CSS Flexible Boxes (abbreviated as Flexbox) is a set of special CSS attributes. It creates elements that expand or contract ('flex') automatically, depending on their content and layout context. An element with attribute display: flexbox is a flexbox container. The grid is a 12-column fluid grid with a max width of 960px, that shrinks with the browser/device at smaller sizes. Clipbuddy 2 10 1. The max width can be changed with one line of CSS and all columns will resize accordingly. The syntax is simple and it makes coding responsive much easier. Go ahead, resize the browser.
This example implements a responsive website design using CSS, HTML, and JavaScript. The layout has two variations, suitable for both desktop browsers and mobile devices.
- Layout design
- Implementation
- Appearance
Basic setup
Responsive Grid Css
Begin with index.css and index.html from the Grid CSS holy grail layout.
Place index.css and index.html in the same folder. Open index.html in a web browser.
![Responsive Responsive](https://www.bypeople.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/dashboard-control-panel-css-template.png)
Layout design
Our example shows one way to create the home page for a fictional business/service. The home page is the first thing the user sees when visiting the site.
Content outline
The primary information to appear on the home page is listed below.
- Name/logo — The identity of the business/service, located in the header, left justified.
- Announcements — The first section of the main body. The user sees this information above the fold, before seeing items for sale. This space may contain important updates, limited-time deals, or recommended items.
- Items for sale — The name, description, price, and current inventory of various items for sale.
- Upcoming events — Information about future business-related events where the user may want to participate.
- Message of the day — Rotating 'flavor' content, such as a quiz or an inspirational quote.
- Footer — Authorship and/or Copyright information.
Subcontent outline
The following links and supplemental information are accessible on the home page, encouraging the user to explore. This subcontent may appear differently in the layout, depending on the user's viewing device.
- On a desktop browser or a mobile device in landscape mode, all subcontent is displayed.
- On a mobile device in portrait mode or a desktop browser window resized narrow, the side panels disappear. Subcontent is repositioned or available in a menu.
The following subcontent is accessible on the home page.
- About — A link to a separate identity statement page. In desktop/landscape mode, it appears in the header, justified right. In portrait mode, it is a menu item.
- Contact — A link to a separate page with contact information of the business/service, such as a postal address, e-mail address, phone number, etc. In desktop/landscape mode, this link appears in the header, justified right. In portrait mode, it is a menu item.
- Sections — Links to other sections of the website. In portrait mode, each section link is a menu item.
- Partners — Links to partner businesses/services. In desktop/landscape mode, partners are displayed in the right panel. In portrait mode, they are displayed at the bottom of the main body.
Layout diagram
This design has two layout variations.
- One layout for devices in landscape mode.
- One layout for devices in portrait mode.
Desktop browsers are compatible with both, but primarily view the landscape layout.
The layouts are diagrammed as follows.
HTML elements
In this design, the following HTML elements are each assigned a specific layout purpose.
Element | Purpose |
---|---|
<div> | The division or div element is a fundamental building block of the layout. The entire page is contained in a div, including the component grid items (header, panels, main body, footer). A div can contain another div. |
<section> | Contains a unique section of information, such as 'Announcements,' 'Items for sale,' etc. In this layout, the main body is implemented as a section of sections. |
<h1> | Largest heading text, used for the name of the website. |
<h2> | Large heading text, used for the nav items (About, Contact). |
<h3> | Medium heading text, used for section headings (Our friends, Announcements). |
<h4> | Small heading text, used for content titles (Open for business, Cider fest). |
<p> | A paragraph of text expected to flow to the next line. |
<span> | A range of alternate-styled text that doesn't break the paragraph. |
<table> | Tabular information arranged in rows and columns, such as the items for sale. |
Flexbox
CSS Flexible Boxes (abbreviated as Flexbox) is a set of special CSS attributes. It creates elements that expand or contract ('flex') automatically, depending on their content and layout context.
An element with attribute display: flexbox is a flexbox container. If the container shape changes (e.g., if the user resizes the browser window, or rotates their mobile device), its child elements change their relative position and/or shape. The elements flex in one dimension, either horizontally (in a row) or vertically (in a column).
The holy grail layout has five major areas that flex.
- The header and footer flex horizontally (flex-direction: row), left-to-right.
- The left panel, main body, and right panel flex vertically (flex-direction: column), top-to-bottom.
In portrait mode, the panels are hidden. The menu is implemented as a flex column.
Implementation: CSS, JavaScript, and HTML
Responsive Grid Css Generator
CSS: index.css
JavaScript: index.js
This JavaScript implements the menu show/hide toggle, which triggers when the menu button is pressed.
HTML: index.html
Appearance
In landscape view, the panels are displayed.
Landscape/desktop view
Portrait view
In portrait view, the panels are hidden, and the menu is active. Partners are displayed as the final section of the main body.
Additional information
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1. Skeleton
Skeleton is a collection of CSS files for web designers who need to rapidly produce responsive grid layouts. More than just a grid system, Skeleton also offers a few basic features for dealing with common web layout tasks such as a CSS reset for normalizing your CSS.
2. Neat
The primary objective of the Neat grid framework is to promote clean semantic HTML markup by using Sass mixins to avoid excess presentional classes and wrapping
div
elements. Get started with Neat by reading through their docs and studying some examples.3. Simple Grid
If you’re a minimalist, then Simple Grid is a system to check out as it aims to provide you with the bare-minimum you need for creating a responsive CSS grid layout. Also, 1140px is the base width of Simple Grid, not the more-common 1024px, because the Simple Grid creator believes that we’ve outgrown that convention.
4. csswizardry-grids
This responsive grid system’s approach is to go about designing web layouts mobile first. Similar to the Neat philosophy discussed earlier, if you’re concerned about populating your markup with an overabundance of presentational CSS classes, then you have the option to uses Sass’s
@extend
feature with csswizardry-grids.5. Profound Grid
One of Profound Grid’s unique features is that it’s precise in rendering your fluid grid layouts in all the browsers it supports. How does this responsive CSS grid system achieve such a feat? By using negative margins to calculate column dimensions.
6. Griddle
Griddle is for web designers and websites that put the focus towards modern browsers. This CSS grid system is generated using Sass functions and mixins. It leverages the powers of CSS
inline-block
and box-sizing
properties, which gives your layouts some new abilities that traditional float-based layouts can’t provide you.7. Extra Strength Responsive Grids
If you feel that other CSS grid systems are too constraining, if your priority is utmost control over how your responsive layout adapts to the user’s viewing screen, if you care about well-named CSS classes in your markup, you absolutely need to look at Extra Strength Responsive Grids.
8. Proportional Grids
This CSS grid solution solves the problem that often arises when we rescale our layouts; disproportionate sizes of gutters between different viewing situations. Proportional Grids allows you to use fixed units of measurement for your gutters, while still being able to have fluid columns.
9. Dead Simple Grid
This CSS grid is a lightweight at only 250 bytes. If you just want an uncomplicated responsive grid and nothing more, and if you care a lot about front-end web performance, this tiny grid framework, which only has two CSS classes, is the ticket to your needs.
10. Responsive Grid System
The Responsive Grid System affords you a bit more flexibility compared to other CSS grid systems because it gives you the the choice of using any number of columns you need. Say goodbye to restrictively dictatorial 12-column or 16-column grid systems if you go this route.
11. rwdgrid
If you’re familiar and comfortable with the most popular grid system out there, 960 Grid System, then rwdgrid — a responsive CSS grid that uses 960 Grid System’s syntax and philosophies — is worth a peak.
12. CSS Smart Grid
CSS Smart Grid builds upon the 960 Grid System by using a mobile first, responsive approach to grid layouts. Oh, and it’s only 1.2KB.
13. Gridlock
Gridlock illustrates a truly mobile first approach to web design by reversing the typical responsive web design media query logic — it doesn’t apply “desktop version” CSS properties to your HTML elements unless they’re needed, thereby possibly improving rendering speed a tad bit on mobile browsers (because the browser doesn’t need to overwrite any style rules aimed at desktop screens).
Responsive CSS Grid System Comparison Table
Site | Repo | License | Contributors* | Interested** | Docs | Founder | |
Skeleton | GitHub | MIT | 14 | 3,797 | Skeleton docs | @dhg 6,710 | Dave Gamache |
Neat | GitHub | MIT | 12 | 910 | Neat docs | @kaishin 724 | Reda Lemeden, Kyle Fiedler |
Simple Grid | GitHub | Unknown | 1 | 753 | Simple Grid docs | Uknown | ThisIsDallas |
csswizardry-grids | GitHub | Uknown | 2 | 438 | csswizardry-grids docs | @csswizardry 23,145 | Harry Roberts |
Profound Grid | GitHub | WTFPL | 1 | 415 | Profound Grid docs | @weareprofound 72 | Profound |
Griddle | GitHub | MIT | 2 | 266 | Griddle docs | @necolas 15,293 | Nicolas Gallagher |
Extra Strength Responsive Grids | GitHub | Dual: MIT & GPL | 2 | 201 | Self documented | @johnpolacek 4,188 @tsvensen 234 | John Polacek, Tim Svensen, Andrew Pulley |
Proportional Grids | GitHub | Unknown | 1 | 155 | Proportional Grids docs | @mattberridge 898 | Matt Berridge |
Dead Simple Grid | GitHub | Free | 1 | 148 | Dead Simple Grid docs | @mourner 1,073 | Vladimir Agafonkin |
Responsive Grid System | GitHub | Creative Commons | 1 | 86 | Responsive Grid System docs | @graham_r_miller 990 | Graham Miller |
rwdgrid | GitHub | WTFPL | 2 | 83 | Self documented | Unknown | Vineeth G S |
CSS Smart Grid | GitHub | BSD | 1 | 64 | CSS Smart Grid doc | @dryan 2,188 | Daniel Ryan |
Gridlock | GitHub | MIT | 1 | 13 | Gridlock docs | @benplum 264 | Ben Plum |
* Contributors is the number of people contributing to the open source project on GitHub.
** Interested is the number of Watchers the project’s repository has on GitHub.
What Responsive CSS Grid Do You Use?
![Css Css](https://blog.jonstodle.com/images/Screenshot-171110-130145.png)
Do you use a responsive CSS grid system? Talk about it in the comments!