Making the most of New CSS Layout

Making the most of
New CSS Layout
Rachel Andrew,  
SmartWeb, Bucharest 2016

Rachel Andrew
rachelandrew.co.uk
@rachelandrew
CSS Working Group Invited Expert
Google Developer Expert for Web Technologies
Co-founder Perch CMS: https://grabaperch.com
Contact: me@rachelandrew.co.uk

Modern CSS Layout?
• Floats
• Inline-block
• display: table
• Absolute & Relative positioning
• Frameworks … lots of frameworks

Snippet from
Bootstrap Grid
mark-up.
<div class="row">
<div class="col-md-8">
.col-md-8
<div class="row">
.col-md-6
</div>
.col-md-6
</div>
</div>
</div>
.col-md-4
</div>
</div>

Our great hopes for layout
• Flexbox 
https://drafts.csswg.org/css-flexbox/
• CSS Grid Layout 
https://drafts.csswg.org/css-grid/
• Box Alignment 
https://drafts.csswg.org/css-align/

http://caniuse.com/#feat=css-grid

http://gridbyexample.com/browsers

Items in our layouts understand
themselves as part of a complete
layout.

http://alistapart.com/article/fauxcolumns

http://colintoh.com/blog/display-table-anti-hero

Flexbox
Full height
columns with
flexbox, taking
advantage of
default alignment
values.
.wrapper {
display: flex;
}
.sidebar {
flex: 1 1 30%;
}
.content {
flex: 1 1 70%;
}

Grid Layout
Full height
columns in CSS
Grid Layout.
.wrapper {
display: grid;
grid-template-columns: 30% 70%;
}
.sidebar {
grid-column: 1;
}
.content {
grid-column: 2;
}

Separation of source and display

Flexbox
The flex-direction
property can take
a value of row to
display things as a
row or column to
display them as a
column.
nav ul{
display: flex;
justify-content: space-between;
flex-direction: row;
}

Flexbox
The visual order
can be switched
using row-reverse
or column-
reverse.
nav ul{
display: flex;
flex-direction: row-reverse;
}

Flexbox
Adding display:
flex to our
container element
causes the items
to display flexibly
in a row.
.wrapper {
display: flex;
}

Flexbox
The order
property means
we can change
the order of flex
items using CSS.
This does not
change their
source order.
li:nth-child(1) {
order: 3;
}
li:nth-child(2) {
order: 1;
}
li:nth-child(3) {
order: 4;
}
li:nth-child(4) {
order: 2;
}

Grid Layout
I have created a
grid on my
wrapper element.
The grid has 3
equal width
columns.
Rows will be
created as
required as we
position items
into them.
.wrapper {
display: grid;
grid-template-columns: 1fr 1fr
1fr;
}

Grid Layout
I am positioning
my elements
using CSS Grid
Layout line-based
positioning.
Setting a column
and a row line
using the grid-
column and grid-
row properties.
li:nth-child(1) {
grid-column: 3 ;
grid-row: 2 ;
}
li:nth-child(2) {
grid-column: 1 ;
grid-row: 2 ;
}
li:nth-child(3) {
grid-column: 1 ;
grid-row: 1 ;
}
li:nth-child(4) {
grid-column: 2 ;
grid-row: 1 ;
}

Making the most of New CSS Layout

CSS Grid automatic placement
http://www.w3.org/TR/2015/WD-css-grid-1-20150917/#grid-
auto-flow-property
https://rachelandrew.co.uk/archives/2015/04/14/grid-layout-
automatic-placement-and-packing-modes/

Grid Layout
When using
automatic
placement we
can create rules
for items in our
document - for
example
displaying
portrait and
landscape images
differently.
.wrapper {
display: grid;
1fr 1fr;
grid-template-rows: auto;
}
.landscape {
grid-column-end: span 2;
}

grid-auto-
flow
The default value of grid-
auto-flow is sparse. Grid will
move forward planning
items skipping cells if items
do not fit .

Grid Layout
With a dense
packing mode
grid will move
items out of
source order to
backfill spaces.
.wrapper {
display: grid;
1fr 1fr;
grid-template-rows: auto;
grid-auto-flow: dense;
}
.landscape {
}

grid-auto-
flow
With grid-auto-flow dense
items are displayed out of
source order. Grid backfills
any suitable gaps.

With great power comes
responsibility.

Power and responsibility
• Good = creating the most accessible source
order and using Grid or Flexbox to get the
optimal display for each device.
• Bad = using Grid or Flexbox as an excuse to
forget about the source.
• Terrible - stripping out semantic elements to
make everything a grid or flex item.

https://drafts.csswg.org/css-flexbox/#order-accessibility
Authors must use order only for
visual, not logical, reordering of
content. Style sheets that use order to
perform logical reordering are non-
conforming.

Léonie Watson | On CSS
accessibility and drinking tea | CSS
Day 2016
https://vimeo.com/180566024

CSS Box Alignment Module Level 3
“This module contains the features of CSS relating to the
alignment of boxes within their containers in the various CSS
box layout models: block layout, table layout, flex layout, and
grid layout.” - https://drafts.csswg.org/css-align/

It’s 2016. We can now centre
things.

Box Alignment Properties
- justify-content
- align-content
- justify-self
- align-self
- justify-items
- align-items

Flexbox
The justify-
content property
is set to space-
between.
The items at each
end are placed
against the
container and the
remaining space
distributed evenly.
nav ul{
display: flex;
}

Flexbox
The justify-
content property
is set to space-
around.
The items are
evenly distributed
in the container
with a half size
space at each end.
nav ul{
display: flex;
justify-content: space-around;
}

Grid
If there is space in
the grid container
after all column
and row tracks
have been added.
Use space-around
and space-
between to space
the tracks.
.wrapper {
width: 500px;
height: 400px;
display: grid;
grid-gap: 10px;
grid-template-columns: repeat(4,
80px);
grid-template-rows: repeat(3,100px);
align-content: space-around;
}

Flexbox
The value of align-
items is stretch
by default.
If I add extra text
in one navigation
point the others
all take the same
height.
nav ul{
display: flex;
align-items: stretch;
}

Flexbox
If I set the value
of align-items to
center then we
get vertical
centring.
nav ul{
display: flex;
align-items: center;
}

My grid has an
absolute width
and height. This is
larger than
required for the
tracks.
.wrapper {
width: 500px;
height: 400px;
display: grid;
grid-gap: 10px;
grid-template-columns: repeat(4, 80px);
}

The align-content
property controls
the block axis.
This axis aligns
the grid rows.
.wrapper {
width: 500px;
height: 400px;
display: grid;
grid-gap: 10px;
align-content: end;
}

The justify-
content property
controls the inline
axis.
This axis aligns
the grid columns.
.wrapper {
width: 500px;
height: 400px;
display: grid;
grid-gap: 10px;
align-content: end;
justify-content: center;
}

I can create this
same layout with
flexbox or Grid.
With flexbox the
items are laid out
in a row.
.wrapper {
display: flex;
}
.wrapper li {
flex: 1 0 25%;
}

The first item is at
the default
stretch and as the
tallest item is
dictating the
height of the flex
container.
The second is
entered in the
container.
The third aligned
to the start.
The fourth aligned
to the end.
.wrapper li:nth-child(2) {
align-self: center;
}
align-self: flex-start;
}
align-self: flex-end;
}

For Grid I use a
single row, 4
column Grid.
.wrapper {
display: grid;
grid-template-columns: 1fr 1fr 1fr 1fr;
}

Grid alignment
properties for the
three landscape
images.
align-self: center;
}
align-self: start;
}
align-self: end;
}

100vh
body {
align-content: center;
}

Aligning the grid.
body {
height: 100vh;
display: grid;
grid-template-columns: 80%;
}

1fr
1fr
1fr 1fr 1fr
2fr
2fr
.login > div
.login > div
.login > div.actions

Setting align-
items to centre
lines the fields
and labels up on
their centre line.
.login > div {
display: grid;
grid-template-columns: 1fr 2fr;
}
.login > div.actions {
grid-template-columns: 1fr 1fr 1fr;
}

Ethan Marcotte, Fluid Grids
“… every aspect of the grid—and the
elements laid upon it—can be
expressed as a proportion relative to
its container.”

target ÷ context
= result
h1 {
margin-left: 14.575%; /* 144px / 988px =
0.14575 */
width: 70.85%; /* 700px / 988px = 0.7085 */
}

Flexbox
The most simple
flexbox example
demonstrates the
inherent
flexibility.
The items will be
displayed as a
row, with equal
space between
each item.
nav ul{
display: flex;
}

The flex property
• flex-grow - add space
• flex-shrink - remove space
• flex-basis - the initial size before any growing
or shrinking

Flexbox
flex: 1 1 300px;
flex-grow: 1
flex-shrink: 1;
flex-basis:
300px;
The initial width
of our li is 300
pixels, however it
can grow larger
and shrink
smaller than 300
pixels.
.wrapper {
display: flex;
}
.wrapper li {
flex: 1 1 300px;
min-width: 1px;
}

Flexbox
flex: 1 1 300px;
flex-grow: 1
flex-shrink: 1;
flex-basis:
300px;
If we allow the
flex items to
wrap we can see
how flex-basis
works by
dragging the
window smaller.
.wrapper {
display: flex;
flex-flow: row wrap;
}
.wrapper li {
flex: 1 1 300px;
min-width: 1px;
}

Flexbox
flex: 1 1 300px;
flex-grow: 1;
flex-shrink: 1;
flex-basis:
300px;
The 3rd item has
flex: 0 1 300px;
so cannot grow.
.wrapper {
display: flex;
}
.wrapper li {
flex: 1 1 300px;
min-width: 1px;
}
flex: 0 1 300px;
}

Flexbox
If we set the 3rd
item to 
flex-grow: 2
This item will be
assigned twice of
much of the
available free
space after we
have reached the
300 pixel initial
width.
.wrapper {
display: flex;
}
.wrapper li {
flex: 1 1 300px;
min-width: 1px;
}
flex: 2 1 300px;
}

http://madebymike.com.au/demos/flexbox-tester/

Grid Layout
I am creating
three grid column
tracks, all 1fr in
width.
This gives me
three equally
sized column
tracks.
.wrapper {
display: grid;
}

Grid Layout
If I create the first
column as 600
pixels and then
have two 1fr
columns the 600
pixel track is
removed from the
available space
and the remainder
is distributed
equally between
the two columns.
.wrapper {
display: grid;
grid-template-columns: 600px 1fr 1fr;
}

Grid Layout
With a 600 pixel
column, a 1fr and
a 3fr column. The
600 pixels is
removed from the
available space
then the
remaining space is
divided by 4.
The 1fr column
gets 25% and the
3fr column 75%.
.wrapper {
display: grid;
grid-template-columns: 600px 1fr 3fr;
}

Flexbox for 1 dimensional layout.
CSS Grid is for 2 dimensional
layout.

The value of the
grid-template-
columns property
says:
repeat this track
listing, auto-filing
as many columns
with a minimum
width of 300
pixels and a
maximum of 1fr.
.wrapper {
display: grid;
grid-template-columns:
repeat(auto-fill, minmax(300px,
1fr));
}

Using the
minmax()
function with
grid-auto-rows.
.home-hero {
display: grid;
grid-gap: 1px;
grid-auto-rows: minmax(150px,
auto);
}

An item on the
grid can become a
grid or flex
container itself.
In this case I am
using flexbox and
auto margins to
push my content
to the bottom of
the box.
.special {
display: flex;
flex-direction: column;
}
.special h3{
margin-top: auto;
}

I have set three
classes to
display: none;
.has-flex,
.has-grid,
.has-grid-shapes {
display: none;
}

My @supports
rule tests for
support of the
display property
with a value of
flex.
If it is supported
we show the div.
@supports (display: flex) {
.has-flex {
display: block;
}
}

My @supports
rule tests for
support of the
display property
with a value of
grid.
If it is supported
we show the div.
@supports (display: grid) {
.has-grid {
display: block;
}
}

My @supports
rule tests for
support of the
display property
with a value of
grid AND shape-
outside:circle.
If it is supported
we show the div.
@supports (display: grid) and
(shape-outside:circle()) {
.has-grid-shapes {
display: block;
}
}

http://caniuse.com/#feat=css-featurequeries

Defaults for all
browsers will be
loaded by even
really old
browsers.
body {
padding-top: 20%;
}
h1,
.login,
.account,
.contact{
width:80%;
margin: 0 auto;
}

Within a Feature
Query we add
some information
for flexbox
supporting
browsers.
@supports (display: flex) {
body {
padding:0;
height: 100vh;
display: flex;
flex-direction: column;
}
h1, .login, .account, .contact {
margin: 0;
width: 80%;
}
}

The Feature
Query for Grid
supporting
browsers.
@supports (display: grid) {
body {
display: grid;
grid-template-columns: 80%;
align-items: stretch;
}
@media (min-width: 650px) {
body {
grid-template-columns: repeat(2, minmax(150px, 30%));
}
h1,
.login {
width: auto;
}
.login > div {
display: grid;
grid-template-columns: 1fr 2fr;
}
.login > div.actions {
}
.account {
border-right: 1px dotted rgb(191, 216, 227);
padding: 0 10px 0 0;
align-self: end;
width: auto;
}
.contact {
padding: 0 0 0 10px;
width: auto;
}
}
}

Your users ‘grow into’
enhancements as their browsers
auto-update.

https://cssgrid.me/SmartWeb16-code

http://gridbyexample.com

Why are we looking at something I
can’t use yet?

https://wiki.csswg.org/ideas/mistakes

Get involved with developing specs!
• While a spec is being developed your feedback
is wanted and can be included in the spec.
• Wait until browsers ship and you lose that
chance.
• It just got easier. CSS Spec issues are now on
GitHub. 
http://logs.csswg.org/irc.w3.org/css/2016-05-10/#e684439

Do a good deed for your future self.

Thank you
Slides & Resources: https://cssgrid.me/SmartWeb16-slides
http://csslayout.news - sign up for my weekly CSS Layout email
—
@rachelandrew | me@rachelandrew.co.uk
—
https://rachelandrew.co.uk | https://grabaperch.com

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