Grid Item

In CSS Grid Layout, a grid item is an element that is a direct child of a grid container. Grid items are placed into grid cells, which are defined by the grid lines of the grid container.

Basic Properties for Grid Items

1. grid-column-start and grid-column-end: These properties define where a grid item starts and ends along the column (inline) axis.

2. grid-row-start and grid-row-end: These properties define where a grid item starts and ends along the row (block) axis.

3. grid-area: A shorthand property that specifies the grid lines for a grid item's row and column simultaneously.

4. grid-column and grid-row: Shorthand properties for defining both the start and end lines for columns and rows.

5. justify-self: Controls the alignment of the individual grid item along the inline (row) axis.

6. align-self: Controls the alignment of the individual grid item along the block (column) axis.

7. z-index: Controls the stacking order of grid items that overlap.

Practical Examples

The above image represents 4 columns and 3 rows grid and it will have 5 x 4 grid lines as pointed by arrows in image. Below CSS configuration represent those start and end values.

1. Spanning Multiple Columns and Rows

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

2. Using Shorthand

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

3. Using Grid Area

   .grid-item {
     grid-area: 1 / 1 / 3 / 3;
   }

4. Alignment

   .grid-item {
     justify-self: center;
     align-self: start;
   }

Best Practices

1. Modular Design: Create reusable grid item styles for common layout patterns.

2. Responsive Layouts: Use media queries to adjust grid item properties for different screen sizes.

3. Semantic Markup: Use meaningful class names and HTML elements to make the grid layout more understandable.

4. Accessibility: Ensure that the grid items are accessible, especially when they are interactive elements.

Limitations and Considerations

• Grid items can only be direct children of the grid container. Nested elements will not inherit grid item properties from the parent grid container.
• Overlapping grid items can create complex layouts but may also lead to accessibility issues.