IE11 Flex 1 - CSS

Introduction

In this article, we will explore the usage of the flex property in CSS for Internet Explorer 11 (IE11) and discuss how it can be used to create flexible layouts. The flex property is a powerful tool for building responsive and dynamic designs, and understanding its usage in IE11 is crucial for developers working on projects with legacy browser support.

What is the flex property?

The flex property is a shorthand property that combines various flexbox properties to control the layout and behavior of flex containers and flex items. It allows for easy and efficient distribution of available space among flex items within a flex container.

Compatibility with IE11

While modern browsers like Chrome, Firefox, and Edge fully support the flexbox layout, IE11 requires some special attention. Although IE11 partially supports the flexbox specification, there are a few key differences and limitations to be aware of:

1. Lack of support for the modern flexbox syntax: IE11 uses an older syntax for defining flex containers and flex items.

2. Default value for flex-basis: IE11 defaults the value of flex-basis to 0 instead of auto. This can result in unexpected behavior when using the flex property.

3. Order of flex items: IE11 does not properly handle negative order values. In addition, the order of flex items in IE11 is determined by their placement in the source code, rather than the order property value.

Despite these limitations, we can still leverage the flex property in IE11 to create flexible layouts.

Usage and Examples

Setting the flex container

To create a flex container, we need to specify display: -ms-flexbox for IE11 compatibility. For other modern browsers, we can use display: flex. Here's an example:

.container {
  display: -ms-flexbox; /* IE11 */
  display: flex; /* Modern browsers */
}

Specifying the flex items

Next, we define the flex items inside the container. We use the flex property to specify how the items should grow, shrink, and behave within the available space. Here's an example:

.item {
  -ms-flex: 1; /* IE11 */
  flex: 1; /* Modern browsers */
}

In this case, both the IE11 and modern browsers will set the flex item to grow and shrink equally to fill the remaining space within the container.

Distributing space

The flex property can also be used to distribute space proportionally among flex items. Here's an example of setting specific ratios for flex items:

.item {
  -ms-flex: 1 2; /* IE11 */
  flex: 1 2; /* Modern browsers */
}

In this case, the first flex item will have a ratio of 1 and the second flex item will have a ratio of 2. This means that the second item will take twice as much space as the first item.

Conclusion

In this article, we explored the usage of the flex property in CSS for IE11. Despite some limitations and differences compared to modern browsers, the flex property can still be used effectively in IE11 to create flexible layouts. By understanding these nuances, developers can ensure that their designs are functional and visually consistent across different browsers, including legacy ones.