Grid Cells

In CSS Grid Layout, a grid cell is the most basic unit of the grid. It is the intersection of a grid row and a grid column, forming a rectangular area where a single grid item can be placed.

Basic Concepts

Definition: A grid cell is defined by the intersection of one grid row and one grid column.
Placement: Grid items can be placed into grid cells either explicitly via CSS or implicitly by the browser's auto-placement algorithm.

Properties Affecting Grid Cells

grid-row-start, grid-row-end, grid-column-start, grid-column-end: These properties can be used to place a grid item into a specific grid cell.
```
.grid-item {
  grid-row-start: 1;
  grid-row-end: 2;
  grid-column-start: 1;
  grid-column-end: 2;
}
```
grid-area: This shorthand property can also be used to place a grid item into a specific cell.
```
.grid-item {
  grid-area: 1 / 1 / 2 / 2;
}
```

Practical Examples

Single Cell Placement

.grid-item {
  grid-row: 1 / 2;
  grid-column: 1 / 2;
}

Spanning Multiple Cells

.grid-item {
  grid-row: 1 / 3;
  grid-column: 1 / 3;
}

Best Practices

Semantic Markup: Use meaningful class names and HTML elements to make the grid layout more understandable.
Modular Design: Create reusable styles for common cell patterns.
Responsive Layouts: Use media queries to adjust cell properties for different screen sizes.

Limitations and Considerations

A grid cell can contain only one grid item, but a grid item can span multiple cells.
Empty cells can affect the layout, especially when using the auto-placement algorithm.

Grid items vs Grid cells

The terms "grid-item" and "grid-cell" are often used interchangeably but they have subtle differences that can impact how you architect your layouts.

Grid-Item

A "grid-item" is an immediate child element of a grid container. When you define a display property of an element as grid or inline-grid, all of its immediate children become grid items. These items can be placed into the grid lines of the grid container.

/* Grid container */
.grid-container {
  display: grid;
  grid-template-columns: 1fr 1fr;
}

/* Grid items */
.item1, .item2 {
  width: 100%;
  height: 100%;
}

In this example, .item1 and .item2 are grid items.

Grid-Cell

A "grid-cell" is the most fundamental unit of a grid. It's the space between two adjacent row grid lines and two adjacent column grid lines. You can think of it like a single "cell" in a table. Grid cells are what grid items get placed into.

/* Grid container */
.grid-container {
  display: grid;
  grid-template-columns: 1fr 1fr; /* creates 2 grid cells in each row */
  grid-template-rows: 1fr 1fr; /* creates 2 grid cells in each column */
}

In this example, the .grid-container would have a total of 4 grid cells (2 columns x 2 rows).

Key Differences

Scope: A grid-item is an actual element in the DOM, whereas a grid-cell is a conceptual space within the grid layout.
Placement: Grid items are placed into grid cells. A single grid item can span multiple grid cells.
Styling: You apply styles to grid items to control their appearance and placement. Grid cells are styled indirectly through the grid container.
Control: You have more control over grid items, including their alignment, justification, and content. Grid cells are controlled by setting properties on the grid container.

Basic Concepts​

Properties Affecting Grid Cells​

Practical Examples​

Best Practices​

Limitations and Considerations​

Grid items vs Grid cells​

Grid-Item​

Grid-Cell​

Key Differences​