CSS Grid is a two-dimensional layout system that enables designers and developers to create robust and flexible grid-based layouts with CSS. It provides a more efficient and streamlined way of building complex and dynamic layouts, without relying on hacky solutions like floats and positioning.
In this article, we will take a comprehensive look at the CSS Grid and provide you with a CSS Grid cheat sheet that includes a variety of code examples to help you get started.
What is CSS Grid?
CSS Grid is a layout system that was introduced in CSS3. It provides a way of creating grid-based layouts by using a container element, and its direct children, as grid items. The container element is defined as a grid container by setting its display property to grid or inline-grid.
Each grid item becomes a grid cell, and the grid container defines the number of rows and columns in the grid. The rows and columns can be of different sizes and can be easily resized as needed, making CSS Grid an ideal solution for building dynamic and responsive layouts.
Grid Container
A grid container is created by setting the display property of an HTML element to grid or inline-grid. This element becomes the parent of all grid items, which are its direct children.
.container {
display: grid;
}
Grid Items
Grid items are the direct children of the grid container. They are automatically placed into a grid by the grid container and become grid cells.
.item {
grid-column: 1 / 2;
grid-row: 1 / 2;
}
Grid Tracks
Grid tracks are the rows and columns in the grid. The grid container defines the number of rows and columns, and the size of each track. The size of the tracks can be set in pixels, ems, percentages, or by using the fr unit, which represents a fraction of the available space.
.container {
display: grid;
grid-template-columns: 1fr 2fr 1fr;
grid-template-rows: 100px 200px 300px;
}
Grid Cells
Grid cells are the individual squares created by the intersection of rows and columns. Grid items can span multiple cells by using the grid-column and grid-row properties.
.item {
grid-column: 1 / 3;
grid-row: 2 / 3;
}
Grid Areas
Grid areas are sections of the grid that are defined by the intersections of rows and columns. They can be named and referenced by using the grid-template-areas property.
.container {
display: grid;
grid-template-columns: 1fr 2fr 1fr;
grid-template-rows: 100px 200px 300px;
grid-template-areas:
"header header header"
"sidebar content content"
"footer footer footer";
}
.header {
grid-area: header;
}
.sidebar {
grid-area: sidebar;
}
.content {
grid-area: content;
}
.footer {
grid-area: footer;
}
Grid Gap
The grid-gap property sets the size of the space between the grid cells. It
Grid Alignment
CSS Grid provides several alignment properties that can be used to align grid items within the grid container. The justify-items property aligns items horizontally, and the align-items property aligns items vertically.
.container {
display: grid;
justify-items: center;
align-items: center;
}
There are also justify-self and align-self properties that allow you to align a single grid item individually.
.item {
justify-self: center;
align-self: center;
}
Grid Implicit and Explicit Tracks
Grid tracks can be either explicit or implicit. Explicit tracks are created by defining the grid-template-rows and grid-template-columns properties. Implicit tracks are created automatically by the grid container to fill the available space.
.container {
display: grid;
grid-template-columns: 1fr 2fr 1fr;
grid-template-rows: 100px 200px 300px;
}
Media Queries and Responsiveness
CSS Grid is highly responsive and can be used to create dynamic and responsive layouts. The size of the grid tracks can be adjusted with media queries to create different layouts for different screen sizes.
@media (max-width: 600px) {
.container {
grid-template-columns: 1fr;
}
}
Conclusion
CSS Grid is a powerful layout system that provides a more efficient and flexible way of building complex and dynamic layouts. It offers a wide range of features and properties that make it a versatile solution for creating a variety of layouts. The CSS Grid cheat sheet with code examples provided in this article should help you get started with CSS Grid and help you understand its basic concepts and features.
Popular questions
- What is CSS Grid and what are its benefits?
CSS Grid is a layout system for the web that provides a flexible and efficient way of creating complex and dynamic layouts. Its benefits include the ability to easily create two-dimensional layouts, the ability to control the size and position of elements within the grid, and the ability to create responsive designs that adapt to different screen sizes.
- How do you create a CSS Grid layout?
To create a CSS Grid layout, you need to define a grid container using the display property and set its value to grid. You then define the structure of the grid using the grid-template-columns and grid-template-rows properties. Grid items can be placed within the grid using the grid-column and grid-row properties.
- What are the different ways to size grid tracks?
Grid tracks can be sized using absolute units such as pixels (px), percentage values (%), or relative units such as fr (fractions). You can also use a combination of different units to create more complex and dynamic layouts.
- Can CSS Grid be used for responsive designs?
Yes, CSS Grid is highly responsive and can be used to create dynamic and responsive layouts. The size of the grid tracks can be adjusted with media queries to create different layouts for different screen sizes.
- What are some of the key concepts and features of CSS Grid?
Some of the key concepts and features of CSS Grid include grid containers, grid items, grid tracks, grid cells, grid lines, grid areas, and grid alignment. CSS Grid also provides several properties for controlling the size and position of elements within the grid, as well as the ability to create implicit and explicit tracks and responsive designs.
Tag
Grids
