CSS Overflow

The CSS overflow property controls what happens to content that is too big to fit into an area.

CSS Overflow

The CSS overflow controls the big content. It tells whether to clip content or to add scroll bars.

The CSS overflow module properties enable you to handle scrollable overflow in visual media.

In CSS, the overflow property controls what happens when content overflows the boundaries of its container.

The CSS Overflow property

The overflow property specifies whether to clip the content or to add scrollbars when the content of an element is too big to fit in the specified area.

The overflow property has the following values:

• visible - Default. The overflow is not clipped. The content renders outside the element's box
• hidden - The overflow is clipped, and the rest of the content will be invisible
• scroll - The overflow is clipped, and a scrollbar is added to see the rest of the content
• auto - Similar to scroll, but it adds scrollbars only when necessary

Overflow :visible

By default, the overflow is visible, meaning that it is not clipped and it renders outside the element's box:

Overflow content is not clipped and may be visible outside the element's padding box.

Example:
div {
width: 200px;
height: 65px;
background-color: coral;
overflow: visible;
}

Overflow : hidden

With the hidden value, the overflow is clipped, and the rest of the content is hidden:

You can use the overflow property when you want to have better control of the layout.

Example:
div {
overflow: hidden;
}

Overflow : scroll

Setting the value to scroll, the overflow is clipped and a scrollbar is added to scroll inside the box. Note that this will add a scrollbar both horizontally and vertically (even if you do not need it):

You can use the overflow property when you want to have better control of the layout.

Example:
div {
overflow: scroll;
}

Overflow: auto

The auto value is similar to scroll, but it adds scrollbars only when necessary.

You can use the overflow property when you want to have better control of the layout.

Example:
div {
overflow: auto;
}

overflow-x and overflow-y

The overflow-x and overflow-y properties specifies whether to change the overflow of content just horizontally or vertically (or both):

overflow-x specifies what to do with the left/right edges of the content.
overflow-y specifies what to do with the top/bottom edges of the content.

You can use the overflow property when you want to have better control of the layout.

Example:
div {
overflow-x: hidden; /* Hide horizontal scrollbar */
overflow-y: scroll; /* Add vertical scrollbar */
}

Here are the key points of overflow property in CSS

1. Purpose

• Controls how content is handled when it overflows the boundaries of an element's box.

2. Default Behavior

• By default, the value is visible, which means content will overflow and be displayed outside of the element's boundaries.

3. Common Values

• Visible:Content is not clipped and will overflow the element's box.
• Hidden:Content is clipped and hidden, with no scrollbars provided.
• Scroll:Content is clipped, but scrollbars are always visible, even if not needed.
• Auto:Content is clipped, and scrollbars appear only when necessary.

4. Separate control for horizontal and vertical overflow:

• Overflow-x: Manages horizontal overflow.
• Overflow-y:Manages vertical overflow.

5. Use cases:

• hidden:Useful for hiding excess content or creating cropped elements.
• auto:Commonly used to add scrollbars only when content exceeds container size.
• scroll:Ensures scrollbars are always visible, even if there is no overflow

6. Potential Pitfalls:

• hidden may cause important content to be cut off if not used carefully.
• Always consider usability, especially when hiding overflow content.