This is what we call the space between two grid lines. Depending on whether they are vertical or horizontal, you can refer to them as either column grid lines or row grid lines. The term Grid line refers to the border between each grid item and makes up the structure of the grid.
However, their children (or sub-items) are not. Using the same example as before, the divs with the classes item and another-item are grid items. This is the term for all the children (direct descendants) of the grid container. In the example below, the div with the class container is the grid container. It will contain all the grid items and is defined via display: grid. This is the basic element that will hold your CSS grid. However, it’s important to know them and understand the underlying concept to be able to manipulate your design. Important TerminologyĪs you will see, there aren’t many terms to remember.
In the following, we will cover the basic terminology of this module as well as show you how to create your first grid. So now that we’ve properly defined what we are talking about, it’s time to dive into the meat and potatoes of this CSS Grid tutorial. For everything else, frameworks are a viable solution.
So, opt for CSS Grid for custom layouts with a leaner code base. As such, CSS Grid is even easier to master than a framework. You can build any type of layout relying solely on native CSS features and there is no need to introduce or use special classes in your HTML. CSS frameworks are also decried as being bloated due to the sheer amount of code they contain.ĬSS Grid, on the other hand, is more lightweight than a framework. You cannot use your own classes or add your own elements. However, because they offer so much, frameworks can be restrictive in that they force you to design in a certain way. They also come with different UI components like buttons, accordions, sliders, and more. They allow you to create complete website layouts without having to write the entire CSS code from scratch. Again, the answer here is that although both help you layout a website, they’re not really interchangeable.ĬSS frameworks are easy to learn and use if you’re a complete beginner. CSS FrameworksĪnother question that arises is whether you should use CSS Grid instead of a framework like Bootstrap.
If you need full control over the alignment both ways, CSS Grid is the way to go. In short, use Flexbox for linear layouts where you only need to define one dimension and let the rest take care of itself. CSS Grid, on the other hand, defines a layout and then places content inside of it. With the former, you define rules on how your content is going to arrange itself in a layout. It’s also important to remember that Flexbox uses a content-first approach while the CSS grid uses a layout-first approach. This gives you more control over the alignment of page elements. In simple terms, Flexbox is used for one-dimensional layouts (either rows or columns) while CSS Grid works in two-dimensions, both horizontally and vertically. While their methodology is similar and both are used to create layouts, they have a very different purpose. No CSS Grid tutorial is complete without a comparison between this module and Flexbox. It also has good browser support so there is nothing stopping you from using it in your design projects. You no longer have to rely on tables, floats, or other awkward solutions.ĬSS Grid is flexible enough to be used as part of a page or to build an entire page layout on its own. To make things even better, grids can overlap which allows you to create more advanced page structures.Īs a consequence, this module makes it simple to natively design layouts with CSS. This provides great options to rearrange your layouts for mobile designs. Source: w3.orgĬSS Grid also controls the order of the items via CSS, independent from the underlying HTML. At its basis, it consists of a container element and its children, with the latter arranged into columns and rows. What is CSS Grid (And Why Should You Be Using It)?ĬSS Grid is a CSS module that allows you to define two-dimensional grid-based layout systems. We’ll explain what CSS Grid is, why you should use it, how to create a basic grid layout, and where you can learn more. In this tutorial on CSS Grid, we’ll go over its basics and give you the resources you’ll need to master it. It is the first CSS module developed specifically to solve the problem of making layouts with CSS. The CSS Grid property finally allows web designers to make two-dimensional layouts that are not only easy to implement but also responsive. Thankfully, this CSS Grid tutorial is going to change that. Doing so always relied on using properties like floats and absolute positioning, which had their own flaws and challenges. For a long time, the one flaw in CSS was that there was no straightforward way to create layouts.