CSS horizontally scrolling flex box within grid

Question

Disclaimer: I have read through a ton of almost my use case but not found exactly the same so:

I want to have a grid with a fixed width left sidebar and the right content column should just fill the rest of the window but not more.

I have it working in a "pure" flex box layout but for some weird reason not within a grid.

What happens is that the flex item will just make the entire grid wider than the window and scroll the entire thing.

What I want is that only the flex container scrolls and the headline above stays where it is.

<style media="screen">
  * {
    margin: 0;
    padding: 0;
  }
  body {
    height: 100%;
  }
  sidebar {
    background-color: red;
    display: block;
  }
  main {
    display: grid;
    grid-template-columns: 300px auto;
    width: 100vw;
  }
  content {
    background-color: blue;
    display: block;
  }
  image-container-wrapper {
    display: block;
    overflow: scroll;
  }
  image-container {
    display: flex;
    flex-wrap: nowrap;
    overflow-x: auto;
  }
  my-image {
    display: block;
    flex: 0 0 auto;
    margin-right: 3px;
    min-width: 100px;
    min-height: 100px;
    background-color: grey;
  }
</style>


<header>Header</header>
<main>
  <sidebar>This should be "fixed"
  </sidebar>
  <content>
    <h1>Slider below</h1>
    <image-container-wrapper>
      <image-container>
        <my-image></my-image>
        <my-image></my-image>
        <my-image></my-image>
        <my-image></my-image>
        <my-image></my-image>
        <my-image></my-image>
        <my-image></my-image>
        <my-image></my-image>
        <my-image></my-image>
        <my-image></my-image>
        <my-image></my-image>
        <my-image></my-image>
        <my-image></my-image>
        <my-image></my-image>
      </image-container>
    </image-container-wrapper>
  </content>
</main>
<footer></footer>

It seems to me like using `grid-template-columns: 300px minmax(0, 100%);` works. But I confess, I have no idea why, as I barely ever use grid. Maybe someone can provide a proper answer, or I'll come back later and investigate it. — Auroratide, Nov 29 '18 at 21:38

score 1 · Accepted Answer · answered Nov 29 '18 at 23:18

Instead of:

grid-template-columns: 300px auto

where auto means content-length, and will expand an element to fit the content (i.e., no overflow)...

Use this:

grid-template-columns: 300px minmax(0px, auto)

which allows the column to shrink to 0 width.

sidebar {
  background-color: red;
  /* display: block; */
}

main {
  display: grid;
  /* grid-template-columns: 300px auto; */
  grid-template-columns: 300px minmax(0px, auto);
  width: 100vw;
}

content {
  background-color: blue;
  display: block;
}

image-container-wrapper {
  /*  display: block;
        overflow: scroll; */
}

image-container {
  display: flex;
  flex-wrap: nowrap;
  overflow-x: auto;
}

my-image {
  display: block;
  flex: 0 0 auto;
  margin-right: 3px;
  min-width: 100px;
  min-height: 100px;
  background-color: grey;
}

* {
  margin: 0;
  padding: 0;
}

body {
  height: 100%;
}

<header>Header</header>
<main>
  <sidebar>This should be "fixed"</sidebar>
  <content>
    <h1>Slider below</h1>
    <image-container-wrapper>
      <image-container>
        <my-image></my-image>
        <my-image></my-image>
        <my-image></my-image>
        <my-image></my-image>
        <my-image></my-image>
        <my-image></my-image>
        <my-image></my-image>
        <my-image></my-image>
        <my-image></my-image>
        <my-image></my-image>
        <my-image></my-image>
        <my-image></my-image>
        <my-image></my-image>
        <my-image></my-image>
      </image-container>
    </image-container-wrapper>
  </content>
</main>
<footer></footer>

Ahh then my understanding of auto was totally wrong! Thanks so much — bnassler, Nov 30 '18 at 05:52

CSS horizontally scrolling flex box within grid

1 Answers1