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CSS Grid Basics

CSS Grid Basics

CSS Grid Layout provides a powerful way to create complex web layouts with ease. This section introduces the fundamental concepts of CSS Grid, including how to set up a grid container, define grid columns and rows, and use grid template areas.


Introduction to CSS Grid Layout

CSS Grid Layout is a two-dimensional layout system that allows you to design web layouts with rows and columns. It enables you to create complex and responsive designs using a straightforward set of properties.

To use CSS Grid, you start by defining a grid container, then place grid items within it, and finally configure the layout of the grid using various properties.


Display Property: display: grid

The display property with the value grid turns an element into a grid container:

.grid-container {
  display: grid;
}

Once you set an element to display: grid;, its child elements become grid items that you can control using grid-specific properties.


Defining Grid Columns and Rows

To create a grid layout, you need to define how many columns and rows the grid should have. This is done using the grid-template-columns and grid-template-rows properties.

grid-template-columns

The grid-template-columns property specifies the number and size of columns in the grid. You can use various units such as pixels, percentages, or fractions:

.grid-container {
  display: grid;
  grid-template-columns: 100px 200px 1fr;
}

In this example, the grid has three columns: the first is 100px wide, the second is 200px wide, and the third takes up the remaining space.

grid-template-rows

The grid-template-rows property defines the number and size of rows in the grid:

.grid-container {
  display: grid;
  grid-template-rows: auto 100px 200px;
}

Here, the grid has three rows: the first adjusts its height based on content, the second is 100px tall, and the third is 200px tall.


Basic Grid Template Areas

The grid-template-areas property allows you to define named areas within the grid. This makes it easier to place items in specific regions of the layout:

.grid-container {
  display: grid;
  grid-template-areas:
    "header header header"
    "main main sidebar"
    "footer footer footer";
  grid-template-columns: 1fr 3fr 1fr;
  grid-template-rows: 100px auto 50px;
}

.header {
  grid-area: header;
}

.main {
  grid-area: main;
}

.sidebar {
  grid-area: sidebar;
}

.footer {
  grid-area: footer;
}

In this example, the grid is divided into four areas: header, main, sidebar, and footer. The grid-template-areas property assigns these areas to specific parts of the grid.


Conclusion

CSS Grid Layout provides a robust and flexible way to create web layouts. By understanding the basic properties and techniques, you can build sophisticated designs that are easy to manage and adapt to different screen sizes.

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