Mastering Bootstrap 4 flexbox for optimal content filling: A comprehensive guide

Question

Mastering Bootstrap 4 flexbox for optimal content filling: A comprehensive guide

I am currently working on an angular app integrated with bootstrap 4. The challenge I am facing is related to the layout design. I have a fixed navbar at the top and a content area below it. Within the content area, I have a div that includes header and footer content while the main content section in between needs to expand to fill the remaining space in the browser window.

Initially, I attempted to use CSS flexbox to achieve this layout, but my implementation did not work as expected when I transitioned to the bootstrap environment. Despite referencing the flexbox utilities in the Bootstrap documentation, I struggled to make the content area expand dynamically.

I experimented with the align-self-stretch property and even tried adding height:100% styles to the containing divs, but these approaches did not yield the desired results. I also created a Plunker example based on a codeply response that seemed promising, but I encountered difficulties integrating it into my angular code.

This is a snippet of the angular component I am currently working on:

<div id="outer" class="d-flex flex-column flex-grow">
    <div id="one" class="">
        header content <br>
        another line <br>
        And another
    </div>
    <div id="two" class="bg-info h-100 flex-grow">
        main content that I want to expand to cover remaining available height
    </div>
    <div id="three" class="">
        footer content
    </div>
</div>

Furthermore, here is the application container structure displaying the navbar and injection point:

<div class="d-flex flex-column h-100">
    <nav class="navbar navbar-toggleable-md sticky-top bg-faded">
        <a class="navbar-brand" href="#">
            <h1 class="navbar-brand mb-0">My App</h1>
        </a>
        <ul class="navbar-nav"> 
            <li class="nav-item"><a class="nav-link" routerLink="/flex">My flex view</a></li>
        </ul>
    </nav>
    <router-outlet></router-outlet>
</div>

My primary goal is to have the #two div expand to fill the available space while keeping the #one and #three divs as headers and footers respectively within the content area. How can I achieve this layout effectively?

css twitter-bootstrap angular flexbox bootstrap-4

Answer 1

Answer №1

Bootstrap 4.1.0 Update

In the latest Bootstrap 4.1.0 version, you'll find the flex-grow-1 and flex-fill classes already included.

Update for Bootstrap 4.0.0

If you're using Bootstrap 4.0.0, simply add the flex-grow class like this:

.flex-grow {
    flex: 1 0 auto;
}

After that, take advantage of the utility classes for the rest of your layout:

<div class="d-flex flex-column h-100">
    <nav class="navbar navbar-toggleable-md sticky-top bg-faded">
        <a class="navbar-brand" href="#">
            <h1 class="navbar-brand mb-0">My App</h1>
        </a>
        <ul class="navbar-nav">
            <li class="nav-item"><a class="nav-link">Item 1</a></li>
        </ul>
    </nav>
    <div id="outer" class="d-flex flex-column flex-grow">
        <div id="one" class="">
            header content
            <br> another line
            <br> And another
        </div>
        <div id="two" class="bg-info h-100 flex-grow">
            main content that I want to expand to cover remaining available height
        </div>
        <div id="three" class="">
            footer content 40px height
        </div>
    </div>
</div>

Check out this example on Bootstrap 4.3.1 showcasing a navbar, sidebar, and footer with a scrolling content area:

Answer 2

Bootstrap 4.1.0 Update

In the latest Bootstrap 4.1.0 version, you'll find the flex-grow-1 and flex-fill classes already included.

Update for Bootstrap 4.0.0

If you're using Bootstrap 4.0.0, simply add the flex-grow class like this:

.flex-grow {
    flex: 1 0 auto;
}

After that, take advantage of the utility classes for the rest of your layout:

<div class="d-flex flex-column h-100">
    <nav class="navbar navbar-toggleable-md sticky-top bg-faded">
        <a class="navbar-brand" href="#">
            <h1 class="navbar-brand mb-0">My App</h1>
        </a>
        <ul class="navbar-nav">
            <li class="nav-item"><a class="nav-link">Item 1</a></li>
        </ul>
    </nav>
    <div id="outer" class="d-flex flex-column flex-grow">
        <div id="one" class="">
            header content
            <br> another line
            <br> And another
        </div>
        <div id="two" class="bg-info h-100 flex-grow">
            main content that I want to expand to cover remaining available height
        </div>
        <div id="three" class="">
            footer content 40px height
        </div>
    </div>
</div>

Check out this example on Bootstrap 4.3.1 showcasing a navbar, sidebar, and footer with a scrolling content area:

Answer 3

Answer №2

To ensure your component stretches vertically along with its content, wrap it in a <flex> element and apply flexbox styling by adding

class="d-flex flex-column flex-grow"

to the <flex>. For a live example, check out this modified version of the plunker provided.

Answer 4

To ensure your component stretches vertically along with its content, wrap it in a <flex> element and apply flexbox styling by adding

class="d-flex flex-column flex-grow"

to the <flex>. For a live example, check out this modified version of the plunker provided.

Answer 5

Answer №3

When incorporating ZimSystem's markup into your Angular plunker, a common issue arises. The component is embedded in the HTML output as an extra container with the 'flex' tag:

<div class="d-flex flex-column h-100">
    <nav class="navbar navbar-toggleable-md sticky-top bg-faded">
        ...
    </nav>
    <router-outlet></router-outlet>
    <flex>
        <div id="outer" class="d-flex flex-column flex-grow">
            ...
        </div>
    </flex>
</div>

To address this issue and ensure proper functionality, you need to eliminate the outer div from the component and apply the flex classes to the component's host container. Take a look at this revised plunker for guidance.

import {Component, NgModule, HostBinding, VERSION} from '@angular/core'
import { RouterOutlet, RouterModule } from '@angular/router' 
import {BrowserModule} from '@angular/platform-browser'

@Component({
    selector: 'flex',
    template: `
        <div id="one" class="">
            header content
            <br> another line
            <br> And another
        </div>
        <div id="two" class="bg-info h-100 flex-grow">
            main content that I want to expand to cover remaining available height
        </div>
        <div id="three" class="">
            footer content
        </div>
    `
})
export class FlexComponent {
    @HostBinding('class') classes = 'd-flex flex-column flex-grow';  
    ...
}

Answer 6

When incorporating ZimSystem's markup into your Angular plunker, a common issue arises. The component is embedded in the HTML output as an extra container with the 'flex' tag:

<div class="d-flex flex-column h-100">
    <nav class="navbar navbar-toggleable-md sticky-top bg-faded">
        ...
    </nav>
    <router-outlet></router-outlet>
    <flex>
        <div id="outer" class="d-flex flex-column flex-grow">
            ...
        </div>
    </flex>
</div>

To address this issue and ensure proper functionality, you need to eliminate the outer div from the component and apply the flex classes to the component's host container. Take a look at this revised plunker for guidance.

import {Component, NgModule, HostBinding, VERSION} from '@angular/core'
import { RouterOutlet, RouterModule } from '@angular/router' 
import {BrowserModule} from '@angular/platform-browser'

@Component({
    selector: 'flex',
    template: `
        <div id="one" class="">
            header content
            <br> another line
            <br> And another
        </div>
        <div id="two" class="bg-info h-100 flex-grow">
            main content that I want to expand to cover remaining available height
        </div>
        <div id="three" class="">
            footer content
        </div>
    `
})
export class FlexComponent {
    @HostBinding('class') classes = 'd-flex flex-column flex-grow';  
    ...
}

Answer 7

Answer №4

If you find yourself unable to manage the behavior of the class you are working with, consider removing it completely and utilizing only this CSS:

html,
body,
flex {
  height: 100%;
  margin: 0;
}

.outer {
  display: flex;
  flex-direction: column;
  height: 100%;
}

.two {
  background-color: #123;
  flex-grow: 1;
  color: #FFF;
}

<flex>
  <div class="outer">
    <div class="one">
      Hey. This is header. <br> Hey. This is header. <br> Hey. This is header. <br> Hey. This is header. <br>
    </div>
    <div class="two">
      Hey. This is body
    </div>
    <div class="three">
      Hey. This is footer <br> Hey. This is footer <br>
    </div>
  </div>
</flex>

Answer 8

If you find yourself unable to manage the behavior of the class you are working with, consider removing it completely and utilizing only this CSS:

html,
body,
flex {
  height: 100%;
  margin: 0;
}

.outer {
  display: flex;
  flex-direction: column;
  height: 100%;
}

.two {
  background-color: #123;
  flex-grow: 1;
  color: #FFF;
}

<flex>
  <div class="outer">
    <div class="one">
      Hey. This is header. <br> Hey. This is header. <br> Hey. This is header. <br> Hey. This is header. <br>
    </div>
    <div class="two">
      Hey. This is body
    </div>
    <div class="three">
      Hey. This is footer <br> Hey. This is footer <br>
    </div>
  </div>
</flex>

Answer 9

Answer №5

.container {
  display: flex;
  flex-direction: column;
  height: 100vh;
}

.fill-space {
  flex: 1;
}

Create a container element to group your content sections, and assign the fill-space class to the one you want to expand and fill the available space.

Answer 10

.container {
  display: flex;
  flex-direction: column;
  height: 100vh;
}

.fill-space {
  flex: 1;
}

Create a container element to group your content sections, and assign the fill-space class to the one you want to expand and fill the available space.

Answer 11

Answer №6

CSS

html, body {
  height: 100%;
}

.flex-grow {
  flex: 1;
}

flex.components.ts

//our root app component
import {Component, NgModule, VERSION} from '@angular/core'
import { RouterOutlet, RouterModule } from '@angular/router' 
import {BrowserModule} from '@angular/platform-browser'

@Component({
  selector: 'flex',
  host: {'class': 'flex-grow'},
  template: `

<div id="outer" class="d-flex flex-column h-100 flex-grow">
  <div id="one" class="">
    header content
    <br> another line
    <br> And another
  </div>
  <div id="two" class="bg-info flex-grow">
    main content that I want to expand to cover remaining available height
  </div>
  <div id="three" class="">
    footer content
  </div>
</div>        

  ` 
})
export class FlexComponent {
  constructor() {}
}

Result - https://plnkr.co/edit/vQS7Jw58zmlVshz9YmQ8?p=preview Appreciate the assistance:)

Answer 12

CSS

html, body {
  height: 100%;
}

.flex-grow {
  flex: 1;
}

flex.components.ts

//our root app component
import {Component, NgModule, VERSION} from '@angular/core'
import { RouterOutlet, RouterModule } from '@angular/router' 
import {BrowserModule} from '@angular/platform-browser'

@Component({
  selector: 'flex',
  host: {'class': 'flex-grow'},
  template: `

<div id="outer" class="d-flex flex-column h-100 flex-grow">
  <div id="one" class="">
    header content
    <br> another line
    <br> And another
  </div>
  <div id="two" class="bg-info flex-grow">
    main content that I want to expand to cover remaining available height
  </div>
  <div id="three" class="">
    footer content
  </div>
</div>        

  ` 
})
export class FlexComponent {
  constructor() {}
}

Result - https://plnkr.co/edit/vQS7Jw58zmlVshz9YmQ8?p=preview Appreciate the assistance:)

Answer 13

Answer №7

If you want the component to expand to fit its container and behave as a flexible column, you can use the :host selector to target the component element.

flex.component.ts

  @Component({
    selector: 'flex',
    template: `

  <div id="outer" class="d-flex flex-column flex-grow">
    <div id="one" class="">
      header content
      <br> another line
      <br> And another
    </div>
    <div id="two" class="bg-info h-100 flex-grow">
      main content that I want to expand to cover remaining available height
    </div>
    <div id="three" class="">
      footer content
    </div>
  </div>        

    `,
    styles: [':host {flex: 1 0 auto; display: flex; flex-direction: column }']
  })

The plunk has been updated.

Answer 14

If you want the component to expand to fit its container and behave as a flexible column, you can use the :host selector to target the component element.

flex.component.ts

  @Component({
    selector: 'flex',
    template: `

  <div id="outer" class="d-flex flex-column flex-grow">
    <div id="one" class="">
      header content
      <br> another line
      <br> And another
    </div>
    <div id="two" class="bg-info h-100 flex-grow">
      main content that I want to expand to cover remaining available height
    </div>
    <div id="three" class="">
      footer content
    </div>
  </div>        

    `,
    styles: [':host {flex: 1 0 auto; display: flex; flex-direction: column }']
  })

The plunk has been updated.

Mastering Bootstrap 4 flexbox for optimal content filling: A comprehensive guide

Answer №1

Answer №2

Answer №3

Answer №4

Answer №5

Answer №6

Answer №7

Similar questions

Revamping the Look: Refreshing Background of Div

ngx-emoji mart - The error message "Type 'string' is not assignable" is being displayed

How can I store the status of checked and unchecked checkboxes in an array of objects using Angular 7?

Unable to match the height of the inner card image in bootstrap with the height of the outer card image

What is the best way to create a mirrored effect for either a card or text using CSS

What is the best way to anchor an image to the bottom right corner while also adjusting its position as

The ideal caret position while utilizing flexbox for centering within a contenteditable element

I'm having trouble figuring out how to access response headers with HttpClient in Angular 5. Can anyone

Exploring the Nested JSON Data Loop with *ngFor in Angular 5/4

unrestricted motion through the utilization of css3 transitions and translations

What is the method for altering font color in HTML?

"Implementing a feature to apply the 'current' class to a div

What options are available for labels in Bootstrap v5.0.0-beta1 compared to BS 3/4?

Sorting does not function properly when utilizing the primeng p-datatable for custom sorting

What is the best way to ensure jQuery loads before CSS code on a website

Tips for making a screen adapt to different monitor resolutions

The compiler is unable to locate the node_module (Error: "Module name not found")

Ways to retrieve the following angular.callbacks.counter within angular2

Retrieve the product IDs by selecting the checkboxes, then compile a fresh array consisting of the identified IDs

Creating a bordered triangle using only CSS