Bootstrap dropdown sub menu missing
Bootstrap 5 (update 2021)
Add some JavaScript to prevent the submenu from closing when the parent dropdown is open. This can be done be toggle display:block...
let dropdowns = document.querySelectorAll('.dropdown-toggle')
dropdowns.forEach((dd)=>{
dd.addEventListener('click', function (e) {
var el = this.nextElementSibling
el.style.display = el.style.display==='block'?'none':'block'
})
})
Bootstrap 5 Multi-level Dropdown - click
Bootstrap 5 Multi-level Dropdown - hover
Or, you can use this CSS only method for Navbar dropdowns...
.dropdown-submenu {
position: relative;
}
.dropdown-submenu .dropdown-menu {
top: 0;
left: 100%;
margin-top: -1px;
}
.navbar-nav li:hover > ul.dropdown-menu {
display: block;
}
Bootstrap 5 Navbar Dropdown Hover Submenus (CSS only)
Bootstrap 4 (update 2018)
The dropdown-submenu has been removed in Bootstrap 3 RC. In the words of Bootstrap author Mark Otto..
"Submenus just don't have much of a place on the web right now, especially the mobile web. They will be removed with 3.0" - https://github.com/twbs/bootstrap/pull/6342
But, with a little extra CSS you can get the same functionality.
navbar submenu on hover:
.navbar-nav li:hover > ul.dropdown-menu {
display: block;
}
.dropdown-submenu {
position:relative;
}
.dropdown-submenu>.dropdown-menu {
top:0;
left:100%;
margin-top:-6px;
}
Navbar submenu dropdown hover
Navbar submenu dropdown hover (right aligned)
Navbar submenu dropdown click (right aligned)
Navbar dropdown hover (no submenu)
Bootstrap 3
Here is an example that uses 3.0 RC 1: http://bootply.com/71520
Here is an example that uses Bootstrap 3.0.0 (final): http://bootply.com/86684
CSS
.dropdown-submenu {
position:relative;
}
.dropdown-submenu>.dropdown-menu {
top:0;
left:100%;
margin-top:-6px;
margin-left:-1px;
-webkit-border-radius:0 6px 6px 6px;
-moz-border-radius:0 6px 6px 6px;
border-radius:0 6px 6px 6px;
}
.dropdown-submenu:hover>.dropdown-menu {
display:block;
}
.dropdown-submenu>a:after {
display:block;
content:" ";
float:right;
width:0;
height:0;
border-color:transparent;
border-style:solid;
border-width:5px 0 5px 5px;
border-left-color:#cccccc;
margin-top:5px;
margin-right:-10px;
}
.dropdown-submenu:hover>a:after {
border-left-color:#ffffff;
}
.dropdown-submenu.pull-left {
float:none;
}
.dropdown-submenu.pull-left>.dropdown-menu {
left:-100%;
margin-left:10px;
-webkit-border-radius:6px 0 6px 6px;
-moz-border-radius:6px 0 6px 6px;
border-radius:6px 0 6px 6px;
}
Sample Markup
<div class="navbar navbar-default navbar-fixed-top" role="navigation">
<div class="container">
<div class="navbar-header">
<button type="button" class="navbar-toggle" data-toggle="collapse" data-target=".navbar-ex1-collapse">
<span class="sr-only">Toggle navigation</span>
<span class="icon-bar"></span>
<span class="icon-bar"></span>
<span class="icon-bar"></span>
</button>
</div>
<div class="collapse navbar-collapse navbar-ex1-collapse">
<ul class="nav navbar-nav">
<li class="menu-item dropdown">
<a href="#" class="dropdown-toggle" data-toggle="dropdown">Drop Down<b class="caret"></b></a>
<ul class="dropdown-menu">
<li class="menu-item dropdown dropdown-submenu">
<a href="#" class="dropdown-toggle" data-toggle="dropdown">Level 1</a>
<ul class="dropdown-menu">
<li class="menu-item ">
<a href="#">Link 1</a>
</li>
<li class="menu-item dropdown dropdown-submenu">
<a href="#" class="dropdown-toggle" data-toggle="dropdown">Level 2</a>
<ul class="dropdown-menu">
<li>
<a href="#">Link 3</a>
</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
</div>
</div>
</div>
P.S. - Example in navbar that adjusts left position: http://bootply.com/92442
Shprink's code helped me the most, but to avoid the dropdown to go off-screen i updated it to:
JS:
$('ul.dropdown-menu [data-toggle=dropdown]').on('click', function(event) {
// Avoid following the href location when clicking
event.preventDefault();
// Avoid having the menu to close when clicking
event.stopPropagation();
// If a menu is already open we close it
$('ul.dropdown-menu [data-toggle=dropdown]').parent().removeClass('open');
// opening the one you clicked on
$(this).parent().addClass('open');
var menu = $(this).parent().find("ul");
var menupos = $(menu).offset();
if (menupos.left + menu.width() > $(window).width()) {
var newpos = -$(menu).width();
menu.css({ left: newpos });
} else {
var newpos = $(this).parent().width();
menu.css({ left: newpos });
}
});
CSS: FROM background-color: #eeeeee TO background-color: #c5c5c5 - white font & light background wasn't looking good.
.nav .open > a,
.nav .open > a:hover,
.nav .open > a:focus {
background-color: #c5c5c5;
border-color: #428bca;
}
I hope this helps people as much as it did for me!
But i hope Bootstrap add the subs feature back ASAP.
@skelly solution is good but will not work on mobile devices as the hover state won't work.
I have added a little bit of JS to get the BS 2.3.2 behavior back.
PS: it will work with the CSS you get there: http://bootply.com/71520 though you can comment the following part:
CSS:
/*.dropdown-submenu:hover>.dropdown-menu{display:block;}*/
JS:
$('ul.dropdown-menu [data-toggle=dropdown]').on('click', function(event) {
// Avoid following the href location when clicking
event.preventDefault();
// Avoid having the menu to close when clicking
event.stopPropagation();
// If a menu is already open we close it
$('ul.dropdown-menu [data-toggle=dropdown]').parent().removeClass('open');
// opening the one you clicked on
$(this).parent().addClass('open');
});
The result can be found on my WordPress theme (Top of the page): http://shprinkone.julienrenaux.fr/
Until today (9 jan 2014) the Bootstrap 3 still not support sub menu dropdown.
I searched Google about responsive navigation menu and found this is the best i though.
It is Smart menus http://www.smartmenus.org/
I hope this is the way out for anyone who want navigation menu with multilevel sub menu.
update 2015-02-17 Smart menus are now fully support Bootstrap element style for submenu. For more information please look at Smart menus website.