When using the `justify-content: flex-end` property, the `overflow: auto

Question

When using the `justify-content: flex-end` property, the `overflow: auto

I'm attempting to align elements to the right within a container and hide any overflowed elements while still allowing them to be accessed via a scrollbar.

However, I've noticed that the scrollbar disappears when using justify-content: flex-end. Can anyone explain why this happens and provide a solution?

Check out the demo here: https://jsfiddle.net/efguz4mp/1/

.row {
  width: 100%;
  max-width: 500px;
  background: #DADADA;
  display: flex;
  overflow: auto;
  justify-content: flex-end;
}

.box {
  width: 200px;
  height: 40px;
  margin: 4px 10px;
  background: red;
  flex-shrink: 0;
}

<div class="row">
  <div class="box"></div>
  <div class="box"></div>
  <div class="box"></div>
  <div class="box"></div>
  <div class="box"></div>
  <div class="box"></div>
</div>

...and here is the demo without using justify-content: flex-end;: https://jsfiddle.net/efguz4mp

.row {
  width: 100%;
  max-width: 500px;
  background: #DADADA;
  display: flex;
  overflow: auto;
}

.box {
  width: 200px;
  height: 40px;
  margin: 4px 10px;
  background: red;
  flex-shrink: 0;
}

<div class="row">
  <div class="box"></div>
  <div class="box"></div>
  <div class="box"></div>
  <div class="box"></div>
  <div class="box"></div>
  <div class="box"></div>
</div>

html css flexbox

Answer 1

Answer №1

When there is an overflow to the left (or top), a scroll bar does not appear because the default flow of an HTML document is from left to right and top to bottom.

Flexbox offers a row-reverse direction to address this issue, but there are two considerations to keep in mind:

You may need to reorder the items or use an inner wrapper
Some browsers like Firefox and Edge may not display the scroll bar (possible bug)

Check out the code snippet below:

.row {
  width: 100%;
  max-width: 500px;
  background: #DADADA;
  display: flex;
  flex-direction: row-reverse;
  overflow: auto;
}
.box {
  width: 200px;
  height: 40px;
  margin: 4px 10px;
  background: red;
  flex-shrink: 0;
}

/* no wrapper */
.row > .box:nth-child(1) { order: 6; }
.row > .box:nth-child(2) { order: 5; }
.row > .box:nth-child(3) { order: 4; }
.row > .box:nth-child(4) { order: 3; }
.row > .box:nth-child(5) { order: 2; }
.row > .box:nth-child(6) { order: 1; }

/* wrapper */
.inner {
  display: flex;
}

<div class="row">
  <div class="box">1</div>
  <div class="box">2</div>
  <div class="box">3</div>
  <div class="box">4</div>
  <div class="box">5</div>
  <div class="box">6</div>
</div>

<div><br><br></div>

<div class="row">
  <div class="inner">
    <div class="box">1</div>
    <div class="box">2</div>
    <div class="box">3</div>
    <div class="box">4</div>
    <div class="box">5</div>
    <div class="box">6</div>
  </div>
</div>

Here are some possible workarounds:

Utilize direction: rtl to change the flow direction

.row {
  width: 100%;
  max-width: 500px;
  background: #DADADA;
  display: flex;
  overflow: auto;
  direction: rtl;
}
.inner {
  display: flex;
  direction: ltr;
}
.box {
  width: 200px;
  height: 40px;
  margin: 4px 10px;
  background: red;
  flex-shrink: 0;
}

<div class="row">
  <div class="inner">
    <div class="box">1</div>
    <div class="box">2</div>
    <div class="box">3</div>
    <div class="box">4</div>
    <div class="box">5</div>
    <div class="box">6</div>
  </div>
</div>

Use transform to flip the row element

.row {
  width: 100%;
  max-width: 500px;
  background: #DADADA;
  display: flex;
  overflow: auto;
  transform: scale(-1,1);        /*  flip horizontally  */
}
.inner {
  display: flex;
  transform: scale(-1,1);        /*  reset so items are not backwards  */
}
.box {
  width: 200px;
  height: 40px;
  margin: 4px 10px;
  background: red;
  flex-shrink: 0;
}

<div class="row">
  <div class="inner">
    <div class="box">1</div>
    <div class="box">2</div>
    <div class="box">3</div>
    <div class="box">4</div>
    <div class="box">5</div>
    <div class="box">6</div>
  </div>
</div>

Implement a script on page load to automatically scroll to the right

window.addEventListener("load", function(e) {
  var el = document.querySelector(".row");
  el.scrollLeft = el.scrollWidth;
});

.row {
  width: 100%;
  max-width: 500px;
  background: #DADADA;
  display: flex;
  overflow: auto;
}
.box {
  width: 200px;
  height: 40px;
  margin: 4px 10px;
  background: red;
  flex-shrink: 0;
}

<div class="row">
  <div class="box">1</div>
  <div class="box">2</div>
  <div class="box">3</div>
  <div class="box">4</div>
  <div class="box">5</div>
  <div class="box">6</div>
</div>

Answer 2

When there is an overflow to the left (or top), a scroll bar does not appear because the default flow of an HTML document is from left to right and top to bottom.

Flexbox offers a row-reverse direction to address this issue, but there are two considerations to keep in mind:

You may need to reorder the items or use an inner wrapper
Some browsers like Firefox and Edge may not display the scroll bar (possible bug)

Check out the code snippet below:

.row {
  width: 100%;
  max-width: 500px;
  background: #DADADA;
  display: flex;
  flex-direction: row-reverse;
  overflow: auto;
}
.box {
  width: 200px;
  height: 40px;
  margin: 4px 10px;
  background: red;
  flex-shrink: 0;
}

/* no wrapper */
.row > .box:nth-child(1) { order: 6; }
.row > .box:nth-child(2) { order: 5; }
.row > .box:nth-child(3) { order: 4; }
.row > .box:nth-child(4) { order: 3; }
.row > .box:nth-child(5) { order: 2; }
.row > .box:nth-child(6) { order: 1; }

/* wrapper */
.inner {
  display: flex;
}

<div class="row">
  <div class="box">1</div>
  <div class="box">2</div>
  <div class="box">3</div>
  <div class="box">4</div>
  <div class="box">5</div>
  <div class="box">6</div>
</div>

<div><br><br></div>

<div class="row">
  <div class="inner">
    <div class="box">1</div>
    <div class="box">2</div>
    <div class="box">3</div>
    <div class="box">4</div>
    <div class="box">5</div>
    <div class="box">6</div>
  </div>
</div>

Here are some possible workarounds:

Utilize direction: rtl to change the flow direction

.row {
  width: 100%;
  max-width: 500px;
  background: #DADADA;
  display: flex;
  overflow: auto;
  direction: rtl;
}
.inner {
  display: flex;
  direction: ltr;
}
.box {
  width: 200px;
  height: 40px;
  margin: 4px 10px;
  background: red;
  flex-shrink: 0;
}

<div class="row">
  <div class="inner">
    <div class="box">1</div>
    <div class="box">2</div>
    <div class="box">3</div>
    <div class="box">4</div>
    <div class="box">5</div>
    <div class="box">6</div>
  </div>
</div>

Use transform to flip the row element

.row {
  width: 100%;
  max-width: 500px;
  background: #DADADA;
  display: flex;
  overflow: auto;
  transform: scale(-1,1);        /*  flip horizontally  */
}
.inner {
  display: flex;
  transform: scale(-1,1);        /*  reset so items are not backwards  */
}
.box {
  width: 200px;
  height: 40px;
  margin: 4px 10px;
  background: red;
  flex-shrink: 0;
}

<div class="row">
  <div class="inner">
    <div class="box">1</div>
    <div class="box">2</div>
    <div class="box">3</div>
    <div class="box">4</div>
    <div class="box">5</div>
    <div class="box">6</div>
  </div>
</div>

Implement a script on page load to automatically scroll to the right

window.addEventListener("load", function(e) {
  var el = document.querySelector(".row");
  el.scrollLeft = el.scrollWidth;
});

.row {
  width: 100%;
  max-width: 500px;
  background: #DADADA;
  display: flex;
  overflow: auto;
}
.box {
  width: 200px;
  height: 40px;
  margin: 4px 10px;
  background: red;
  flex-shrink: 0;
}

<div class="row">
  <div class="box">1</div>
  <div class="box">2</div>
  <div class="box">3</div>
  <div class="box">4</div>
  <div class="box">5</div>
  <div class="box">6</div>
</div>

Answer 3

Answer №2

The primary issue at hand is the presence of a clear contradiction:

The justify-content property is intended to allocate additional space within the container.
Nevertheless, an overflow situation arises when there is no remaining space in the container.

Essentially, justify-content and overflow are not interconnected. The former applies solely inside the container, while the latter is exclusive to the external area of the container.

When utilizing justify-content: flex-end, the flex items must be arranged at the tail end of the container (as opposed to the end of the flex-start overflow region).

If the items aligned to the end are overly large to fit within the container, they will overflow towards the starting side, as observed in your layout. However, due to the fact that the overflow property only functions in the direction of the writing mode (which is LTR in this context), scrollbars will not be displayed (further information).

Therefore, I recommend disregarding the use of justify-content in order to achieve the desired layout.

Instead, consider this alternative approach: Insert an invisible spacer item to nudge your content items towards the right side.

.row {
  display: flex;
  overflow: auto;
  max-width: 500px;
  background: #DADADA;
}

.box {
  flex: 0 0 200px;
  height: 40px;
  margin: 4px 10px;
  background: red;
}

.row::before {
  content: "";
  flex: 0 0 400px;
  visibility: hidden;
}

<div class="row">
  <div class="box"></div>
  <div class="box"></div>
  <div class="box"></div>
  <div class="box"></div>
  <div class="box"></div>
  <div class="box"></div>
</div>

It is important to note that the last item's margin may collapse. For a detailed explanation of this issue, refer to:

Last margin / padding collapsing in flexbox

Answer 4

The primary issue at hand is the presence of a clear contradiction:

The justify-content property is intended to allocate additional space within the container.
Nevertheless, an overflow situation arises when there is no remaining space in the container.

Essentially, justify-content and overflow are not interconnected. The former applies solely inside the container, while the latter is exclusive to the external area of the container.

When utilizing justify-content: flex-end, the flex items must be arranged at the tail end of the container (as opposed to the end of the flex-start overflow region).

If the items aligned to the end are overly large to fit within the container, they will overflow towards the starting side, as observed in your layout. However, due to the fact that the overflow property only functions in the direction of the writing mode (which is LTR in this context), scrollbars will not be displayed (further information).

Therefore, I recommend disregarding the use of justify-content in order to achieve the desired layout.

Instead, consider this alternative approach: Insert an invisible spacer item to nudge your content items towards the right side.

.row {
  display: flex;
  overflow: auto;
  max-width: 500px;
  background: #DADADA;
}

.box {
  flex: 0 0 200px;
  height: 40px;
  margin: 4px 10px;
  background: red;
}

.row::before {
  content: "";
  flex: 0 0 400px;
  visibility: hidden;
}

<div class="row">
  <div class="box"></div>
  <div class="box"></div>
  <div class="box"></div>
  <div class="box"></div>
  <div class="box"></div>
  <div class="box"></div>
</div>

It is important to note that the last item's margin may collapse. For a detailed explanation of this issue, refer to:

Last margin / padding collapsing in flexbox

Answer 5

Answer №3

If you're dealing with the issue of aligning items to the end of a container using justify-content: flex-end and implementing a scroll with overflow: auto, a handy little trick is to make use of margin-left: auto. Take a look at the code snippet provided below for a simple solution.

.row {
  width: 100%;
  max-width: 500px;
  background: #DADADA;
  display: flex;
  overflow-x: auto;
}

.box {
  width: 200px;
  height: 40px;
  margin: 4px 10px;
  background: red;
  flex-shrink: 0;
}

.row .box:nth-of-type(1) {
  margin-left: auto;
}

<div class="row">
  <div class="box"></div>
  <div class="box"></div>
  <div class="box"></div>
  <div class="box"></div>
  <div class="box"></div>
  <div class="box"></div>
</div>

Answer 6

If you're dealing with the issue of aligning items to the end of a container using justify-content: flex-end and implementing a scroll with overflow: auto, a handy little trick is to make use of margin-left: auto. Take a look at the code snippet provided below for a simple solution.

.row {
  width: 100%;
  max-width: 500px;
  background: #DADADA;
  display: flex;
  overflow-x: auto;
}

.box {
  width: 200px;
  height: 40px;
  margin: 4px 10px;
  background: red;
  flex-shrink: 0;
}

.row .box:nth-of-type(1) {
  margin-left: auto;
}

<div class="row">
  <div class="box"></div>
  <div class="box"></div>
  <div class="box"></div>
  <div class="box"></div>
  <div class="box"></div>
  <div class="box"></div>
</div>

Answer 7

Answer №4

If you're looking for a solution, I have one that might work for you

.container {
  width: 100%;
  max-width: 500px;
  background: #DADADA;
  flex: 1;
  display: flex;
  overflow: auto;
}
.item {
  display: flex;
  width: 200px;
  height: 40px;
  margin: 4px 10px;
  background: red;
  flex-shrink: 0;
}

<div class="container">
  <div class="item"></div>
  <div class="item"></div>
  <div class="item"></div>
  <div class="item"></div>
  <div class="item"></div>
  <div class="item"></div>
</div>

Answer 8

If you're looking for a solution, I have one that might work for you

.container {
  width: 100%;
  max-width: 500px;
  background: #DADADA;
  flex: 1;
  display: flex;
  overflow: auto;
}
.item {
  display: flex;
  width: 200px;
  height: 40px;
  margin: 4px 10px;
  background: red;
  flex-shrink: 0;
}

<div class="container">
  <div class="item"></div>
  <div class="item"></div>
  <div class="item"></div>
  <div class="item"></div>
  <div class="item"></div>
  <div class="item"></div>
</div>

When using the `justify-content: flex-end` property, the `overflow: auto

Answer №1

Answer №2

Answer №3

Answer №4

Similar questions

How to dynamically insert an em tag into a table header cell using Asp.net

Using jQuery to update the parent element from within an iframe

Can BeautifulSoup be utilized to retrieve CSS from a webpage?

Get rid of the strange border on the material dialog

The animation for the login and registration modal is malfunctioning and not functioning as

Issues with 'floating' unordered lists

Attempting to retrieve JSON data using jQuery

The collapsible hamburger navbar is unresponsive and fails to collapse

Having trouble applying CSS styles to the root element despite using a CSS file

issue with a non-functional sticky sidebar within a Tailwind post

Updating form validation by altering input value

How can you continuously calculate and show the total quantity of items in a list?

Customizing the default image of a Select dropdown field in Sencha Touch

The cdkDropList in Angular's drag and drop feature does not support the application of element styles

Guide to setting a default value for a select option in Angular 2+

Using the mousewheel to scroll over an iframe is not functioning properly in Internet Explorer versions 8 through 11

Ways to retrieve nested #document within html?

Can anyone suggest a more efficient method for implementing jQuery toggle?

Adding a box shadow around the entire div in Internet Explorer 11 with CSS

What is the best way to align inline-block elements in a straight row?