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Understanding Multi-column Layout in CSS Positioning (Live Playground)

Multi-column layout is a CSS module that allows you to create newspaper-like columns for your content. In this tutorial, you will learn about the Multi-column layout, its properties, and how to use them to create multi-column layouts, along with sample code and simple explanations.

Creating columns

The column-count property specifies the number of columns in a multi-column layout.

Example:

CSS
.multi-column {
column-count: 3;
}
HTML
<div class="multi-column">
<p>Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Pellentesque egestas...</p>
</div>

In this example, the column-count property is set to 3, creating a 3-column layout for the content.

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Column width

The column-width property specifies the optimal width of the columns. The browser will automatically adjust the number of columns based on the available space.

Example:

CSS
.multi-column {
column-width: 200px;
}

In this example, the column-width property is set to 200px, and the browser will create as many columns as possible, each having an optimal width of 200px.

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Column gap

The column-gap property is used to set the spacing between columns.

Example:

CSS
.multi-column {
column-count: 3;
column-gap: 20px;
}

In this example, the column-gap property is set to 20px, creating a 20px gap between the columns.

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Column rule

The column-rule property is a shorthand for setting the column-rule-width, column-rule-style, and column-rule-color properties, which define the appearance of the rule between columns.

Example:

CSS
.multi-column {
column-count: 3;
column-gap: 20px;
column-rule: 1px solid #ccc;
}

In this example, the column-rule property is set to 1px solid #ccc, creating a 1px solid light gray rule between the columns.

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Conclusion

By understanding the Multi-column layout and its properties, you can create newspaper-like columns for your content with ease. Multi-column layout is a useful tool for presenting text-heavy content in a more readable and visually appealing format.