Position Absolute + Scrolling
You need to wrap the text in a div element and include the absolutely positioned element inside of it.
<div class="container">
<div class="inner">
<div class="full-height"></div>
[Your text here]
</div>
</div>
Css:
.inner: { position: relative; height: auto; }
.full-height: { height: 100%; }
Setting the inner div's position to relative makes the absolutely position elements inside of it base their position and height on it rather than on the .container div, which has a fixed height. Without the inner, relatively positioned div, the .full-height div will always calculate its dimensions and position based on .container.
* {
box-sizing: border-box;
}
.container {
position: relative;
border: solid 1px red;
height: 256px;
width: 256px;
overflow: auto;
float: left;
margin-right: 16px;
}
.inner {
position: relative;
height: auto;
}
.full-height {
position: absolute;
top: 0;
left: 0;
right: 128px;
bottom: 0;
height: 100%;
background: blue;
}<div class="container">
<div class="full-height">
</div>
</div>
<div class="container">
<div class="inner">
<div class="full-height">
</div>
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipisicing elit. Aspernatur mollitia maxime facere quae cumque perferendis cum atque quia repellendus rerum eaque quod quibusdam incidunt blanditiis possimus temporibus reiciendis deserunt sequi eveniet necessitatibus
maiores quas assumenda voluptate qui odio laboriosam totam repudiandae? Doloremque dignissimos voluptatibus eveniet rem quasi minus ex cumque esse culpa cupiditate cum architecto! Facilis deleniti unde suscipit minima obcaecati vero ea soluta odio
cupiditate placeat vitae nesciunt quis alias dolorum nemo sint facere. Deleniti itaque incidunt eligendi qui nemo corporis ducimus beatae consequatur est iusto dolorum consequuntur vero debitis saepe voluptatem impedit sint ea numquam quia voluptate
quidem.
</div>
</div>http://jsfiddle.net/M5cTN/
position: fixed; will solve your issue. As an example, review my implementation of a fixed message area overlay (populated programmatically):
#mess {
position: fixed;
background-color: black;
top: 20px;
right: 50px;
height: 10px;
width: 600px;
z-index: 1000;
}
And in the HTML
<body>
<div id="mess"></div>
<div id="data">
Much content goes here.
</div>
</body>
When #data becomes longer tha the sceen, #mess keeps its position on the screen, while #data scrolls under it.