Show the table within the flex container

Question

Show the table within the flex container

I have a question about CSS. Is it possible to apply display: table to a flex item?

Whenever I try to do this, the layout doesn't behave as expected - specifically, the second flex item does not fill the available vertical/horizontal space.

.container {
  min-height: 200px;
  border: 1px solid black;
  display: flex;
  flex-direction: column;
  text-align: center;
}

.header {
  background-color: gray;
}

.content {
  flex: 1;
  display: table;
  background-color: red;
}

.content > span {
  display: table-cell;
  vertical-align: middle;
}

<div class="container">
  <div class="header">
    <span>Header</span>
  </div>
  <div class="content">
    <span>Main content</span>
  </div>
</div>

css flexbox

Answer 1

Answer №1

Sure, it is possible to achieve the desired layout using different techniques.

One approach could be utilizing flex properties extensively for better control over layout.

.wrapper {
  height: 300px;
  border: 1px solid black;
  display: flex;
  flex-direction: column;
  text-align: center;
}

.header {
  background-color: lightblue;
}

.main-content {
  flex: 1;
  background-color: lightgrey;  
  display: flex;
  align-items: center;
  justify-content: center;
}

<div class="wrapper">
  <div class="header">
    <span>Header</span>
  </div>
  <div class="main-content">
    <span>Main content</span>
  </div>
</div>

On a side note:

The behavior of a table element is unique and requires special handling compared to regular block or inline elements. To integrate a table within a flex layout, specific height settings are necessary for both parent and child elements, as demonstrated in this example: http://jsfiddle.net/LGSon/0bzewkf4.

Although display: table may seem like a feasible solution, it's essential to acknowledge that the limitations of flex can impact height restrictions, leading to unexpected results. In such cases, it is not the display: table property causing conflicts but rather the intrinsic behaviors of flex.

For additional insights into addressing potential issues with flexbox, feel free to explore my response on managing overflow concerns in IE11: Normalizing Flexbox overflow in IE11

Answer 2

Sure, it is possible to achieve the desired layout using different techniques.

One approach could be utilizing flex properties extensively for better control over layout.

.wrapper {
  height: 300px;
  border: 1px solid black;
  display: flex;
  flex-direction: column;
  text-align: center;
}

.header {
  background-color: lightblue;
}

.main-content {
  flex: 1;
  background-color: lightgrey;  
  display: flex;
  align-items: center;
  justify-content: center;
}

<div class="wrapper">
  <div class="header">
    <span>Header</span>
  </div>
  <div class="main-content">
    <span>Main content</span>
  </div>
</div>

On a side note:

The behavior of a table element is unique and requires special handling compared to regular block or inline elements. To integrate a table within a flex layout, specific height settings are necessary for both parent and child elements, as demonstrated in this example: http://jsfiddle.net/LGSon/0bzewkf4.

Although display: table may seem like a feasible solution, it's essential to acknowledge that the limitations of flex can impact height restrictions, leading to unexpected results. In such cases, it is not the display: table property causing conflicts but rather the intrinsic behaviors of flex.

For additional insights into addressing potential issues with flexbox, feel free to explore my response on managing overflow concerns in IE11: Normalizing Flexbox overflow in IE11

Answer 3

Answer №2

It's often questioned why one would use a table within a flexbox layout... However, a solution is to set a specific width for the table and have it inherit the minimum height from its parent element.

.parent {
  min-height: 200px;
  border: 1px solid black;
  display: flex;
  flex-direction: column;
  text-align: center;
}

.header {
  background-color: gray;
}

.content {
  display: table;
  flex:1;
  background-color: red;
  width:100%;

min-height:inherit; 
}

.content > span {
  display: table-cell;
  vertical-align: middle;
  height: 100%;
}

<div class="parent">
  <div class="header">
    <span>Header</span>
  </div>
  <div class="content">
    <span>Main content</span>
  </div>
</div>

Answer 4

It's often questioned why one would use a table within a flexbox layout... However, a solution is to set a specific width for the table and have it inherit the minimum height from its parent element.

.parent {
  min-height: 200px;
  border: 1px solid black;
  display: flex;
  flex-direction: column;
  text-align: center;
}

.header {
  background-color: gray;
}

.content {
  display: table;
  flex:1;
  background-color: red;
  width:100%;

min-height:inherit; 
}

.content > span {
  display: table-cell;
  vertical-align: middle;
  height: 100%;
}

<div class="parent">
  <div class="header">
    <span>Header</span>
  </div>
  <div class="content">
    <span>Main content</span>
  </div>
</div>

Answer 5

Answer №3

To achieve the desired layout, avoid using a table layout and instead apply align-self: center; to .content- > span {.... Additionally, make sure to turn the span element into a flex item by adding display:flex to the .content element. It's important to note that combining a flex layout with a table layout may not yield the desired results, as vertical-align does not impact the alignment of flex items.

Properties not affecting flexible boxes

Due to the different layout algorithm used by flexible boxes, certain properties do not apply to flex containers:

column-* properties from the multiple column module do not affect flex items. float and clear have no impact on flex items. Implementing float causes the element's display property to compute to block. vertical-align does not affect the alignment of flex items.

.parent {
  min-height: 200px;
  border: 1px solid black;
  display: flex;
  flex-direction: column;
  text-align: center;
}

.header {
  background-color: gray;
}

.content {
  flex: 1;
  display: flex;
  background-color: red;
}

.content > span {
  flex: 1;
  align-self: center;
}

<div class="parent">
  <div class="header">
    <span>Header</span>
  </div>
  <div class="content">
    <span>Main content</span>
  </div>
</div>

Answer 6

To achieve the desired layout, avoid using a table layout and instead apply align-self: center; to .content- > span {.... Additionally, make sure to turn the span element into a flex item by adding display:flex to the .content element. It's important to note that combining a flex layout with a table layout may not yield the desired results, as vertical-align does not impact the alignment of flex items.

Properties not affecting flexible boxes

Due to the different layout algorithm used by flexible boxes, certain properties do not apply to flex containers:

column-* properties from the multiple column module do not affect flex items. float and clear have no impact on flex items. Implementing float causes the element's display property to compute to block. vertical-align does not affect the alignment of flex items.

.parent {
  min-height: 200px;
  border: 1px solid black;
  display: flex;
  flex-direction: column;
  text-align: center;
}

.header {
  background-color: gray;
}

.content {
  flex: 1;
  display: flex;
  background-color: red;
}

.content > span {
  flex: 1;
  align-self: center;
}

<div class="parent">
  <div class="header">
    <span>Header</span>
  </div>
  <div class="content">
    <span>Main content</span>
  </div>
</div>

Answer 7

Answer №4

When working with tables in a flex-column, you may encounter unexpected results due to their horizontal orientation. To avoid this issue, I made the necessary adjustments to ensure they align perfectly in a vertical column flow.

To center the .content, I utilized the following CSS properties: position: relative;, top: 50%;, translateY(360%); for vertical alignment, and text-align: center; for horizontal alignment. Additionally, I transformed the span into a block element for better functionality.

I updated the styling as follows:

.content {
  flex: 1;
  background-color: red;
}
.content > span {
  display: block;
  position: relative;
  top: 50%;
  transform: translateY(360%);
  text-align: center;
}

~~Instead of using display: table, I changed it to table-row. Is this the desired outcome?~~

.parent {
  min-height: 200px;
  border: 1px solid black;
  display: flex;
  flex-direction: column;
  text-align: center;
}
.header {
  background-color: gray;
}
.content {
  flex: 1;
  background-color: red;
}
.content > span {
  display: block;
  position: relative;
  top: 50%;
  transform: translateY(360%);
  text-align: center;
}

<div class="parent">
  <div class="header">
    <span>Header</span>
  </div>
  <div class="content">
    <span>Main content</span>
  </div>
</div>

Answer 8

When working with tables in a flex-column, you may encounter unexpected results due to their horizontal orientation. To avoid this issue, I made the necessary adjustments to ensure they align perfectly in a vertical column flow.

To center the .content, I utilized the following CSS properties: position: relative;, top: 50%;, translateY(360%); for vertical alignment, and text-align: center; for horizontal alignment. Additionally, I transformed the span into a block element for better functionality.

I updated the styling as follows:

.content {
  flex: 1;
  background-color: red;
}
.content > span {
  display: block;
  position: relative;
  top: 50%;
  transform: translateY(360%);
  text-align: center;
}

~~Instead of using display: table, I changed it to table-row. Is this the desired outcome?~~

.parent {
  min-height: 200px;
  border: 1px solid black;
  display: flex;
  flex-direction: column;
  text-align: center;
}
.header {
  background-color: gray;
}
.content {
  flex: 1;
  background-color: red;
}
.content > span {
  display: block;
  position: relative;
  top: 50%;
  transform: translateY(360%);
  text-align: center;
}

<div class="parent">
  <div class="header">
    <span>Header</span>
  </div>
  <div class="content">
    <span>Main content</span>
  </div>
</div>

Show the table within the flex container

Answer №1

Answer №2

Answer №3

Answer №4

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