Stack Elements in CSS

In web development, the need to stack elements on top of each other, either completely or partially, arises frequently. Two common methods to achieve this are through the CSS position property and CSS grids. In this article, we'll explore both methods with examples and explanations.

Using CSS Position Property

The position: absolute; property plays a key role in stacking elements. It allows the positioning of an element absolutely, irrespective of the positions of other elements. Let's delve into an example:

Example 1:

This code example showcases the creative use of position absolute to stack child elements on a parent container, showcasing the versatility of this property in web design.

<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
<head>
<style>
        body {
            font-family: "Times New Roman", sans-serif;
            background: green;
            color: black;
            text-align: center;
        }
	
        .parentClass {
            background: cyan;
            width: 80vw;
            margin: 8vw 10vw;
            height: 210px;
        }

        .childClass {
            position: absolute;
            opacity: 0.6;
            height: 150px;
            background: yellow;
            width: 200px;
        }

        .firstchild {
            top: 0;
            left: 0;
        }

        .secondchild {
            top: 0;
            right: 0;
        }
</style>
</head>
<body>
<div class="parentClass">
<div class="childClass firstchild">
<h2>First Child</h2>
</div>

<div class="childClass secondchild">
<h2>Second Child</h2>
</div>
</div>
</body>
</html>

Output:

Example 2:

To create a self-contained component that can be reused, using `position: relative;` on the parent and `position: absolute;` on the children is effective.

<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
<head>
<style>
        body {
            font-family: "Times New Roman", sans-serif;
            background: green;
            color: black;
            text-align: center;
        }

        .parentClass {
            position: relative;
            background: cyan;
            width: 80vw;
            margin: 8vw 10vw;
            height: 200px;
        }

        .childClass {
            top: 0;
            left: 0;
            opacity: 0.7;
            width: 200px;
            height: 150px;
            background: yellow;
            position: absolute;
        }
</style>
</head>
<body>
<div class="parentClass">
<div class="childClass">
<h2>Element 2</h2>
<p>position: absolute;</p>
</div>
</div>
</body>
</html>

Output:

Example 3:

Two elements are stacked on top of the parent element.

<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
<head>
<style>
        body {
            font-family: "Times New Roman", sans-serif;
            background: green;
            color: black;
            text-align: center;
        }

        .parentClass {
            position: relative;
            background: cyan;
            width: 80vw;
            margin: 8vw 10vw;
            height: 200px;
        }

        .childClass {
            opacity: 0.8;
            height: 150px;
            width: 190px;
            background: yellow;
            position: absolute;
            top: 0;
        }

        .child1 {
            left: 0;
        }

        .child2 {
            left: 155px;
        }
</style>
</head>
<body>
<div class="parentClass">
<div class="childClass child1">
<h2>Element 1.1</h2>
<p>position: absolute;</p>
</div>
<div class="childClass child2">
<h2>Element 1.2</h2>
<p>position: absolute;</p>
</div>
</div>
</body>
</html>

Output:

Using CSS Grids

A useful technique for effectively allocating items on a webpage is CSS grids. They may be used to construct visually pleasing layouts, with the parent container specifying a grid with defined rows and columns. Using `grid-area}, the child element is placed strategically within the grid to improve its responsiveness and clarity.

<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
<head>
<style>
        body {
            font-family: "Times New Roman", sans-serif;
            background: green;
            color: black;
            text-align: center;
        }

        .parentClass {
            display: grid;
            grid-template-rows: 150px 1fr;
            grid-template-columns: 250px 1fr;
            background: cyan;
            width: 80vw;
            margin: 8vw 10vw;
            height: 200px;
        }

        .childClass {
            grid-area: 1 / 1 / 2 / 2;
            opacity: 0.7;
            height: 150px;
            width: 250px;
            background: yellow;
        }
</style>
</head>
<body>
<div class="parentClass">
<div class="childClass">
<h2>Element 2.1</h2>
</div>
</div>
</body>
</html>

Output:

In web development, stacking elements is crucial for a number of reasons. This improves user experience and makes designs more visually appealing. Here is the significance of stacking:

Responsive Design: Stacking is essential to responsive web design to ensure that information adjusts to various screen sizes and devices. Vertical stacking on smaller displays improves readability and usability.
Visual Hierarchy: Stacking is a smart design decision for prioritizing information since it establishes a visual hierarchy and highlights significant material.
Layering and Overlapping: By layering and overlapping elements in a design, the stacking approach adds depth and dimension to draw attention to specific content, provide visual intrigue, or improve aesthetics.
Grid Systems: A key idea in grid-based layout systems is stacking, which guarantees items' organized alignment and placement across various web page parts.

Conclusion

In conclusion, web developers must become proficient with CSS stacking components to produce visually pleasing layouts. By carefully stacking items on top of one another, this strategy improves user experience, creates a distinct visual hierarchy, guarantees cross-device responsiveness, and gives design depth.

Developers may unleash their creativity, construct self-contained components, and produce cutting-edge, captivating web interfaces by comprehending and putting stacking concepts into practice. The use of stacking methods is still beneficial as web development advances.

Next TopicCreating Neumorphic Designs with CSS

← prev next →