Preventing Layout Shift

Using CSS Grid to Prevent Page Jank

Lawrence Chabela Articles, CSS & HTML, Design, JavaScript, Programming, Tutorial Leave a Comment

Layout shifts, or page jank as I like to call it, rears its ugly head when a visible element changes position or dimensions, causing the position or dimensions of content around it to be changed.

There are too many possible reasons behind a layout shift to cover in one post, so I’ve narrowed it down to one in particular for the sake of brevity. In this article, we will discuss this scenario: a component changing its height due to its state being changed from user interaction.

I know that this is a relatively isolated example, especially in the grand scheme of things. However, I think this proves an important point. Solving a layout shift doesn’t always have to be a tedious and complicated process to fix. Sometimes, scenarios like this can easily be solved using the CSS we already have at our disposal.

CSS Grid with CSS Math means no media queries

CSS Grid + CSS Math Expressions = Look Ma No Media Queries

Lawrence Chabela Articles, CSS & HTML, Design, Development Technologies & Tools, JavaScript Leave a Comment

CSS Grid has been the new, cool kid on the block for a few years now. Grid, with its layout algorithm, has given us so many more capabilities in how we can layout and arrange content in our applications.

CSS Grid allows us to define layout patterns in concise and refined ways. That being said, we simply cannot look at CSS Grid by itself without knowing how other key features of modern CSS (like Math expressions) work with CSS Grid. This can allow us to push the boundaries and create more efficient layouts.

These new layout superpowers enable us to start to move past the constraints and limitations that media queries have.