How can I display unordered lists in two columns, ensuring compatibility across modern and legacy browsers (including Internet Explorer)?

Displaying Unordered Lists in Two Columns

In the world of web development, displaying unordered lists in multiple columns is a common challenge. Let's explore how to achieve this in two columns, ensuring compatibility with Internet Explorer.

Modern Browsers

Modern browsers support the CSS3 columns module, which provides an elegant solution. By simply including the following CSS code, you can effortlessly create multi-column lists:

ul {
  columns: 2;
  -webkit-columns: 2;
  -moz-columns: 2;
}

This approach leverages the native capabilities of modern browsers to handle column layout, resulting in a consistent experience across different devices.

Legacy Browsers

Unfortunately, Internet Explorer does not natively support CSS3 columns. To support legacy browsers, a more involved approach using JavaScript and DOM manipulation is required. One implementation using jQuery is illustrated below:

<div>
  <ul class="columns" data-columns="2">
    <li>A</li>
    <li>B</li>
    <li>C</li>
    <li>D</li>
    <li>E</li>
    <li>F</li>
    <li>G</li>
  </ul>
</div>

(function($) {
  var initialContainer = $('.columns'),
    columnItems = $('.columns li'),
    columns = null,
    column = 1; // account for initial column

  function updateColumns() {
    column = 0;
    columnItems.each(function(idx, el) {
      if (idx !== 0 && idx > (columnItems.length / columns.length) + (column * idx)) {
        column += 1;
      }
      $(columns.get(column)).append(el);
    });
  }

  function setupColumns() {
    columnItems.detach();
    while (column++ < initialContainer.data('columns')) {
      initialContainer.clone().insertBefore(initialContainer);
      column++;
    }
    columns = $('.columns');
  }

  $(function() {
    setupColumns();
    updateColumns();
  });
})(jQuery);

.columns {
  float: left;
  position: relative;
  margin-right: 20px;
}

This solution dynamically reorders the list items into columns based on the specified number of columns. However, it's important to note that legacy browsers may impose limitations on the layout, potentially resulting in a display that varies slightly from modern browsers.

With these approaches, you can effectively display unordered lists in two columns, providing a structured and organized visualization of list content for both modern and legacy browsers.

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