Basics
CSS Overflow
Handling CSS Overflow
CSS overflow manages content with visible, hidden, and scroll, including x/y.
What is CSS Overflow?
CSS overflow is a property that controls what happens to content that overflows its container. It helps you manage content that is larger than the container, by specifying whether to cut it off, show a scrollbar, or make it visible.
Overflow Values
The overflow property has several values that dictate how excess content is handled:
- visible: The default value, where content is not clipped and may overflow the container.
- hidden: The content is clipped, and no scrollbars are provided to view the rest of the content.
- scroll: The content is clipped, but scrollbars are added so that the user can see the remaining content.
- auto: Similar to
scroll, but scrollbars are added only when necessary.
Using Overflow X and Y
CSS also allows you to control overflow on the horizontal and vertical axes separately using overflow-x and overflow-y. This can be particularly useful for creating custom scroll behaviors.
Practical Examples
Let's look at a practical example of using the overflow property:
In this example, the content inside the div is too large for its container, but the overflow: auto; property ensures that scrollbars appear only when necessary.
Considerations and Best Practices
When using the overflow property, consider the user experience. Forcing scrollbars can be useful in some designs, but it can also lead to a poor user experience if not implemented thoughtfully. Always test across different devices and screen sizes.
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