Why can't I center with margin: 0 auto?
I have a #header div that is 100% width and within that div I have an unordered list. I have applied margin: 0 auto to the unordered list but it won't center it within the header div.
Can anybody please tell me why? I thought that if I define the width of the parent div, then the unordered list should be able to center itself with margin: 0 auto. What am I missing?
Here is my code:
<style>
* {
margin: 0;
padding: 0;
}
#header {
width: 100%;
background-color: #333;
min-height: 160px;
font-family:Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;
}
#sitename {
font-size: 50px;
width: 620px;
margin:0 auto;
padding-top: 35px;
color:#999;
}
#header ul {
float: right;
margin: 0 auto;
}
#header ul li {
float: left;
padding-right: 20px;
list-style-type: none;
font-size: 20px;
}
</style>
</head>
<body>
<div id="header">
<h1 id="sitename">Photography Auction Site</h1>
<ul>
<li>List of Photos</li>
<li>Image Gallery</li>
<li>Contact Us</li>
</ul>
</div>
</body>
</html>
Answer
You need to define the width of the element you are centering, not the parent element.
#header ul {
margin: 0 auto;
width: 90%;
}
Edit: Ok, I've seen the testpage now, and here is how I think you want it:
#header ul {
list-style:none;
margin:0 auto;
width:90%;
}
/* Remove the float: left; property, it interferes with display: inline and
* causes problems. (float: left; makes the element implicitly a block-level
* element. It is still good to use display: inline on it to overcome a bug
* in IE6 and below that doubles horizontal margins for floated elements)
* The styles below is the full style for the list-items.
*/
#header ul li {
color:#CCCCCC;
display:inline;
font-size:20px;
padding-right:20px;
}