cssgridgenerator
Editorial

CSS Grid Timeline Layout Generator

Entries alternating either side of a centre line, collapsing to a single rail on mobile.

Open in
940px

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

space to pan · ⌘scroll to zoom
1minmax(0, 1fr)22px3minmax(0, 1fr)4
1auto2auto3auto4
spine1 / 2 / 4 / 3
entry-11 / 1 / 2 / 2
entry-22 / 3 / 3 / 4
entry-33 / 1 / 4 / 2

Reading orderAt Desktop, entry-1 is the first thing seen but spine 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.

Seenentry-1 → spine → entry-2 → entry-3

Focusedspine → entry-1 → entry-2 → entry-3

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.

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

.timeline {
  display: grid;
  grid-template-columns: 12px minmax(0, 1fr);
  grid-template-rows: auto auto auto;
  gap: 16px;
  grid-template-areas:
    "spine entry-1"
    "spine entry-2"
    "spine entry-3";
}

.timeline > .spine { grid-area: spine; }
.timeline > .entry-1 { grid-area: entry-1; }
.timeline > .entry-2 { grid-area: entry-2; }
.timeline > .entry-3 { grid-area: entry-3; }

@media (min-width: 760px) {
  .timeline {
    grid-template-columns: minmax(0, 1fr) 2px minmax(0, 1fr);
    gap: 24px;
    grid-template-areas:
      "entry-1 spine ."
      ".       spine entry-2"
      "entry-3 spine .";
  }
}

How this layout works

Three columns: content, spine, content. Odd entries are placed in column 1, even entries in column 3, and the thin middle track holds the line and its markers. No absolute positioning and no ::before arithmetic.

The spine is a real track, so the line can simply be a background on a full-height element in it. Give it grid-row: 1 / -1 and it grows with the number of entries rather than needing a fixed height.

On mobile the spine moves to the left edge and every entry sits in the single content column. Alternating sides needs about 600px of room to read as alternation rather than as noise.

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 build an alternating timeline in CSS Grid?
Three columns: content, a thin spine, content. Odd entries go in column 1, even entries in column 3, and the spine holds the line. No absolute positioning and no pseudo-element arithmetic.
How do I draw the timeline line?
Put a real element in the spine track with grid-row: 1 / -1 and give it a background. It then grows with the number of entries instead of needing a hard-coded height.
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 alternating timeline 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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