Fluid designs in CSS with static padding and margins

Question

Fluid designs in CSS with static padding and margins

Is there a method that allows for the incorporation of pixel width paddings or margins in a fluid column design, without requiring additional html markup?

To better explain, consider a basic html/css layout like this:

<style>
    .cont{width:500px;height:200px;border:1px solid black;}
    .col{float:left;}
    #foo{background-color:blue;width:10%;}
    #bar{background-color:yellow;width:30%;}
    #baz{background-color:red;width:60%;}
</style>
<div class="cont">
    <div class="col" id="foo">Foo</div>
    <div class="col" id="bar">Bar</div>
    <div class="col" id="baz">Baz</div>
</div>

This setup works fine (ignoring any potential display bugs). However, once padding of 10px is added to the col class, the floats no longer align correctly. The same issue arises if a 3px border is applied to the col class. While negative margin techniques can counteract the box model's added pixels, they do not adjust the <div> width. Essentially, the goal is to maintain a 10% width with 10px of that percentage dedicated to padding (or margin).

html css fluid

Answer 1

Answer №1

To achieve the desired layout without additional html markup in pre-CSS3, you can utilize an extra wrapper for each div. The width property does not account for padding and borders by default. To avoid negative margins, add a wrapper with the following CSS:

.padder {border: 3px solid green; padding: 10px;}

The corresponding HTML structure would be:

<div class="cont">
    <div class="col" id="foo"><div class="padder">Foo</div></div>
    <div class="col" id="bar"><div class="padder">Bar</div></div>
    <div class="col" id="baz"><div class="padder">Baz</div></div>
</div>

If you need compatibility with CSS3, consider using bobince's solution which involves using box-sizing.

Answer 2

To achieve the desired layout without additional html markup in pre-CSS3, you can utilize an extra wrapper for each div. The width property does not account for padding and borders by default. To avoid negative margins, add a wrapper with the following CSS:

.padder {border: 3px solid green; padding: 10px;}

The corresponding HTML structure would be:

<div class="cont">
    <div class="col" id="foo"><div class="padder">Foo</div></div>
    <div class="col" id="bar"><div class="padder">Bar</div></div>
    <div class="col" id="baz"><div class="padder">Baz</div></div>
</div>

If you need compatibility with CSS3, consider using bobince's solution which involves using box-sizing.

Answer 3

Answer №2

To achieve this, you can utilize the box-sizing property to alter how width is calculated, including padding (and border—similar to the box model in Quirks Mode without its associated issues).

box-sizing is a CSS3 style that is currently in the proposal stage. However, it may not be compatible with older or lesser-known browsers and might require prefixing on certain browsers.

.col{
    float:left; padding: 10px;
    box-sizing: border-box; -moz-box-sizing: border-box; -webkit-box-sizing: border-box;
}

Unfortunately, box-sizing does not function in IE versions prior to IE8. To avoid resorting to Quirks Mode for those browsers—and it's strongly recommended not to do so—you could consider using fix scripts/behaviors that attempt to implement box-sizing on IE6-7.

If these solutions are insufficient, the fallback option is to use the wrapper method suggested by Scott. This method should work universally across all platforms.

When working with percentages that sum up to 100% and liquid layouts, exercise caution. Rounding discrepancies may occur if the pixel width does not evenly divide by the specified percentages. WebKit usually rounds down while IE6-7 rounds to the nearest value, potentially causing floats to wrap unexpectedly due to a one or two-pixel difference.

Answer 4

To achieve this, you can utilize the box-sizing property to alter how width is calculated, including padding (and border—similar to the box model in Quirks Mode without its associated issues).

box-sizing is a CSS3 style that is currently in the proposal stage. However, it may not be compatible with older or lesser-known browsers and might require prefixing on certain browsers.

.col{
    float:left; padding: 10px;
    box-sizing: border-box; -moz-box-sizing: border-box; -webkit-box-sizing: border-box;
}

Unfortunately, box-sizing does not function in IE versions prior to IE8. To avoid resorting to Quirks Mode for those browsers—and it's strongly recommended not to do so—you could consider using fix scripts/behaviors that attempt to implement box-sizing on IE6-7.

If these solutions are insufficient, the fallback option is to use the wrapper method suggested by Scott. This method should work universally across all platforms.

When working with percentages that sum up to 100% and liquid layouts, exercise caution. Rounding discrepancies may occur if the pixel width does not evenly divide by the specified percentages. WebKit usually rounds down while IE6-7 rounds to the nearest value, potentially causing floats to wrap unexpectedly due to a one or two-pixel difference.

Answer 5

Answer №3

One alternative is to manually compute the width, margin, and padding.

This can be done as the container has a set width.

Answer 6

One alternative is to manually compute the width, margin, and padding.

This can be done as the container has a set width.

Answer 7

Answer №4

If you want to streamline your web design process and avoid a multitude of issues, consider exploring 960 grids (960.gs), Blueprint () or YUI (http://developer.yahoo.com/yui/grids/). These frameworks have carefully resolved common design problems by allowing you to simply define a percentage or number of grids, with the framework handling the rest of the heavy lifting. YUI and 960 even offer a convenient generator tool so you can bypass tedious manual work. Additionally, many of these CSS frameworks include a css "reset" feature that rectifies IE flaws and standardizes fonts, spacing, and other elements that tend to cause frustration for UI designers.

I recently completed a regulatory compliance update across thousands of webpages with diverse designs for a prominent international bank. We opted for YUI at the onset and I quickly developed an appreciation for its straightforward "grids" function due to its effortless implementation. The framework has efficiently managed sites attracting over 1 million unique visitors daily without any hiccups or noticeable lag. Once you become familiar with how it functions, you can lay out a website within minutes, eliminating concerns about floats, padding, and more. In my personal projects, I leverage both Blueprint and 960 for similar reasons.

Answer 8

If you want to streamline your web design process and avoid a multitude of issues, consider exploring 960 grids (960.gs), Blueprint () or YUI (http://developer.yahoo.com/yui/grids/). These frameworks have carefully resolved common design problems by allowing you to simply define a percentage or number of grids, with the framework handling the rest of the heavy lifting. YUI and 960 even offer a convenient generator tool so you can bypass tedious manual work. Additionally, many of these CSS frameworks include a css "reset" feature that rectifies IE flaws and standardizes fonts, spacing, and other elements that tend to cause frustration for UI designers.

I recently completed a regulatory compliance update across thousands of webpages with diverse designs for a prominent international bank. We opted for YUI at the onset and I quickly developed an appreciation for its straightforward "grids" function due to its effortless implementation. The framework has efficiently managed sites attracting over 1 million unique visitors daily without any hiccups or noticeable lag. Once you become familiar with how it functions, you can lay out a website within minutes, eliminating concerns about floats, padding, and more. In my personal projects, I leverage both Blueprint and 960 for similar reasons.

Fluid designs in CSS with static padding and margins

Answer №1

Answer №2

Answer №3

Answer №4

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