build/width-vs-flex-basis/index.html


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<h1 id="width-or-flex-basis">Width or Flex-Basis?</h1>
<p>2018-11-28</p>
<p>Creating rows and columns of elements that adapt dynamically can be a little tricky depending on the desired outcome. Let&#8217;s breakdown how to solve this issue using both <code>inline-block</code> paired with <code>width</code> and <code>flex-basis</code>.</p>
<h2 id="width">Width</h2>
<p>Setting the width of the inner children to a divisible value and setting their display to <code>inline-block</code>, we are able to create self-wrapping elements:</p>
<pre><code>.width-container {
    display: block;
}
.width-container__item {
    display: inline-block;
    width: calc(33% - 3px); &#47;* Fix for wonky inline-block margins *&#47;
}
</code></pre>
<h3 id="pros">Pros</h3>
<ul>
<li>Full browser support (as far back as IE6)</li>
<li>No floats needed</li>
</ul>
<h3 id="cons">Cons</h3>
<ul>
<li>Buggy <code>margin</code> workaround needed</li>
<li>Wrapped elements cannot dynamically fill remaining empty parent space</li>
</ul>
<h2 id="flex-basis">Flex-basis</h2>
<p>This is my personal preference for dynamically wrapping inner children elements. Simply set the parent as <code>display: flex</code>, allow flex-wrapping and then set the <code>flex-basis</code> of the children to any percentage value.</p>
<pre><code>.flex-container {
    display: flex;
    flex-wrap: wrap;
}
.flex-container__item {
    flex: 1 1 auto;
    flex-basis: 33%;
}
</code></pre>
<p>You will also notice the <code>flex</code> property set to <code>1 1 auto</code>. This is important if you require your wrapped elements to fill the remaining space of the parent container.</p>
<h3 id="pros-1">Pros</h3>
<ul>
<li>No buggy margins to play with</li>
<li>Dynamically renders children to fill parent container if <code>flex</code> is set</li>
<li>Scales well across screen &#47; device sizes</li>
</ul>
<h3 id="cons-1">Cons</h3>
<ul>
<li>Some versions of IE struggle with browser support</li>
</ul>
<h2 id="codepen-demo">CodePen Demo</h2>
<p>Feel free to play around with a slightly more stylized version of both options below:</p>
<p>CodePen Demo: Width or flex-basis</p>
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