What is the CSS flexbox order property and how does it work?
Antek N

The CSSorder property is a part of the Flexbox layout module, which provides a powerful way to control the order in which flex items are displayed within a flex container. Theorder property allows you to explicitly define the visual order of flex items, overriding their default order in the source code. Here's a detailed explanation of how theorder property works: 1. Flex Container and Flex Items: Before we dive into theorder property, it's essential to understand the basic concepts of Flexbox. A Flexbox layout consists of a flex container and its child elements, known as 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 Order: By default, flex items are displayed in the order they appear in the source code, from left to right. The initialorder value for flex items is0. 3. Theorder Property: Theorder property allows you to control the visual order of flex items within the flex container. It takes an integer value that represents the desired position of the flex item relative to other flex items. A lower value places the flex item before others, while a higher value pushes it further back in the order. 4. Usage: To use theorder property, target the desired flex item(s) within the flex container and set theorder value. For example:

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 .flex-item {
     order: 2;
   }

In this example, the flex item with the class.flex-item is assigned anorder value of2, which means it will be displayed after flex items with a lowerorder value. 5. Flex Items with the Same Order: If multiple flex items have the sameorder value, their order within the source code determines their visual display. In this case, flex items with equalorder values are displayed based on their original order. 6. Negative Order Values: Theorder property also supports negative values. Flex items with negativeorder values will appear before flex items with positive or zeroorder values. For example:

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 .flex-item {
     order: -1;
   }

In this case, the flex item with the class.flex-item will be displayed before other flex items with a0 or positiveorder value. 7. Example Scenario: 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 differentorder values to the flex items, we can change their display order. For instance:

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 .flex-item:first-child {
     order: 3;
   }

   .flex-item:nth-child(2) {
     order: 1;
   }

   .flex-item:last-child {
     order: 2;
   }

In this example, the first flex item (Item 1) has anorder of3, so it will be displayed last. The second flex item (Item 2) has anorder of1, making it the first to appear. The last flex item (Item 3) has anorder of2, placing it in the middle. By modifying theorder values, you can rearrange the visual order of the flex items, creating flexible and dynamic layouts. The CSSorder property is a powerful tool within the Flexbox module, allowing you to control the visual display order of flex items independently of their source code order. By applying differentorder values to flex items, you can achieve complex and customized layouts while maintaining a simple HTML structure.

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