A Guide for Developers
If you have been working with CSS Grid until now, you know how powerful and versatile this technology is for web page design. However, there are instances where switching from Flexbox to Grid may be beneficial, especially if you are looking for simpler CSS code or if the projects require more adaptability to complex layouts. Sometimes, changing requirements or improving layouts for certain browsers may mean you want to convert your styling from Grid to Flexbox.
By using Flexbox, you can have more control over aligning and distributing space within a container. For many needs, Flexbox is sufficient and can even allow you to work with less code, thus streamlining your work process. Various reasons can lead you to switch from Grid to Flexbox, some of which may include greater simplicity in layout, better adaptability with older browsers, or needing more user experience in diverse environments.
In this guide, you will learn how to easily convert your CSS Grid Layout to Flexbox, as we will explore together. This conversion may initially seem complex, but once you understand the principles of each technique, you will find how easy this task can be.
Along with coding examples, we will show you how layouts designed with Grid can be recreated using Flexbox. This will help you understand better how each technique works and allows you to grasp the functionality of each method.
<!-- Example of Grid code -->
<div class="grid-container">
<div class="grid-item">1</div>
<div class="grid-item">2</div>
<div class="grid-item">3</div>
</div>
.grid-container {
display: grid;
grid-template-columns: auto auto auto;
gap: 10px;
}
-- Example of converted code to Flexbox -->
<div class="flex-container">
<div class="flex-item">1</div>
<div class="flex-item">2</div>
<div class="flex-item">3</div>
</div>
.flex-container {
display: flex;
justify-content: space-around;
gap: 10px;
}
Line-by-Line Code Description:
<div class="grid-container">This section is the main container for Grid items.
.grid-container { display: grid; }This defines the container as a Grid.
grid-template-columns: auto auto auto;This sets the number and width of columns in the Grid.
<div class="flex-container">A new container is created for Flexbox.
.flex-container { display: flex; }This defines the container as a Flexbox.
justify-content: space-around;This will distribute space evenly among items within the container.