Dropdowns are toggleable, contextual overlays for displaying lists of links and more. They're made interactive with the included Bootstrap dropdown JavaScript plugin. They're toggled by clicking, not by hovering; this is [an intentional design decision.](http://markdotto.com/2012/02/27/bootstrap-explained-dropdowns/)
## Contents
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## Example
Wrap the dropdown's trigger and the dropdown menu within `.dropdown`, or another element that declares `position: relative;`. Then, add the menu's HTML.
By default, a dropdown menu is automatically positioned 100% from the top and along the left side of its parent. Add `.dropdown-menu-right` to a `.dropdown-menu` to right align the dropdown menu.
{% callout info %}
**Heads up!** Dropdowns are positioned only with CSS and may need some additional styles for exact alignment.
Via data attributes or JavaScript, the dropdown plugin toggles hidden content (dropdown menus) by toggling the `.open` class on the parent list item.
On mobile devices, opening a dropdown adds a `.dropdown-backdrop` as a tap area for closing dropdown menus when tapping outside the menu, a requirement for proper iOS support. **This means that switching from an open dropdown menu to a different dropdown menu requires an extra tap on mobile.**
Note: The `data-toggle="dropdown"` attribute is relied on for closing dropdown menus at an application level, so it's a good idea to always use it.
### Via data attributes
Add `data-toggle="dropdown"` to a link or button to toggle a dropdown.
Regardless of whether you call your dropdown via JavaScript or instead use the data-api, `data-toggle="dropdown"` is always required to be present on the dropdown's trigger element.
{% endcallout %}
### Options
*None.*
### Methods
| Method | Description |
| --- | --- |
| `$().dropdown('toggle')` | Toggles the dropdown menu of a given navbar or tabbed navigation. |
### Events
All dropdown events are fired at the `.dropdown-menu`'s parent element and have a `relatedTarget` property, whose value is the toggling anchor element.
| Event | Description |
| --- | --- |
| `show.bs.dropdown` | This event fires immediately when the show instance method is called. |
| `shown.bs.dropdown` | This event is fired when the dropdown has been made visible to the user (will wait for CSS transitions, to complete). |
| `hide.bs.dropdown` | This event is fired immediately when the hide instance method has been called. |
| `hidden.bs.dropdown`| This event is fired when the dropdown has finished being hidden from the user (will wait for CSS transitions, to complete). |
{% highlight js %}
$('#myDropdown').on('show.bs.dropdown', function () {