CSS Position

The position property specifies the type of positioning method used for an element (static, relative, fixed, absolute or sticky).

CSS Position

The CSS position property is used to specify where an element is displayed on the page.

The position CSS property sets how an element is positioned in a document.

The CSS position property is used to define the position of the element on the web page.

The position property

The position property specifies the type of positioning method used for an element.

There are five different position values:

• static
• relative
• fixed
• absolute
• sticky

Position: static

HTML elements are positioned static by default.

Static positioned elements are not affected by the top, bottom, left, and right properties.

An element with position: static; is not positioned in any special way; it is always positioned according to the normal flow of the page:

Example:
div.static{
position:static;
border:3px solid red;
}

Position: relative

An element with position: relative; is positioned relative to its normal position.

Setting the top, right, bottom, and left properties of a relatively-positioned element will cause it to be adjusted away from its normal position. Other content will not be adjusted to fit into any gap left by the element.

Example:
div.relative {
position: relative;
left: 30px;
border: 3px solid #73AD21;
}

Position: fixed

An element with position: fixed; is positioned relative to the viewport, which means it always stays in the same place even if the page is scrolled. The top, right, bottom, and left properties are used to position the element.

A fixed element does not leave a gap in the page where it would normally have been located.

Notice the fixed element in the lower-right corner of the page. Here is the CSS that is used:

Example:
div.fixed {
position: fixed;
bottom: 0;
right: 0;
width: 300px;
border: 3px solid #73AD21;
}

position: absolute

An element with position: absolute; is positioned relative to the nearest positioned ancestor (instead of positioned relative to the viewport, like fixed).

However; if an absolute positioned element has no positioned ancestors, it uses the document body, and moves along with page scrolling.

Note: Absolute positioned elements are removed from the normal flow, and can overlap elements.

Example:
div.absolute {
position: absolute;
top: 80px;
right: 0;
width: 200px;
height: 100px;
border: 3px solid #73AD21;
}

Position: sticky

An element with position: sticky; is positioned based on the user's scroll position.

A sticky element toggles between relative and fixed, depending on the scroll position. It is positioned relative until a given offset position is met in the viewport - then it "sticks" in place (like position:fixed).

Example:
div.sticky {
position: sticky;
top: 0;
background-color: green;
border: 2px solid #4CAF50;
}

Here are the key points

1. Position Values

• static:
  • This is the default value. Elements are positioned according to the normal flow of the document.
  • Top, right, bottom, and left properties have no effect.
• relative:
  • The element is positioned relative to its normal position in the document flow
  • You can use the top, right, bottom, and left properties to move the element relative to its original position.
• absolute:
  • The element is removed from the normal document flow and is positioned relative to its nearest positioned ancestor (not static), or the initial containing block if no such ancestor exists.
  • The top, right, bottom, and left properties specify the position offsets.
• fixed:
  • The element is removed from the normal document flow and is positioned relative to the viewport.
  • Even when the page is scrolled, the element stays in the same position.
  • Useful for creating fixed headers, footers, or sticky elements.
• sticky:
  • The element toggles between relative and fixed positioning, depending on the user's scroll position.
  • It behaves like a relatively positioned element until it reaches a specified scroll position, at which point it "sticks" to that position.
  • Use top, right, bottom, or left to define the sticky point.

2. Positioning Properties

• top, right, bottom, left:
  • These properties specify the offset for an element.
  • They work with relative, absolute, fixed, and sticky position values but are ignored for static.

3. z-index Property

• z-index:
  • Controls the stack order of positioned elements (elements with relative, absolute, fixed, or sticky positioning).
  • Elements with a higher z-index value appear in front of elements with a lower z-index value.
  • Works only on positioned elements (not static).

4. Common Use Cases

• static: Default for most elements; used when no special positioning is needed.
• relative: Used when you need to nudge an element from its normal position without affecting the layout of other elements.
• absolute:Useful for positioning elements in specific areas of a container, such as tooltips or dropdown menus.
• fixed:Ideal for elements that should remain visible regardless of scrolling, like a navigation bar.
• sticky: Used for elements that should stick to a position when scrolled, like a sticky header.