How to display list items as columns?

I'm trying to build my first responsive layout. I want to display list items in a vertical line, depending on width.

<div style="height:800px;">
    <ul>
       <li>1</li>
       <li>2</li>
       <li>3</li>
       <li>4</li>
       <li>5</li>
       <li>6</li>
       <li>7</li>
    </ul>
</div>

1   5
2   6
3   7
4

If the browser gets resized, I want it to become

1  4  7
2  5
3  6

Can someone help me? I've been trying for hours and I can't get anything. I've tried using tables but I can't do it like that either.

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>

Thank you for this example, SPRBRN. It helped me. And I can suggest the mixin, which I've used based on the code given above:

//multi-column-list( fixed columns width)
  @mixin multi-column-list($column-width, $column-rule-style) {
  -webkit-column-width: $column-width;
  -moz-column-width: $column-width;
  -o-column-width: $column-width;
  -ms-column-width: $column-width;
  column-width: $column-width;

  -webkit-column-rule-style: $column-rule-style;
  -moz-column-rule-style: $column-rule-style;
  -o-column-rule-style: $column-rule-style;
  -ms-column-rule-style: $column-rule-style;
  column-rule-style: $column-rule-style;
 }

Using:

   @include multi-column-list(250px, solid);

Create a list with as many list elements as you want. Then enclose the list in a div, setting style=column-width and style=column-gap, to match the information in your list elements. Do not set style=columns. Totally responsive list that adapts to screen size. No plugins required.

Use column-width property of css like below

<ul style="column-width:135px">

You can use flex as below:

.parent-container {
    display: flex;
    flex-direction: column;
    flex-wrap: wrap;
    max-height: 100px;
}

Adjust max-height property as per need to generate another columns

CSS:

#cols {
    -moz-column-count: 3;
    -moz-column-gap: 20px;
    -webkit-column-count: 3;
    -webkit-column-gap: 20px;
    column-count: 3;
    column-gap: 20px;
}

HTML

<div id="cols">
    <ul>
    <li>List item 1</li>
    <li>List item 2</li>
    <li>List item 3</li>
    <li>List item 4</li>
    <li>List item 5</li>
    <li>List item 6</li>
    <li>List item 7</li>
    <li>List item 8</li>
    <li>List item 9</li>
    <li>List item 10</li>
    <li>List item 11</li>
    <li>List item 12</li>
    <li>List item 10</li>
    <li>List item 11</li>
    <li>List item 12</li>
   
    </ul>
</div> 

Check demo : https://codepen.io/pen/