How to display list items as columns?
This can be done using CSS3 columns quite easily. Here's an example, HTML:
#limheight {
height: 300px; /*your fixed height*/
-webkit-column-count: 3;
-moz-column-count: 3;
column-count: 3; /*3 in those rules is just placeholder -- can be anything*/
}
#limheight li {
display: inline-block; /*necessary*/
}<ul id = "limheight">
<li><a href="">Glee is awesome 1</a></li>
<li><a href="">Glee is awesome 2</a></li>
<li><a href="">Glee is awesome 3</a></li>
<li><a href="">Glee is awesome 4</a></li>
<li><a href="">Glee is awesome 5</a></li>
<li><a href="">Glee is awesome 6</a></li>
<li><a href="">Glee is awesome 7</a></li>
<li><a href="">Glee is awesome 8</a></li>
<li><a href="">Glee is awesome 9</a></li>
<li><a href="">Glee is awesome 10</a></li>
<li><a href="">Glee is awesome 11</a></li>
<li><a href="">Glee is awesome 12</a></li>
<li><a href="">Glee is awesome 13</a></li>
<li><a href="">Glee is awesome 14</a></li>
<li><a href="">Glee is awesome 15</a></li>
<li><a href="">Glee is awesome 16</a></li>
<li><a href="">Glee is awesome 17</a></li>
<li><a href="">Glee is awesome 18</a></li>
<li><a href="">Glee is awesome 19</a></li>
<li><a href="">Glee is awesome 20</a></li>
</ul>If you take a look at the following example - it uses fixed width columns, and I think this is the behavior requested.
http://www.vanderlee.com/martijn/demo/column/
If the bottom example is the same as the top, you don't need the jquery column plugin.
ul{margin:0; padding:0;}
#native {
-webkit-column-width: 150px;
-moz-column-width: 150px;
-o-column-width: 150px;
-ms-column-width: 150px;
column-width: 150px;
-webkit-column-rule-style: solid;
-moz-column-rule-style: solid;
-o-column-rule-style: solid;
-ms-column-rule-style: solid;
column-rule-style: solid;
}<div id="native">
<ul>
<li>1</li>
<li>2</li>
<li>3</li>
<li>4</li>
<li>5</li>
<li>6</li>
<li>7</li>
<li>8</li>
<li>9</li>
<li>10</li>
<li>11</li>
<li>12</li>
<li>13</li>
<li>14</li>
<li>15</li>
<li>16</li>
<li>17</li>
<li>18</li>
<li>19</li>
</ul>
</div>