HTML5 and CSS3 All-in-One For Dummies, 3rd Edition

Chapter 4

Using Alternative Positioning

In This Chapter

Setting position to absolute

Managing z-index

Creating fixed and flexible layouts

Working with fixed and relative positioning

Using the new flexbox model

Floating layouts (described in Chapter 2 of this minibook) are the preferred way to set up page layouts today but, sometimes, other alternatives are useful. You can use absolute, relative, or fixed positioning techniques to put all your page elements exactly where you want them. Well, almost exactly. It's still web development, where nothing's exact. Because none of these alternatives are completely satisfying, the W3C (web standards body) has introduced a very promising new layout model called the flexbox model.

The techniques described in this chapter will give you even more capabilities when it comes to setting up great-looking websites.

Working with Absolute Positioning

Begin by considering the default layout mechanism. Figure 4-1 shows a page with two paragraphs on it. ...