What is the CSS flexbox align-items property and how does it work?
Antek N

The CSSalign-items property is a part of the Flexbox layout module that controls how flex items are aligned vertically within a flex container. It allows you to specify the alignment along the cross-axis, which is perpendicular to the main-axis of the flex container. Here's a detailed explanation of how thealign-items property works: 1. Flex Container and Flex Items: Before understandingalign-items, it's important to grasp the concept of a flex container and flex items. A flex container is a parent element that holds one or more child elements called flex items. The container is defined by settingdisplay: flex ordisplay: inline-flex on the parent element, while the child elements become flex items. 2. Default Alignment: By default, flex items are aligned along the cross-axis based on the value of thealign-items property, which is initially set tostretch. This means that flex items will stretch to fill the entire height of the flex container, unless overridden by other alignment options. 3. Thealign-items Property: Thealign-items property is used to control the alignment of flex items along the cross-axis of the flex container. It accepts various values to define the desired alignment. Here are some common values: -stretch (default): Flex items will stretch to fill the entire height of the flex container. -flex-start: Flex items will align to the start of the cross-axis. -flex-end: Flex items will align to the end of the cross-axis. -center: Flex items will align to the center of the cross-axis. -baseline: Flex items will align their baselines, which is the imaginary line where text sits. 4. Usage: To use thealign-items property, target the flex container and set thealign-items value. For example:

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 .flex-container {
     display: flex;
     align-items: center;
   }

In this example, the flex container with the class.flex-container is set todisplay: flex to enable flexbox behavior. Thealign-items property is then set tocenter, causing the flex items to align at the center of the cross-axis. 5. Individual Item Alignment: Thealign-items property applies to all flex items within a flex container. If you want to align individual items differently, you can use thealign-self property on each item to override the container's alignment. This allows you to have different alignment settings for specific flex items. 6. Example Scenarios: Let's consider the following HTML markup:

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  <div class="flex-container">
     <div class="flex-item">Item 1</div>
     <div class="flex-item">Item 2</div>
     <div class="flex-item">Item 3</div>
   </div>

By applying differentalign-items values to the flex container, you can control the vertical alignment of the flex items. For instance:

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 .flex-container {
     display: flex;
     align-items: flex-start;
   }

In this example, the flex items will align to the start of the cross-axis within the flex container. By changing the value toflex-end,center, orbaseline, you can achieve different alignment results. Thealign-items property is a powerful tool within Flexbox that allows you to control the vertical alignment of flex items within a flex container. By adjusting thealign-items value, you can achieve various alignment scenarios and create flexible and responsive layouts.

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