CSS Positioning
The term "CSS positioning" refers to using CSS to position elements on your HTML page. CSS allows you to position any element precisely where you want it. You can specify whether you want the element positioned relative to its natural position in the page or absolute based on its parent element.
Absolute positioning can be very useful for creating advanced layouts and cool visual effects such as overlapping elements to present a layered effect.
Relative Positioning
To determine whether the element will be positioned relatively or absolutely, you use the position property.
To perform relative positioning in CSS you use position:relative; followed by the desired offset from either top, right, bottom or left.
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Here is the normal flow of content...
This div has relative positioning.
...and here is more content... |
This example offsets the element 80 pixels from the left of where it would have been. If we had specified top, it would appear 80 pixels below where it would have been. It's important to note that other elements are not affected by this element's offset. Therefore, overlapping may occur.
Absolute Positioning
To perform absolute positioning in CSS you again use the position property. Only, this time you use use position:absolute; followed by the desired offset.
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Fixed Positioning
Fixed positioning allows you to fix the position of an element to a particular spot on the page - regardless of scrolling.
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