📐Layout & Flexbox

Learn how to create multi-column layouts and control element positioning using Flexbox in Webstudio.

Understanding layout is fundamental to building websites in Webstudio. This guide covers the display modes, Flexbox properties, and best practices for creating responsive layouts.

Style Panel Overview & Flexbox Basics

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Display Modes

The Display property in the Layout section controls how an element and its children are positioned. The main display modes are:

Display	Description
Block	Default for boxes. Elements stack vertically, taking full width
Flex	Enables flexible layouts with horizontal/vertical axis control
Grid	Two-dimensional layout system (rows and columns)
Inline	Elements flow inline like text
Inline Block	Inline flow but respects width/height
None	Hides the element completely

The Layout section in the Style Panel

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Flexbox Fundamentals

Flexbox is the primary tool for creating layouts in Webstudio. When you change display to Flex, you gain control over how child elements are arranged.

Enabling Flexbox

1. Select the parent container (the element that holds your items)

2. Go to the Style Panel → Layout section

3. Change Display from Block to Flex

Flex Direction

Control whether children are arranged horizontally or vertically:

• Row (default): Items arranged horizontally left to right

• Row Reverse: Items arranged horizontally right to left

• Column: Items stacked vertically top to bottom

• Column Reverse: Items stacked vertically bottom to top

Alignment

Flexbox provides two axes for alignment:

Property	Description
Justify Content	Aligns items along the main axis (horizontal for row, vertical for column)
Align Items	Aligns items along the cross axis

Common alignment values:

• Start: Items at the beginning

• Center: Items centered

• End: Items at the end

• Space Between: Equal space between items

• Space Around: Equal space around items

• Space Evenly: Equal space including edges

Gap

Add consistent spacing between flex items using the Gap property. This is cleaner than adding margins to individual items.

Flex Wrap

By default, flex items try to fit on one line. Enable Flex Wrap to allow items to wrap to the next line when they don't fit:

1. In the Layout section, find the Wrap toggle

2. Click to enable wrapping

3. Items will now flow to the next line when space runs out

Flex wrap is essential for responsive card layouts. Combined with min-width on cards, they'll automatically stack on smaller screens.

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Common Layout Patterns

Multi-Column Card Layout

Building Your First Section

Structure:

Section (semantic tag)
└── Container (max-width, centered)
    └── Cards (flex parent)
        ├── Card
        ├── Card
        └── Card

Steps:

1. Create a Box and change tag to section

2. Add a Box inside as a container (for max-width)

3. Add another Box for the cards wrapper

4. Set the cards wrapper to display: flex

5. Add Gap between cards

6. Enable Flex Wrap for responsiveness

7. Add individual Card boxes inside

Centering Content

To center a single element both horizontally and vertically:

1. Set parent to display: flex

2. Set Justify Content to Center

3. Set Align Items to Center

Navigation Layout

For a typical header with logo and nav items:

1. Header container: display: flex

2. Justify Content: Space Between (logo left, nav right)

3. Align Items: Center (vertically centered)

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Sizing Properties

Width & Height

Property	Description
Width	Fixed width of element
Min Width	Minimum width (won't shrink below)
Max Width	Maximum width (won't grow beyond)
Height	Fixed height of element
Min Height	Minimum height
Max Height	Maximum height

Flex Child Properties

When an element is inside a flex container, additional properties become available:

Property	Description
Flex Grow	How much the item should grow relative to siblings
Flex Shrink	How much the item should shrink relative to siblings
Flex Basis	Initial size before growing/shrinking
Align Self	Override the parent's align-items for this specific item

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Container Best Practices

Section + Container Pattern

A common pattern for page sections:

1. Outer Box (Section tag)

   • Full width background colors

   • Vertical padding for spacing

2. Inner Box (Container)

   • max-width: 1200px (or your preferred max)

   • margin: 0 auto (centers horizontally)

   • Horizontal padding for mobile edges

This allows backgrounds to extend full width while content stays contained.

Naming Convention

Use clear names for organization:

• Plural for parent containers: Cards, Features, Testimonials

• Singular for individual items: Card, Feature, Testimonial

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Learning CSS Properties

All properties in Webstudio's Style Panel use standard CSS names. To learn more about any property:

1. Hover over the property name for a tooltip explanation

2. Search online for "CSS [property-name]" (e.g., "CSS flex-wrap")

3. Resources like MDN Web Docs provide detailed documentation

Creating layouts is primarily done through styling, not components. You won't find a "columns" component — instead, you create columns by applying flex properties to boxes.

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Visual Indicators

The Style Panel uses colors to indicate property states:

Color	Meaning
Blue	Property is set on the current element/token
Orange	Property is inherited from a parent or cascading from a larger breakpoint
No color	Property is using browser default

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Related Resources

• Responsive design — Working with breakpoints

• Design tokens — Creating reusable styles

• Custom classes & attributes — Advanced styling options