flex-direction
The flex-direction
CSS property sets how flex items are placed in the flex container defining the main axis and the direction (normal or reversed).
Note that the values row
and row-reverse
are affected by the directionality of the flex container. If its dir
attribute is ltr
, row
represents the horizontal axis oriented from the left to the right, and row-reverse
from the right to the left; if the dir
attribute is rtl
, row
represents the axis oriented from the right to the left, and row-reverse
from the left to the right.
Syntax
/* The direction text is laid out in a line */
flex-direction: row;
/* Like <row>, but reversed */
flex-direction: row-reverse;
/* The direction in which lines of text are stacked */
flex-direction: column;
/* Like <column>, but reversed */
flex-direction: column-reverse;
/* Global values */
flex-direction: inherit;
flex-direction: initial;
flex-direction: revert;
flex-direction: unset;
Values
The following values are accepted:
row
-
The flex container's main-axis is defined to be the same as the text direction. The main-start and main-end points are the same as the content direction.
row-reverse
-
Behaves the same as
row
but the main-start and main-end points are opposite to the content direction. column
-
The flex container's main-axis is the same as the block-axis. The main-start and main-end points are the same as the before and after points of the writing-mode.
column-reverse
-
Behaves the same as
column
but the main-start and main-end are opposite to the content direction.
Accessibility concerns
Using the flex-direction
property with values of row-reverse
or column-reverse
will create a disconnect between the visual presentation of content and DOM order. This will adversely affect users experiencing low vision navigating with the aid of assistive technology such as a screen reader. If the visual (CSS) order is important, then screen reader users will not have access to the correct reading order.
Formal definition
Initial value | row |
---|---|
Applies to | flex containers |
Inherited | no |
Computed value | as specified |
Animation type | discrete |
Formal syntax
Examples
Reversing flex container columns and rows
HTML
<h4>This is a Column-Reverse</h4>
<div id="col-rev" class="content">
<div class="box red">A</div>
<div class="box lightblue">B</div>
<div class="box yellow">C</div>
</div>
<h4>This is a Row-Reverse</h4>
<div id="row-rev" class="content">
<div class="box red">A</div>
<div class="box lightblue">B</div>
<div class="box yellow">C</div>
</div>
CSS
.content {
width: 200px;
height: 200px;
border: 1px solid #c3c3c3;
display: flex;
}
.box {
width: 50px;
height: 50px;
}
#col-rev {
flex-direction: column-reverse;
}
#row-rev {
flex-direction: row-reverse;
}
.red {
background-color: red;
}
.lightblue {
background-color: lightblue;
}
.yellow {
background-color: yellow;
}
Result
Specifications
Specification |
---|
CSS Flexible Box Layout Module Level 1 # flex-direction-property |
Browser compatibility
BCD tables only load in the browser
See also
- CSS Flexbox Guide: Basic Concepts of Flexbox
- CSS Flexbox Guide: Ordering flex items