The key to making a pure CSS drop-down menu is that it has clear structure, natural interaction, and no JavaScript is required. 1. Use unordered list

<ul> and list items <li> to build a semantic HTML structure. Place the main menu item under .menu, and the submenu is implemented with nested <ul>; 2. Use display to hide through CSS's 'hover pseudo-class and positioning control, and use display: none; to hide the submenu by default. Use display: block; to display when hovering, and set position: absolute; to cooperate with parent element position: relative; to optimize the experience and add transition animations, such as opacity and visibility to combine transition to achieve fade-in effect; 4. Mobile terminals do not support: hover and need additional processing or are only available for desktop use. A stable and practical pure CSS drop-down menu can be achieved with reasonable structure, accurate style and optimized details.

It is actually not difficult to make a pure CSS drop-down menu, but to be stable and practical, you need to pay attention to some details. The key point is that the structure is clear, the interaction is natural, and no JavaScript is required.

Basic HTML structure

HTML for the drop-down menu is generally constructed using unordered list <ul></ul> and list item <li> , so that the semantics are clear and convenient for nesting submenu.

 <ul class="menu">
  <li><a href="#">Home</a></li>
  <li>
    <a href="#">Product?</a>
    <ul class="submenu">
      <li><a href="#">Product One</a></li>
      <li><a href="#">Product 2</a></li>
    </ul>
  </li>
  <li><a href="#">About Us</a></li>
</ul>

<ul><li> Place the main menu item under .menu<li> Nested an <ul> inside an item with a submenu<li> Using a symbol like ? can prompt the user to have a drop-down content here

This structure is simple and intuitive, and it is also convenient for subsequent style control.

Core CSS Tips

The key to implementing pull-down is to utilize CSS's :hover and positioning.

Basic ideas:

<ul><li> The submenu is hidden by default (for example, use display: none; )<li> Display submenu when the mouse hovers over the parent <li><li> Use position: absolute; to locate the position of the submenu

Sample code:

 .menu > li {
  position: relative;
}

.submenu {
  display: none;
  position: absolute;
  top: 100%;
  left: 0;
  background: #ffff;
  border: 1px solid #ccc;
  min-width: 150px;
}

.menu > li:hover .submenu {
  display: block;
}

This allows for a simple hover display effect.

But be aware of:

<ul><li> The parent container needs position: relative , otherwise the absolute positioning will find the wrong reference<li> It is best to set min-width in the submenu to avoid being too narrow to affect the experience<li> Menu level may need to add z-index to avoid being blocked

Small optimization to improve experience

Although the function is implemented, the user experience can be smoother.

Add a transition animation

Showing or hiding directly may appear stiff, adding a little transition will make the visual feel better:

 .submenu {
  opacity: 0;
  visibility: hidden;
  transition: opacity 0.2s, visibility 0.2s;
}

.menu > li:hover .submenu {
  opacity: 1;
  visibility: visible;
}

This way the submenu will "fade in" instead of suddenly appearing, making it look more comfortable.

Add hover effect to the main menu

Adding background color changes to the main menu item can also enhance the sense of interaction:

 .menu > li > a:hover {
  background-color: #f0f0f0;
}

Mobile compatibility tips

The pure CSS drop-down menu will not trigger :hover when clicking on the mobile side, so if you want to consider mobile support, you usually need to use JS or change it to an interactive method. But if it's just desktop use, there's no problem.

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Basically that's it. Clear structure positioning control and small details are optimized, and a practical pure CSS drop-down menu can be created.

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