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Introduction to CSS Grid

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Table of Contents

  1. What is CSS Grid?
  2. CSS Grid vs Flexbox
  3. Basic Terminology: Grid Container, Grid Items, Lines, Tracks
  4. Defining a Grid with display: grid
  5. Creating Columns and Rows with grid-template-columns & grid-template-rows
  6. Placing Items in the Grid
  7. Explicit vs Implicit Grids
  8. Benefits of Using Grid for Layouts
  9. Summary and What’s Next

1. What is CSS Grid?

CSS Grid Layout is a two-dimensional layout system designed specifically for the web. While Flexbox excels at laying items out in a single direction—either row or column—Grid gives you control over both rows and columns simultaneously.

Introduced in modern browsers around 2017, CSS Grid is now fully supported and allows for complex, responsive layouts with minimal code. It fundamentally changes how we approach layout construction in CSS.


2. CSS Grid vs Flexbox

FeatureFlexboxGrid
Layout DirectionOne-dimensional (row or col)Two-dimensional (row and col)
AlignmentEasier along single axisPowerful for full-page layouts
Use CaseComponentsPage or section layouts
ResponsivenessGreatExcellent

Flexbox is ideal for distributing items along a single axis, whereas CSS Grid is built for structured, grid-based layouts, such as dashboards, galleries, or multi-column sections.


3. Basic Terminology

Before we dive in, let’s learn some essential grid terms:

  • Grid Container: The parent element with display: grid.
  • Grid Items: The direct children of a grid container.
  • Grid Lines: The lines dividing the grid (both vertical and horizontal).
  • Grid Tracks: The spaces between two lines (rows or columns).
  • Grid Cells: The individual spaces where items can be placed.
  • Grid Areas: A collection of one or more grid cells.

4. Defining a Grid with display: grid

The first step to using Grid is to turn a container into a grid.

.container {
display: grid;
}

This will activate grid layout mode. Now we can define the structure.


5. Creating Columns and Rows

You define the number and size of rows and columns using:

.container {
display: grid;
grid-template-columns: 200px 200px 200px; /* 3 columns */
grid-template-rows: 100px 100px; /* 2 rows */
}

Or using fractional units:

.container {
display: grid;
grid-template-columns: 1fr 2fr 1fr; /* relative widths */
}

Example:

<div class="grid">
<div>1</div>
<div>2</div>
<div>3</div>
<div>4</div>
</div>
.grid {
display: grid;
grid-template-columns: 1fr 1fr;
gap: 10px;
}

This creates a two-column layout with equal-width columns and 10px spacing.


6. Placing Items in the Grid

Grid items automatically flow into rows, but you can position them explicitly:

.item {
grid-column: 1 / 3; /* spans from line 1 to line 3 */
grid-row: 2 / 3;
}

You can also use grid-area for named sections or span multiple rows/columns.


7. Explicit vs Implicit Grids

Explicit Grid: You define it manually with grid-template-rows and grid-template-columns.

Implicit Grid: If more items exist than defined spaces, the browser creates extra rows/columns automatically.

.grid {
display: grid;
grid-template-columns: 1fr 1fr;
}

Add 5 items, and the 3rd row will be auto-generated. You can control this behavior with grid-auto-rows and grid-auto-columns.


8. Benefits of Using Grid for Layouts

  • Two-dimensional control: Align items vertically and horizontally with precision.
  • Responsiveness: Easily adapt layouts using media queries and fr units.
  • Clean markup: No need for extra wrappers or clearfixes.
  • Semantic layout design: Use named areas and simplified positioning.

Grid excels in designing:

  • Full page layouts
  • Card grids
  • Image galleries
  • Dashboards
  • Blog templates

9. Summary and What’s Next

CSS Grid brings a new level of layout control to the web. Its ability to manage two-dimensional spaces with ease makes it a game-changer in frontend development. You now know the basics of how to declare a grid, structure it with rows and columns, and control item placement.

Flexbox Use Cases (Navigation, Cards, etc.)

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Table of Contents

  1. Introduction
  2. Why Use Flexbox for Layouts?
  3. Use Case 1: Navigation Bars
  4. Use Case 2: Card Layouts
  5. Use Case 3: Centering Content
  6. Use Case 4: Split Layouts (Sidebar + Main)
  7. Use Case 5: Responsive Image Grids
  8. Best Practices for Using Flexbox in UI Design
  9. Summary and Next Steps

1. Introduction

Flexbox is not just a CSS module—it’s a layout powerhouse. It allows developers to build responsive and dynamic user interfaces without relying heavily on float-based hacks or excessive media queries. In this article, we’ll explore real-world use cases where Flexbox shines, including navigation bars, cards, split layouts, and more.


2. Why Use Flexbox for Layouts?

Flexbox simplifies the process of:

  • Aligning elements horizontally or vertically
  • Creating equal-height columns
  • Managing spacing dynamically
  • Building mobile-first, responsive UIs

Because Flexbox operates in one dimension at a time (either row or column), it’s especially ideal for components and smaller sections of your UI—while Grid may be more suited for full-page layouts.


3. Use Case 1: Navigation Bars

Goal: Horizontally align navigation links with spacing and center logo.

HTML:

<nav class="navbar">
<div class="logo">MySite</div>
<ul class="nav-links">
<li><a href="#">Home</a></li>
<li><a href="#">Blog</a></li>
<li><a href="#">About</a></li>
</ul>
</nav>

CSS:

.navbar {
display: flex;
justify-content: space-between;
align-items: center;
padding: 10px 20px;
background-color: #333;
color: white;
}

.nav-links {
display: flex;
list-style: none;
gap: 20px;
}

Outcome: Even spacing between logo and links, vertically centered items.


4. Use Case 2: Card Layouts

Goal: Align card content and ensure consistent spacing and height.

HTML:

<div class="card-container">
<div class="card">
<h3>Card Title</h3>
<p>Short description here.</p>
<button>Read More</button>
</div>
<div class="card">
<h3>Another Card</h3>
<p>Another description with more text for testing.</p>
<button>Explore</button>
</div>
</div>

CSS:

.card-container {
display: flex;
gap: 20px;
flex-wrap: wrap;
}

.card {
flex: 1 1 300px;
display: flex;
flex-direction: column;
justify-content: space-between;
padding: 20px;
border: 1px solid #ddd;
border-radius: 8px;
min-height: 200px;
}

Outcome: Cards of equal height with responsive wrapping and neatly aligned buttons.


5. Use Case 3: Centering Content

Goal: Vertically and horizontally center an element.

HTML:

<div class="center-box">
<p>Hello, World!</p>
</div>

CSS:

.center-box {
display: flex;
justify-content: center;
align-items: center;
height: 100vh;
background: #f3f3f3;
}

Outcome: Content is perfectly centered both vertically and horizontally.


6. Use Case 4: Split Layouts (Sidebar + Main)

Goal: Create a fixed-width sidebar and flexible content area.

HTML:

<div class="layout">
<aside class="sidebar">Sidebar</aside>
<main class="main-content">Main Content</main>
</div>

CSS:

.layout {
display: flex;
min-height: 100vh;
}

.sidebar {
width: 250px;
background: #2c3e50;
color: white;
padding: 20px;
}

.main-content {
flex: 1;
padding: 20px;
background: #ecf0f1;
}

Outcome: Sidebar remains fixed while the main content adjusts to screen size.


7. Use Case 5: Responsive Image Grids

Goal: Create a flexible, wrapping grid of images.

HTML:

<div class="gallery">
<img src="image1.jpg" alt="">
<img src="image2.jpg" alt="">
<img src="image3.jpg" alt="">
<img src="image4.jpg" alt="">
</div>

CSS:

.gallery {
display: flex;
flex-wrap: wrap;
gap: 10px;
}

.gallery img {
flex: 1 1 calc(33.33% - 10px);
max-width: 100%;
height: auto;
}

Outcome: Responsive layout where images wrap gracefully and maintain proportion.


8. Best Practices for Using Flexbox in UI Design

  • Use gap instead of margins for spacing between flex items.
  • Combine flex shorthand for better readability: flex: 1 0 300px.
  • Avoid deeply nesting flex containers unless structurally necessary.
  • Test across breakpoints to ensure responsive behavior.

9. Summary and Next Steps

Flexbox empowers developers to create responsive and adaptable layouts with minimal effort. From building clean navigation bars to sophisticated card layouts and responsive image galleries, its versatility is undeniable. By learning to wield Flexbox through practical use cases, you’re laying a strong foundation for all frontend work.

Flexbox Properties & Examples (justify-content, align-items, etc.)

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Table of Contents

  1. Introduction
  2. Flex Container vs Flex Item Recap
  3. Main Flexbox Properties Overview
  4. Flex Container Properties with Examples
    • display
    • flex-direction
    • flex-wrap
    • justify-content
    • align-items
    • align-content
  5. Flex Item Properties with Examples
    • order
    • flex-grow
    • flex-shrink
    • flex-basis
    • flex
    • align-self
  6. Real-World Examples
  7. Tips and Best Practices
  8. Conclusion

1. Introduction

CSS Flexbox is designed to layout elements in a one-dimensional flow (either row or column). It simplifies alignment, spacing, and distribution of elements in a container—even when their sizes are dynamic or unknown. This module breaks down each Flexbox property, explains how and when to use them, and provides visual, real-world examples.


2. Flex Container vs Flex Item Recap

Before diving into properties, it’s essential to recall two primary roles in Flexbox:

  • Flex Container: The element with display: flex or display: inline-flex.
  • Flex Items: The direct children of the flex container.

3. Main Flexbox Properties Overview

Flexbox properties are divided into two categories:

  • Container-level: Apply to the flex container and affect the layout and alignment of all items.
  • Item-level: Apply to individual items and define how they behave within the flex container.

4. Flex Container Properties with Examples

display

Activates Flexbox layout.

.container {
display: flex; /* or inline-flex */
}

flex-direction

Specifies the direction of the main axis.

/* Options: row | row-reverse | column | column-reverse */
.container {
flex-direction: row;
}
  • row: Left to right (default)
  • row-reverse: Right to left
  • column: Top to bottom
  • column-reverse: Bottom to top

flex-wrap

Allows items to wrap to the next line.

.container {
flex-wrap: wrap; /* or nowrap (default), wrap-reverse */
}

justify-content

Aligns items along the main axis.

.container {
justify-content: space-between;
}
ValueDescription
flex-startItems packed at start
flex-endItems packed at end
centerItems centered
space-betweenEqual space between items
space-aroundEqual space around items
space-evenlyEqual space between and around items

Example:

.container {
display: flex;
justify-content: center;
}
<div class="container">
<div>One</div>
<div>Two</div>
<div>Three</div>
</div>

align-items

Aligns items along the cross axis.

.container {
align-items: center;
}
ValueDescription
stretch(default) Fills the container
flex-startAligned at the start of the cross axis
flex-endAligned at the end
centerVertically centered
baselineAligned on text baseline

align-content

Aligns multiple lines of content when wrapping is enabled.

.container {
flex-wrap: wrap;
align-content: space-between;
}

5. Flex Item Properties with Examples

order

Defines the order of appearance.

.item {
order: 2;
}

Items with smaller values appear first.

flex-grow

Defines how much an item will grow relative to others.

.item {
flex-grow: 1;
}

Items with higher flex-grow values grow faster.

flex-shrink

Defines how much an item will shrink relative to others.

.item {
flex-shrink: 1;
}

flex-basis

Defines the initial size before growing or shrinking.

.item {
flex-basis: 200px;
}

flex (shorthand)

Shorthand for flex-grow, flex-shrink, and flex-basis.

.item {
flex: 1 0 150px;
}

align-self

Overrides align-items for individual items.

.item {
align-self: flex-start;
}

6. Real-World Examples

Centering a Box Vertically and Horizontally

.container {
display: flex;
justify-content: center;
align-items: center;
height: 100vh;
}
<div class="container">
<div class="box">Centered!</div>
</div>

Navigation Bar with Space Between Items

.navbar {
display: flex;
justify-content: space-between;
}
<div class="navbar">
<div>Logo</div>
<div>Links</div>
<div>Search</div>
</div>

7. Tips and Best Practices

  • Use gap for spacing: It’s cleaner than using margins. .container { display: flex; gap: 20px; }
  • Combine Flexbox with Media Queries for responsive behavior.
  • Avoid nested flex containers unless necessary; it can cause layout complexity.
  • Use shorthand flex instead of setting grow, shrink, and basis separately for brevity.

8. Conclusion

Flexbox is one of the most intuitive and powerful tools in modern CSS for aligning and distributing space within layouts. Mastering its core properties—like justify-content, align-items, flex-grow, and order—is essential for any frontend developer. Whether you’re building simple components or responsive UI systems, Flexbox ensures that your layouts are both flexible and robust.

Introduction to CSS Flexbox

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Table of Contents

  1. What Is Flexbox?
  2. Why Use Flexbox?
  3. Flex Container and Flex Items
  4. Main Axis vs Cross Axis
  5. Properties of the Flex Container
    • display
    • flex-direction
    • flex-wrap
    • justify-content
    • align-items
    • align-content
  6. Properties of the Flex Items
    • order
    • flex-grow
    • flex-shrink
    • flex-basis
    • align-self
  7. Common Use Cases of Flexbox
  8. Flexbox vs CSS Grid
  9. Best Practices for Using Flexbox
  10. Conclusion

1. What Is Flexbox?

CSS Flexbox (Flexible Box Layout Module) is a powerful layout model introduced in CSS3 that provides a more efficient way to lay out, align, and distribute space among items in a container. Unlike older layout methods such as floats or inline-block, Flexbox is specifically designed for one-dimensional layouts — either as a row or column.

It shines when elements need to align, scale, or adjust their size based on the container’s size — particularly useful for responsive design.


2. Why Use Flexbox?

Flexbox simplifies many common layout challenges, such as:

  • Vertically centering content
  • Making columns or rows of equal height
  • Dynamically adjusting element widths
  • Creating responsive layouts without media queries

It removes the need for complex hacks and extra wrapper elements to achieve basic layouts.


3. Flex Container and Flex Items

Flexbox is composed of two main concepts:

  • Flex Container: The parent element that holds all the items. You define it with display: flex;.
  • Flex Items: The direct children of the flex container. These elements can be controlled and aligned using Flexbox properties.

Example:

<div class="flex-container">
<div class="item">One</div>
<div class="item">Two</div>
<div class="item">Three</div>
</div>
.flex-container {
display: flex;
}

4. Main Axis vs Cross Axis

Understanding the axes in Flexbox is critical:

  • Main Axis: Defined by flex-direction. It can be horizontal (row) or vertical (column).
  • Cross Axis: Perpendicular to the main axis.

The alignment properties depend on these axes. For example, justify-content aligns along the main axis, and align-items aligns along the cross axis.


5. Properties of the Flex Container

display

This enables Flexbox layout on an element.

display: flex;        /* for block-level containers */
display: inline-flex; /* for inline containers */

flex-direction

Defines the direction of the main axis.

flex-direction: row | row-reverse | column | column-reverse;

flex-wrap

Allows items to wrap onto multiple lines.

flex-wrap: nowrap | wrap | wrap-reverse;

justify-content

Aligns items along the main axis.

justify-content: flex-start | flex-end | center | space-between | space-around | space-evenly;

align-items

Aligns items along the cross axis.

align-items: stretch | flex-start | flex-end | center | baseline;

align-content

Aligns multiple lines along the cross axis (used when flex-wrap is active).

align-content: flex-start | flex-end | center | space-between | space-around | stretch;

6. Properties of the Flex Items

order

Controls the order of flex items.

order: 0; /* default */

Items with a lower order value appear first.

flex-grow

Specifies how much a flex item will grow relative to others.

flex-grow: 1;

flex-shrink

Specifies how a flex item shrinks when necessary.

flex-shrink: 1;

flex-basis

Defines the initial size of a flex item before it grows or shrinks.

flex-basis: auto | 100px | 30%;

flex (shorthand)

Shorthand for flex-grow, flex-shrink, and flex-basis.

flex: 1 1 auto;

align-self

Overrides align-items for individual items.

align-self: auto | flex-start | flex-end | center | baseline | stretch;

7. Common Use Cases of Flexbox

Flexbox can handle a wide variety of layout needs:

  • Centering elements both vertically and horizontally:
.container {
display: flex;
justify-content: center;
align-items: center;
}
  • Responsive navigation bars
  • Equal-height columns
  • Sticky footers
  • Dynamic card grids

8. Flexbox vs CSS Grid

FeatureFlexboxCSS Grid
Layout TypeOne-dimensionalTwo-dimensional
Axis SupportMain and Cross axisRows and Columns
Use CaseSimple, linear layoutsComplex layouts, full pages
Browser SupportWidely supportedAlso widely supported

Use Flexbox for smaller UI components and Grid for page-level layout structures.


9. Best Practices for Using Flexbox

  • Always define a base flex-direction to avoid unexpected behavior.
  • Avoid mixing Flexbox with floats unless absolutely necessary.
  • Use gap instead of margins for spacing between items (supported in modern browsers).
  • Combine Flexbox and media queries for responsive designs.
  • Don’t overuse Flexbox where simpler CSS properties can do the job (e.g., text alignment).

10. Conclusion

CSS Flexbox is a powerful layout tool that streamlines building responsive and dynamic web designs. From centering elements to crafting navigation menus, Flexbox offers a clean and modern approach to solving layout problems. As you continue learning CSS, mastering Flexbox will drastically improve your frontend development workflow.

Today in History – 26 April

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today in history 26 april1479

Vallabhacharya, founder of ‘Pushthimarg Panth’, was born.

1841

Bombay Gazette began publishing on silk.

1865

John Wilkes Booth was killed when Union soldiers tracked him down to a Virginia farm 12 days after he had assassinated President Abraham Lincoln.

1920

Srinivas Ramanujam, famous Indian mathematician, passed away at Chetpet in Madras.

1924

Ramabai Ranade, social reformer, passed away. She played a major role in the upliftment of women in India and had founded Sevasadan in Bombay, a hostel for the ladies.

1926

Karachi Autonomous Region established in RSFSR (until 1943).

1929

British fliers made a record nonstop 4,130-mile trip from London to India.

1946

V. K. Ramaswamy, cricket test umpire for 10 tests from 1984-till date, was born at Hyderabad. He has become one of the first Indian Test umpires to be invited to do umpiring in a foreign country along with P. D. Reporter.

1954

The Salk polio vaccine field trials, involving 1.8 million children, began at the Franklin Sherman Elementary School in McLean, Virginia. Children in the United States, Canada and Finland participated in the trials, which used for the first time the now-standard double-blind method, whereby neither the patient nor attending doctor knew if the inoculation was the vaccine or a placebo. On April 12, 1955, researchers announced the vaccine was safe and effective and it quickly became a standard part of childhood immunizations in America. In the ensuing decades, polio vaccines would all but wipe out the highly contagious disease in the Western Hemisphere.

1986

The world’s worst nuclear accident to date happened at the Chernobyl nuclear plant near Kiev in Ukraine. The full toll from this disaster is still being tallied, but experts believe that thousands of people died and as many as 70,000 suffered severe poisoning.

1995

Indian Newspaper Society (INS) called off its stir plans following Government conceding a major demand of the newspaper industry by putting newsprint on the Open General Licence (OGL) and abolishing the condition requiring newspapers to buy two tonnes of indigenous newsprint in order to import one tonne.

1995

SAARC decided to launch South Asia Preferential Trade Area (SAPTA).

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