[html] HTML/CSS: how to put text both right and left aligned in a paragraph

What would be the best code to have two bits of text in a single paragraph, one left aligned, the other right aligned, that also is:

• the least code as possible
• the easiest for clients to render (i.e. using least resources)

I add this last one to be sure <table><tr><td></td><td align=right></td></tr></table> would get ruled out. Not only is this a beast of code compared to a couple of properly styled <div>, <span> or <p>'s, it's also a beast if you know what a HTML render engine has to load and calculate to decide on the cell sizes before it even get's to painting text in them...

If you're not sure what I mean, here's an example: a page footer with left aligned the name of the user currently logged on, and on the same line right aligned the current date and time and/or website version.

I wouldn't put it in the same <p>, since IMHO the two infos are semantically too different. If you must, I'd suggest this:

<p style="text-align:right">
 <span style="float:left">I'll be on the left</span>
 I'll be on the right
</p>

Ok what you probably want will be provide to you by result of:

1. in CSS:

   div { column-count: 2; }

2. in html:

   <div> some text, bla bla bla </div>

In CSS you make div to split your paragraph on to column, you can make them 3, 4...

If you want to have many differend paragraf like that, then put id or class in your div:

I have used this in the past:

html

January<span class="right">2014</span>

Css

.right {
    margin-left:100%;
}

Demonstration

If the texts has different sizes and they must be underlined this is the solution:

<table>
  <tr>
    <td class='left'>January</td>
    <td class='right'>2014</td>
  </tr>
</table>

css:

table{
    width: 100%;
    border-bottom: 2px solid black;
    /*this is the size of the small text's baseline over part  (˜25px*3/4)*/
    line-height: 19.5px; 
}
table td{
    vertical-align: baseline;
}
.left{
    font-family: Arial;
    font-size: 40px;
    text-align: left;

}
.right{
    font-size: 25px;
    text-align: right;
}

demo here

The only half-way proper way to do this is

<p>
  <span style="float: right">Text on the right</span>
  <span style="float: left">Text on the left</span>
</p> 

however, this will get you into trouble if the text overflows. If you can, use divs (block level elements) and give them a fixed width.

A table (or a number of divs with the according display: table / table-row / table-cell properties) would in fact be the safest solution for this - it will be impossible to break, even if you have lots of difficult content.