What is the reason for the ineffectiveness of percentage padding/margin on flex items in Firefox and Edge browsers?

I am trying to create a square div within a flexbox. Here is the code I have used:

.outer {
  display: flex;
  width: 100%;
  background: blue;
}
.inner {
  width: 50%;
  background: yellow;
  padding-bottom: 50%;
}
<div class="outer">
  <div class="inner">
    <a>hehe</a>
  </div>
</div>

While this setup works well in Chrome, I am facing an issue in Firefox where the parent container shrinks to just one line.

Does anyone know how to resolve this problem specifically for Firefox version 44?

You can also check out the code on https://jsbin.com/lakoxi/edit?html,css

htmlcssfirefoxflexbox

Answer №1

Latest Update on Flexbox

A new update has been released for the flexbox specification.

4.2. Flex Item Margins and Paddings

The latest update states that percentage margins and paddings on flex items are resolved against the inline size of their containing block, aligning with the width in horizontal writing modes.

Previous Answer - relevant to older versions of FF and Edge

According to the flexbox specification:

It is recommended for authors to avoid using percentages in paddings or margins on flex items due to inconsistencies across different browsers.

Additionally:

4.2. Flex Item Margins and Paddings

Percentage margins and paddings on flex items can be resolved differently depending on whether they relate to their own axis or the inline axis.

  • Left/right percentages resolve against width, top/bottom resolve against height.
  • All left/right/top/bottom percentages resolve against width on the inline axis.

Browsers must adhere to one consistent behavior.

Note: Although there may be variability among implementations, the intention is for browsers to eventually adopt a unified approach as agreed upon by the CSSWG.

Answer №2

Aside from the solution provided by Michael_B, here is an alternative approach.

When working with percentages, we often think in terms of viewport width, so utilizing viewport units vw/vh can be a viable option as it offers responsiveness.

Code snippet:

.outer {
  display: flex;
  width: 100%;
  background: blue;
}
.inner {
  width: 50%;
  background: yellow;
  padding-bottom: 50vw;
}
<div class="outer">
  <div class="inner">
    <a>hehe</a>
  </div>
</div>

Revised based on feedback

If maintaining a square shape is necessary and viewport units or scripting are not feasible, here is another method involving a dummy image.

Keep in mind, an image like SVG or Base64 data URI could also be used to avoid additional server requests

.outer {
  display: flex;
  width: 100%;
  background: blue;
}
.inner {
  width: 50%;
  background: yellow;
}
.inner img {
  display: block;
  width: 100%;
  visibility: hidden;
}
<div class="outer">
  <div class="inner">
    <img src="http://placehold.it/10" alt="">
  </div>
</div>

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