Welcome to Composing Layouts in React

Introduction

CSS in the Age of Components

What is Layout Composition? A React Layout Primitives Guide

Encapsulated CSS - How to Apply CSS in a Composable Way

Normal Document Flow in HTML, CSS, and React

CSS Grid vs Flexbox for Composable Layouts

How to Add a CSS Reset to Remove Default Browser Style

Composable Layouts

What are Layout Spacers?

How to Build a Stacked Component Layout in React

How to Build a Split Pane Layout in React

How to Build React Grid Layouts With Custom Column Numbers

How to Build a React Responsive Grid Layout

How to Build Responsive React Text Elements With InlineCluster

How to Add Inline Styling to React Components

Layout Primitives - The Spacers

Introduction to Layout Wrapper Primitives

How to Build a Pricing Page Widget in React With PadBox

Automatically Center Text DIVs with React Center Component

Resize Images And Maintain Aspect Ratio in React and CSS

How to Vertically Center a DIV in React With CSS

How to Build Accessible Navigation Divs in React

Layout Primitives - The Wrappers

Introduction to The Settings Pages

How to Build a React Navbar With a Menu and Header

How to Build a React Sidebar Menu

How to Build a Profile Settings Page in React

How to Build a Privacy Page with Toggle Buttons in React

Composing Layouts in Practice

CSS layout has grown and evolved into a robust set of tools to accomplish some fantastic modern layouts.
The problem is that we are still teaching CSS as something that is" hacked" together by using" tricks" to get our desired web layouts.
Learning CSS like this typically leads us down one of two paths: We either build fragile page layouts using 
the "see what sticks" method of CSS, or we give up and declare that CSS is too tricky and bring in an X column grid system like Twitter Bootstrap.

Creating page layouts in CSS doesn't have to be complicated. Like how you make much of your everyday speech using just a small 
subset of vocabulary composed together, you can achieve sophisticated layouts by composing simple low-level layout primitives in unique ways.

In this course, you will learn foundational layout primitives that you can use to build many of your more complex layouts. You will also learn 
how to apply the principle of "Encapsulated CSS" to both extend these primitives as well as to create custom layout primitives. To do this, we 
will recreate many of the layouts found in the wild using the principles mentioned above.

This course does not require extensive knowledge of CSS. It does assume that you have a basic understanding of the CSS box model, CSS specificity, 
CSS selectors, and CSS sizing units. Though you can apply the principles in this course to any modern web framework, including no framework 
development, this course will be using React and assume you have a basic understanding of React, JSX, and React hooks.

Composing Layout in React is for both novice and experienced developers who want to take their layout skills to the next level. This course will 
teach you the practical skills you need to build modern layouts for the web without depending on heavy CSS frameworks. Unlike courses and blog 
posts that teach each layout property in isolation, our product teaches practical layout patterns that you can use every day when solving your 
layout challenges.

In this course we show you how to build complex layouts in React by composing just a few foundational layout primitives.
Along the way you will learn modern CSS Layout tools like Normal Flow, Flexbox, and Grid.

Composing Layouts in React

What it means to compose layouts and why you should do it

How to apply the principles of Encapsualted CSS in our React components

The foundational layout primitives that every developer should know

In the last lesson, we made a grid to lay our elements out on. In this lesson, we are making a responsive grid 

In this lesson, we are going to build out the following widget:

Like always, we need consistent gutters between elements. However, this time we need a fluid grid with column tracks at least 

 wide but which can be wider if space is available.

As always, let's start with our basic markup, and 

you can follow along with this starter at codesandbox.io

export default function ContactList() {
  return (
    <div>
      <Card />
      <Card />
      <Card />
      <Card />
      <Card />
      <Card />
      <Card />
    </div>
  );
}

Given the requirement that we need to fit in as many cards per row as we can, while maintaining a minimum width, we can't use our Columns primitive. Luckily we can adapt the Columns primitive slightly to make our new primitive:

const Grid = styled.div`
  display: grid;
  gap: ${(props) => spacingMap[props.gutter] ?? spacingMap.lg};

  grid-template-columns: repeat(auto-fit, minmax(24rem, 1fr));
`;

Just like in the Columns primitive, we are using the 

 function. However, instead of a number, we are using the keyword 

 allows us to defer to the browser how many column tracks to use based on the quantity and size constraints.

This brings us to the size value. Instead of simply using 

, like in the Columns primitive, we use the 

 function. This function allows us to set a lower and upper bound without specifying the value itself, by passing in the lower bounds number, followed by the upper bounds number: 

. For example, if you wanted a value that was no less than 

 function is useful when you don't care what the value is, just as long as the value is no less than the lower bounds number and no higher than the higher bounds number.

In the above code, we have a lower bounds value of 

, which means each column track cannot be smaller than 

, which we learned in the last lesson means one fraction of available space. This will let each track take up 

 of available space or in other words, each column track will grow equally to take up all available space. We could put 

 and it would work the same. This is because, as we learned when making the 

. Effectively, the available space is divided into four parts and one part goes to the first track and the remaining three goes into the second track. In the code above, each track will have the same upper-bound fractional value, which means they will all grow equally.

To use the Grid primitive, it looks like this:

---
title: How to Build a React Responsive Grid Layout
slug: grid-component
description: Building an inherently responsive grid of items has been reduced down into a single line of CSS.  In this lesson, you will learn how to build the Grid primitive that easily lets us achieve this layout.
isPublicLesson: false
privateVideoUrl: https://fullstack.wistia.com/medias/hldcbkd3ma
useMdx: true
---

In the last lesson, we made a grid to lay our elements out on. In this lesson, we are making a responsive grid **of** elements.

## The problem: the Contact Grid List

In this lesson, we are going to build out the following widget:

![Contact list mockup](https://d2uusema5elisf.cloudfront.net/courses/composing-layouts-in-react/module_02/lesson_02.04/public/assets/grid-red-line.png)

Like always, we need consistent gutters between elements. However, this time we need a fluid grid with column tracks at least `24rems` wide but which can be wider if space is available.

## The solution

As always, let's start with our basic markup, and [you can follow along with this starter at codesandbox.io](https://codesandbox.io/s/grid-example-starter-83m5i?file=/src/Grid.js):

```jsx { actualFilename=./protected/grid-0.js endLine=16 startLine=4 url=https&#x3A;//gitlab.com/fullstackio/books/composing-layouts-in-react/module_02/lesson_02.04/protected/grid-0.js#L4 }
export default function ContactList() {
  return (
    <div>
      <Card />
      <Card />
      <Card />
      <Card />
      <Card />
      <Card />
      <Card />
    </div>
  );
}
```

Which looks like this:

![Contact list step 0](https://d2uusema5elisf.cloudfront.net/courses/composing-layouts-in-react/module_02/lesson_02.04/public/assets/grid-0.png)

Given the requirement that we need to fit in as many cards per row as we can, while maintaining a minimum width, we can't use our Columns primitive. Luckily we can adapt the Columns primitive slightly to make our new primitive:

```jsx { actualFilename=./protected/grid-1.js endLine=12 startLine=7 url=https&#x3A;//gitlab.com/fullstackio/books/composing-layouts-in-react/module_02/lesson_02.04/protected/grid-1.js#L7 }
const Grid = styled.div`
  display: grid;
  gap: ${(props) => spacingMap[props.gutter] ?? spacingMap.lg};

  grid-template-columns: repeat(auto-fit, minmax(24rem, 1fr));
`;
```

Just like in the Columns primitive, we are using the `repeat` function. However, instead of a number, we are using the keyword `auto-fit`. Using `auto-fit` allows us to defer to the browser how many column tracks to use based on the quantity and size constraints.

This brings us to the size value. Instead of simply using `1fr`, like in the Columns primitive, we use the `minmax` function. This function allows us to set a lower and upper bound without specifying the value itself, by passing in the lower bounds number, followed by the upper bounds number: `minmax(LOWER, UPPER)`. For example, if you wanted a value that was no less than `100px` and no larger than `300px`, then you would write `minmax(100px, 300px)`. The `minmax` function is useful when you don't care what the value is, just as long as the value is no less than the lower bounds number and no higher than the higher bounds number.

In the above code, we have a lower bounds value of `24rems`, which means each column track cannot be smaller than `24rems` wide. For the upper-bound we are using `1fr`, which we learned in the last lesson means one fraction of available space. This will let each track take up `1fr` of available space or in other words, each column track will grow equally to take up all available space. We could put `2fr` or `100fr` and it would work the same. This is because, as we learned when making the `Split`, `fr` units work in ratios. To create a `1/4` fractional split, we used `1fr 3fr`. Effectively, the available space is divided into four parts and one part goes to the first track and the remaining three goes into the second track. In the code above, each track will have the same upper-bound fractional value, which means they will all grow equally.

Building an inherently responsive grid of items has been reduced down into a single line of CSS.  In this lesson, you will learn how to build the Grid primitive that easily lets us achieve this layout.

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Composing Layouts in React

Module 1: Introduction

Introduction:

Start Here

Introduction: (2:30)

Welcome to Composing Layouts in React

Module 2: Composable Layouts

Lesson 1: (2:14)

CSS in the Age of Components

Lesson 2: (5:33)

What is Layout Composition? A React Layout Primitives Guide

Lesson 3: (8:53)

Encapsulated CSS - How to Apply CSS in a Composable Way

Lesson 4: (8:42)

Normal Document Flow in HTML, CSS, and React

Lesson 5: (6:27)

CSS Grid vs Flexbox for Composable Layouts

Lesson 6: (5:40)

How to Add a CSS Reset to Remove Default Browser Style

Module 3: Layout Primitives - The Spacers

Lesson 1: (2:02)

What are Layout Spacers?

Lesson 2: (17:07)

How to Build a Stacked Component Layout in React

Lesson 3: (14:21)

How to Build a Split Pane Layout in React

Lesson 4: (18:25)

How to Build React Grid Layouts With Custom Column Numbers

Lesson 5: (11:04)

How to Build a React Responsive Grid Layout

Lesson 6: (12:27)

How to Build Responsive React Text Elements With InlineCluster

Lesson 7: (23:22)

How to Add Inline Styling to React Components

Module 4: Layout Primitives - The Wrappers

Lesson 1: (2:39)

Introduction to Layout Wrapper Primitives

Lesson 2: (13:44)

How to Build a Pricing Page Widget in React With PadBox

Lesson 3: (14:27)

Automatically Center Text DIVs with React Center Component

Lesson 4: (19:59)

Resize Images And Maintain Aspect Ratio in React and CSS

Lesson 5: (17:14)

How to Vertically Center a DIV in React With CSS

Lesson 6: (8:54)

How to Build Accessible Navigation Divs in React

Module 5: Composing Layouts in Practice

Lesson 1: (1:32)

Introduction to The Settings Pages

Lesson 2: (24:10)

How to Build a React Navbar With a Menu and Header

Lesson 3: (16:17)

How to Build a React Sidebar Menu

Lesson 4: (20:05)

How to Build a Profile Settings Page in React

Lesson 5: (14:05)

How to Build a Privacy Page with Toggle Buttons in React

How to Build a React Responsive Grid Layout