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Ayu Adiati
Ayu Adiati

Posted on • Updated on • Originally published at adiati.com

CSS Flexbox: flex-direction

Hello Fellow Codenewbies 👋

Flexbox is known as one dimension.
It means that it deals with one dimension layout at a time, the column or the row.

When we talk about a column or a row in flexbox, we are talking about the main axis or the cross axis.

cross main axis.jpg

Making Responsive Layout With flex-direction

Before we talk about the values of flex-direction, you can check the playground that I provide below.
The screenshots that I attached in each value's explanation are based on this playground.

The values in flex-direction:

row

⭐ This the default value.
This value makes the flex container becoming a row and the flex items become columns.
row1.jpg

row-reverse

Same as row, but it reverses the order of the flex items.
row-reverse-1.jpg

column

This value makes flex container becomes column and flex items become rows.

In a glimpse, it looks like the default layout when we don't apply display: flex.
But under the hood, this value switches the main axis.
And because there is a change on the main axis, there are changes as well in the behavior of:

  • justify-content will now work vertically
  • align-items will now work horizontally

column1.jpg

column-reverse

Same as column, but it reverses the order of the flex items.
column-reverse-1.jpg

We usually use media queries when we want to apply flex-direction.

Conclusion

  • flex-direction is changing the main axis around.
  • The values of flex-direction:
    • row (default)
    • row-reverse
    • column
    • column-reverse

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