcomplicated it?

What am I doing wrong? How do I achieve this?

Appreciate any help I receive.

Answer 1

To make element "extendable" instead of height: auto; you should use overflow: auto;(when you change float). But when you won't touch height it will automaticlly fit - as @kokos said. BTW: Which Div you want to make extendable? (If i guessed right you want to make div with feedback_question class)

Useful hint: Add your code to JsFiddle