How does margin:auto differ from using justify-content and align-items center together?

If you want to center both horizontally and vertically at the same time, there are two easy methods available:

Option One

.outer {
  display:flex;
}
.inner {
  margin:auto;
}

Option Two

.outer {
  display: flex;
  justify-content: center;
  align-items: center;
}

Wondering about the distinction? And when should one be chosen over the other?

Answer №1

In the initial example provided...

.outer {
  display: flex;
}
.inner {
  margin: auto;
}

Here, the use of auto margin only centers the specific flex item within the container.

Now, moving on to the second example...

.outer {
  display: flex;
  justify-content: center;
  align-items: center;
}

This method centralizes all items at the container level. All elements will be centered using this code block.

It is important to note that if both techniques are employed simultaneously, margin: auto should take precedence.

8.1. Aligning with auto margins

Prior to alignment via justify-content and align-self, any positive free space is distributed to auto margins in that dimension

If free space is distributed to auto margins, the alignment properties will have no effect in that dimension because the margins will have stolen all the free space left over after flexing.

One crucial distinction for practical purposes lies in handling cases where a flex item exceeds the container size. In such situations, the container-level approach may cause parts of the item to become inaccessible as they vanish off-screen and resist scrolling attempts.

To effectively address this issue, it is recommended to utilize margin: auto to ensure proper centering functionality.

For further insights, consider checking out these resources:

  • Can't scroll to top of flex item that is overflowing container
  • Center a flex item vertically and horizontally (view Box #56)

Issues specific to IE browsers:

  • Flex auto margin not working in IE10/11
  • Flexbox auto margins don't work with justify-content: center in IE

Similar questions

If you have not found the answer to your question or you are interested in this topic, then look at other similar questions below or use the search

How can I prevent a repetitive div from appearing in a JQuery show/hide function?

Whenever I trigger my AJAX function, the loading image keeps repeating every time I click on the next page. I want to prevent this repetitive loading image and only display it once when I go to the next page. To address this issue, I created a <div cla ...

"Combining the powers of Ajax, jQuery, and PHP

I have developed a jQuery form that looks like this <div data-role="page" id="page3" data-theme="d" > <div data-role="header"> <h1 style="font-family: 'Open Sans Condensed', sans-serif;font- size:23px">LetsAllSave</h1> ...

Issues with Swiper functionality in Jquery Mobile

I have implemented the Swiper plugin by idangero.us along with jQuery Mobile... In this case, I am utilizing the Scroll Container Swiper for a content slider... However, I am encountering several difficulties when trying to integrate the code... You can ...

identifying the element targeted on dynamically created links with the help of jquery

I have created dynamic links where clicking on a country link displays the cities of that particular country. I am trying to retrieve the event.target.id of the dynamically generated city link when it is clicked. $(".countryName").children().on('cl ...

Style the CSS exclusively to the expanded menu section

I need help with applying CSS rules to my navbar menu without affecting the collapsed menu. I came across a solution here and tried using this code: @media (min-width: 980px) { /* your conditional CSS*/ } However, the issue arises when my browser win ...

Achieving dynamic HTML element addition through JavaScript while maintaining their record in PHP

There is an input box where the user specifies the number of new DIV elements to be added dynamically. This request is then sent to PHP via Ajax, where it prepares an HTML DIV with some inner input tags. Each DIV has a unique id attribute generated increme ...

A simple way to initiate an AJAX call once the page has completed loading is by using the `window.location.href` as the

I encountered an issue with my event listener setup function navBtn() { $('#navBtn').on('click', (event) => { window.location.href = 'someotherfile.html'; myAJAXrequest(); }) } The problem I'm facing is that ...

Enhance the serialization with more information when submitting

I'm trying to submit form data along with some extra information using serializeArray, but for some reason it's not working as expected. $("#submitBtn").submit(function(ev) { ev.preventDefault(); var info = $(this).serializeArray(); info ...

Explore Site Configuration

When it comes to creating a responsive site with the given layouts: If you have a fixed header (4rem), how can you set up the main container (C & D) to have a maximum height of 100% and scroll independently based on the overall height of the contents in C ...

Top-notch tools and guides for front-end web development

As I prepare to transition to a new role focused on front-end web development, specifically CSS and jQuery, I am seeking recommendations for valuable resources to enhance my skills in these areas. Whether it be books, websites, blogs, or any other medium, ...

placed three blocks inside the table cell

Is there a way to align three blocks in the table-cell layout so that p1 is at the top, p2 is at the bottom, and p3 is in the middle? Here is the corresponding HTML: <div id="table"> <div id="row"> <div id= ...

Can a ng-repeat value be assigned to a text input field?

<tr ng-repeat="person in users" ng-class="{'chosen': person.AdmissionID == currentSelection}" ng-click="selectRow(person.AdmissionID)"> <td>{{person.AdmissionID}}</td> <td>{{person.AdmissionNumber}}</td> ...

Currently, I am working on a project and encountering an issue with html2canvas

const handleDownloadImage = async () => { try { const canvas = await html2canvas(cardRef.current); console.log(cardRef.current); const imageData = canvas.toDataURL("image/png"); setImageUrl(imageData); } catch ( ...

Use CSS to target elements with IDs that have been generated randomly

Unfamiliar with the specific IDs, this markup presents a challenge: #product-20625055 { background-color: #FC0; } #product-66980342 { background-color: #0CF; } #product-54722210 { background-color: #F0C; } <div class="product" id="product-20625055"&g ...

Creating a set in AngularJS JSON data structure can be easily achieved by using the unique

Here is a JSON structure: { "list": [{ "name": "1", "type": ["A", "B"], }, { "name": "2", "type": ["A", "D", "C"], }, { "name": "3", "type": ["D", ...

Creating a list of font sizes for each <p> tag in my HTML document

I am looking to create an array containing the font sizes of all the p tags in my HTML document. How can I specifically target only the p elements and not their parent elements? ...

Ways to customize the color of a ReactSelect component?

Hey there! I'm currently utilizing the React select component, with the following import statement: import ReactSelect, {ValueType} from 'react-select'; Here is what my component currently looks like: https://i.stack.imgur.com/yTmW4.png Th ...

A step-by-step guide on ensuring mandatory completion of all input fields prior to form submission

I'm new to JavaScript and I need some help. Currently, I am trying to implement input field validation using pure JavaScript for a form. However, I am facing an issue where the "Required" message only appears next to the last name input. What I want ...

grab the content from a text editor and insert it into a div element

Currently, I am trying to extract text from my content editable div and place it in another div (similar to the one seen on stack overflow). However, I am encountering a frustrating issue. 1. My content div seems to be lagging behind. When I type in my ed ...

Preserving the position of inline text

I've been working on a button design that I want to make look more realistic by moving the text down 1px inside the button when it's pressed. To achieve this effect, I added an extra pixel to the top and removed one from the bottom. However, the ...