cssgridgenerator
Page shells

CSS Grid Documentation Site Layout Generator

Section nav on the left, prose in the middle, on-page table of contents on the right.

Open in
1360px

Drag across the grid to draw an area. Arrow keys nudge, Shift + arrows resize.

space to pan · ⌘scroll to zoom
1240px2minmax(0, 72ch)3200px4
1auto21fr3
header1 / 1 / 2 / 4
main2 / 2 / 3 / 3
nav2 / 1 / 3 / 2
toc2 / 3 / 3 / 4

Reading orderAt Desktop, nav is the first thing seen but main is the first thing focused. Placement has moved the layout out of document order, so keyboard and screen reader users get a different sequence from everyone else.

Seenheader → nav → main → toc

Focusedheader → main → nav → toc

Usually the fix is in the markup, not in CSS: reorder the children so the HTML reads the way the page does, then place them back where you want them. Reaching for order or row-reverse instead moves the picture without moving the focus, which is the bug rather than the cure.

It is not always wrong. A full-height sidebar beside a topbar diverges by construction, and the accepted answer there is a skip link to the main content rather than a reordered document. WCAG 2.2 SC 1.3.2 asks that the sequence be meaningful — not that it be identical.

Also out of order at Tablet.

Named areas. The CSS is a picture of the layout, and only the properties that actually change get repeated inside each media query.

.docs {
  display: grid;
  grid-template-columns: 1fr;
  grid-template-rows: auto auto;
  gap: 20px;
  grid-template-areas:
    "header"
    "main";
}

.docs > .header { grid-area: header; }
.docs > .main { grid-area: main; }
.docs > .nav { display: none; }
.docs > .toc { display: none; }

@media (min-width: 768px) {
  .docs {
    grid-template-columns: 220px minmax(0, 1fr);
    grid-template-rows: auto 1fr;
    gap: 28px;
    grid-template-areas:
      "header header"
      "nav    main";
  }

    .docs > .nav { grid-area: nav; }
}

@media (min-width: 1180px) {
  .docs {
    grid-template-columns: 240px minmax(0, 72ch) 200px;
    gap: 32px;
    grid-template-areas:
      "header header header"
      "nav    main   toc";
  }

    .docs > .toc { grid-area: toc; }
}

How this layout works

Three columns appear in stages: prose alone on mobile, prose plus the section nav on tablet, and the table of contents joins at desktop. Dropping the TOC first is deliberate — it is the column a narrow reader needs least.

Both side columns are sticky (position: sticky; top: 0; align-self: start). The align-self: start matters: a grid item stretches to the row height by default, and a full-height item has nothing left to scroll against, so sticky never engages.

Cap the prose column rather than the page. minmax(0, 72ch) on the middle track keeps the measure readable at any window width without a max-width wrapper, and the minmax(0, …) stops long code blocks from forcing the column wider than its share.

Every property used here is listed in the CSS Grid cheat sheet, with the reason to reach for it.

Frequently asked questions

How do I make a documentation sidebar and table of contents both sticky?
Give each one position: sticky; top: 0 and — the part people miss — align-self: start. A grid item stretches to fill its row by default, and an item that is already as tall as the row has nothing left to scroll against, so sticky never engages.
What width should the prose column in docs be?
Around 68 to 72 characters. Setting the track to minmax(0, 72ch) caps the measure in units that follow the font size, and the minmax(0, …) stops a wide code block from forcing the column past its share.
How do I center a grid in CSS?
Use justify-content: center on the grid container to centre the whole grid inside it, and margin-inline: auto with a max-width to centre the container in the page. These are different jobs: the first moves the tracks within the container, the second moves the container itself.
How do I center items inside a CSS grid?
Set place-items: center on the container. That is shorthand for align-items plus justify-items, and it centres every item inside its own cell on both axes. For a single item, use place-self: center on that item instead.
How do I make a CSS grid responsive?
Use grid-template-columns: repeat(auto-fill, minmax(260px, 1fr)) and it reflows at every width with no media queries at all. Add breakpoints only when the exact column count matters, or when the layout has to change shape rather than just wrap.
When should I use CSS Grid instead of Flexbox?
Use Grid when things must line up in two directions at once, and Flexbox when content flows along one axis. A page skeleton or dashboard is Grid; a navbar or row of buttons is Flexbox. They nest: Grid for the page, Flexbox inside the cells.

How to use it

  1. Open the pattern

    The documentation layout loads into the editor already responsive, with every breakpoint set up.

  2. Change the tracks

    Edit the column and row sizes in the Tracks panel. Anything valid in a track list works.

  3. Redraw at another width

    Move the ruler past a breakpoint marker and rearrange. Only the placement changes.

  4. Copy the code

    Take CSS, HTML, Tailwind or a shadcn component. The media queries are already written.

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