<p>Using multiple column layouts isn't generally recommended on a mobile device because of the narrow screen width, but there are times where you may need to place small elements side-by-side (like buttons or navigation tabs, for example). </p>
<p>The jQuery Mobile framework provides a simple way to build CSS-based columns through a block style class convention called <code>ui-grid</code>. </p>
<p>There are two preset configurations layouts — two-column (using the <code>class</code> of <code>ui-grid-a</code>), and three-column (using the <code>class</code> of <code>ui-grid-b</code>) — that can be used in any situation that requires columns. Grids are 100% width, completely invisible (no borders or backgrounds) and don't have padding or margins, so they shouldn't interfere with the styles of elements placed inside them.</p>
<p>To build a two-column (50/50%) layout, start with a container with a <code>class</code> of <code>ui-grid-a</code>, and add two child containers inside it classed with <code>ui-block-a</code> for the first column and <code>ui-block-b</code> for the second:</p>
<p>Grid classes can be applied to any container. In this next example, we add <code>ui-grid-a</code> to a <code>fieldset</code>, and apply the <code>ui-block</code> classes to the two buttons inside to stretch them each to 50% of the screen width:</p>
<p>And, grid blocks can adopt presentation styles from the <ahref="../themes/index.html">theming system</a>— by adding a height and color swatch reference to the grid blocks, we can achieve this style appearance:</p>
<p>The other grid layout configuration uses <code>class=ui-grid-b</code> on the parent, and 3 child container elements, each with its respective <code>ui-block-a/b/c</code> class, to create a three-column layout (33/33/33%).</p>
