How to arrange child divs into column layout (masonry layout) without using flexbox or grid?

As a software developer, you might have encountered numerous challenges in layout design, particularly when it comes to aligning child content divs into columns without relying on traditional row structures, flexbox, or grid systems. In this article, I’ll share a simple yet effective solution that leverages CSS properties to achieve the desired layout.

Traditional methods of layout design often involve using flexbox or grid systems to create columnar structures for organising content. However, there are scenarios where these approaches may not be suitable or supported, such as legacy codebases or specific project requirements. 

Eg: If we need child elements of different heights to be arranged in columns like a masonry layout (layout like Pinterest), using flexbox and grid is challenging. 

In such cases, developers may find themselves grappling with the challenge of aligning child content divs into columns without resorting to flexbox or grid layouts. This can be particularly tricky when dealing with dynamic content or varying heights of child elements.

The Solution

Fortunately, CSS offers a solution through the clever use of column-count and break-inside properties. By applying these properties to the parent container we can achieve columnar alignment without the need for complex row structures or modern layout systems.

Here’s a step-by-step breakdown of the solution:

1. Define the Parent Container

In this CSS snippet, we set the display property of the parent container to block to ensure it behaves like a block-level element. The column-count property specifies the desired number of columns, and break-inside: avoid prevents breaks within the child elements, ensuring they stay within their respective columns.

2. Style the Child Items

For the child items within the parent container, we apply the break-inside: avoid-column property. This ensures that child elements do not break across columns, maintaining the columnar layout established by the parent container.

Implementation Example

By incorporating these CSS properties into your stylesheet and HTML structure, you can effortlessly align child content divs into columns without relying on flexbox or grid systems.

Conclusion

In conclusion, achieving column alignment for child content divs without using flexbox or grid layouts is indeed possible with the right combination of CSS properties. By leveraging column-count and break-inside, expert e-commerce developers can create elegant columnar structures that adapt to varying content heights and layouts.