Mastering CSS Layout: Unraveling the Power of Design Patterns
Knowing how to approach CSS layout can be challenging for web development. Knowing where to start can be so tricky. This problem worsens when we hear CSS Flexbox is for one-dimensional layouts and CSS Grid is for two-dimensional layouts. Not only is this misleading advice, it does nothing to help you know how to start tackling a problem like laying out a simple landing page. No wonder developers gravitate to using a 12-column grid system. Unfortunately, this only delays the problem because, eventually, you will run into a scenario that can only be solved with a 12-column grid. Then you are stuck throwing "mud on the wall" in hopes your layout will stick, leaving you too scared to change a single property since you are never quite sure which combination of CSS properties you need to make it work. However, embracing design patterns simplifies the process. It forces you to think about what technology you should use rather than what problem you must solve. Once you understand your problem more clearly, the choice of display properties is apparent. Ultimately, embracing design patterns creates more maintainable CSS. This tutorial will explore common design patterns, namely The Stack and The Inline Clusters, and how to implement them using Grid and Flexbox. For any design pattern, it is essential first to understand what problem it solves. The Stack design pattern solves the problem of needing to place items on top of each other while maintaining a consistent vertical space between them.