Create a div in CSS that is square and relatively positioned

Is there a way to use CSS alone to ensure that a div with relative positioning remains perfectly square in all scenarios? I have a script that allows users to upload images, which are then applied as the background image.

The challenge is that the system must accommodate images of varying sizes, so setting specific height and width values is not an option.

Answer №1

Step 1

To ensure a square aspect ratio for the div regardless of its width, set the padding-bottom to 100%. Utilize position: relative/absolute to position a child element that fills the entire container. This CSS technique is commonly used for embedding videos at specific aspect ratios but can be applied to various content types.

I have provided a working example in a fiddle. Note that I used SuitCSS' flex embed component, but you have the flexibility to use any other method.

View Example

HTML:

<div class="FlexEmbed FlexEmbed-ratio">
  <div class="UserImage FlexEmbed-content"></div>
</div>

CSS:

/*
 * FlexEmbed component from suit-css. 
 * @see: https://github.com/suitcss/components-flex-embed/blob/master/lib/flex-embed.css
 * @see: http://suitcss.github.io/components-flex-embed/test/
 * @see: http://alistapart.com/article/creating-intrinsic-ratios-for-video
 */ 

.FlexEmbed {
  display: block;
  overflow: hidden;
  position: relative;
}

/**
 * The aspect-ratio hack is applied to an empty element because it allows
 * the component to respect `max-height`. Default aspect ratio is 1:1.
 */

.FlexEmbed-ratio {
  display: block;
  padding-bottom: 100%;
  width: 100%;
}

/**
 * Fit the content to the aspect ratio
 */

.FlexEmbed-content {
  bottom: 0;
  height: 100%;
  left: 0;
  position: absolute;
  top: 0;
  width: 100%;
}

Step 2

Choose a method to resize images to fit or fill their containers. Consider options like backend image manipulation libraries, CSS background-size: cover property, or JavaScript image cropping through DOM manipulation.

Hoping this information proves useful!

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