CSS Layout - float and clear

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CSS Layout - float and clear
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The float property specifies whether or not an element should float.

The clear property is used to control the behavior of floating elements.



The float Property
In its simplest use, the float property can be used to wrap text around images.

The following example specifies that an image should float to the right in a text:

Example
img {
    float: right;
    margin: 0 0 10px 10px;
}
»
The clear Property
The clear property is used to control the behavior of floating elements.

Elements after a floating element will flow around it. To avoid this, use the clear property.

The clear property specifies on which sides of an element floating elements are not allowed to float:

Example
div {
    clear: left;
}
»
The clearfix Hack
If an element is taller than the element containing it, and it is floated, it will overflow outside of its container.

Then we can add overflow: auto; to the containing element to fix this problem:

Example
.clearfix {
    overflow: auto;
}
»
The overflow:auto clearfix works well as long as you are able to keep control of your margins and padding (else you might see scrollbars). The new, modern clearfix hack however, is safer to use, and the following code is used for most webpages:

Example
.clearfix::after {
    content: "";
    clear: both;
    display: table;
}
»
You will learn more about the ::after pseduo-element in a later chapter.

Web Layout Example
It is common to do entire web layouts using the float property:

Example
.header, .footer {
    background-color: grey;
    color: white;
    padding: 15px;
}

.column {
    float: left;
    padding: 15px;
}

.clearfix::after {
    content: "";
    clear: both;
    display: table;
}

.menu {
    width: 25%;
}

.content {
    width: 75%;
}
»
More Examples
An image with border and margins that floats to the right in a paragraph
Let an image float to the right in a paragraph. Add border and margins to the image.

An image with a caption that floats to the right
Let an image with a caption float to the right.

Let the first letter of a paragraph float to the left
Let the first letter of a paragraph float to the left and style the letter.

Creating a horizontal menu
Use float with a list of hyperlinks to create a horizontal menu.

Creating a homepage without tables
Use float to create a homepage with a navbar, header, footer, left content and main content.

All CSS Float Properties
Property Description
clear Specifies on which sides of an element where floating elements are not allowed to float
float Specifies whether or not an element should float
overflow Specifies what happens if content overflows an element's box
overflow-x Specifies what to do with the left/right edges of the content if it overflows the element's content area
overflow-y Specifies what to do with the top/bottom edges of the content if it overflows the element's content area

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