Grid template areas in CSS - Practice Problems & Coding Challenges

Challenge - 5 Problems

🧠 Conceptual

intermediate

Understanding grid-template-areas layout

Given the following CSS grid template areas, how many grid cells does the area named header cover?

CSS

grid-template-areas: "header header header" "nav main main" "nav footer footer";

A 4

B 1

C 2

D 3

💡 Hint

Count how many times the name 'header' appears in the grid-template-areas string.

The 'header' area appears three times in the first row, so it covers 3 grid cells horizontally.

📝 Syntax

intermediate

Identify the syntax error in grid-template-areas

Which option contains a syntax error in the grid-template-areas property?

A grid-template-areas: "header header" "nav main footer";

B grid-template-areas: "header header" "nav main" "footer footer";

C grid-template-areas: 'header header' 'nav main';

D grid-template-areas: "header header" "nav main";

💡 Hint

Ensure all row strings have the same number of space-separated area names.

Option A is invalid because the first row has 2 area names ("header header") while the second has 3 ("nav main footer"). All rows in grid-template-areas must have the same number of space-separated area names to define a rectangular grid.

❓ rendering

advanced

Visual layout from grid-template-areas

What will be the visual layout of the grid areas if the CSS is:

grid-template-columns: 1fr 2fr 1fr;
grid-template-rows: 50px 100px;
grid-template-areas:
  "a a b"
  "c d d";

Which area will be the widest?

A Area 'a' is the widest because it spans two columns, including the 2fr column.

B Area 'b' is the widest because it is in the last column with 1fr width.

C Area 'd' is the widest because it spans two columns but both are 1fr wide.

D Area 'c' is the widest because it occupies the entire first column.

💡 Hint

Look at how many columns each area covers and their relative widths.

Area 'a' spans the first two columns: 1fr + 2fr = 3fr total width, which is wider than any other area.

❓ selector

advanced

Selecting grid areas with CSS selectors

Given this HTML and CSS, which selector correctly styles the grid area named 'sidebar'?

CSS

<div class="container">
  <div class="header">Header</div>
  <div class="sidebar">Sidebar</div>
  <div class="content">Content</div>
</div>

.container {
  display: grid;
  grid-template-areas: "header header"
                       "sidebar content";
}
.sidebar {
  /* Which selector targets this grid area? */
}

A .sidebar { grid-area: header; }

B .container > .sidebar { grid-area: content; }

C .sidebar { grid-area: sidebar; }

D .content { grid-area: sidebar; }

💡 Hint

The grid-area property assigns the grid area name to the element.

The element with class 'sidebar' should have grid-area: sidebar; to match the grid-template-areas name.

❓ accessibility

expert

Accessibility considerations with grid-template-areas

When using grid-template-areas for layout, which practice best supports screen reader users?

A Rely only on visual grid layout without adding landmarks or roles.

B Use semantic HTML elements and ARIA roles to describe the purpose of each grid area.

C Use only <div> elements with no ARIA attributes inside the grid.

D Hide all grid areas from screen readers using <code>aria-hidden="true"</code>.

💡 Hint

Think about how screen readers understand page structure beyond visual layout.

Using semantic HTML and ARIA roles helps screen readers understand the layout and purpose of each area, improving accessibility.

Practice

1. What does the grid-template-areas property do in CSS Grid?

easy

A. It names areas of the grid to place items easily.

B. It sets the colors of grid cells.

C. It defines the size of grid gaps.

D. It controls the font size inside grid items.

Solution

1. Step 1: Understand the purpose of grid-template-areas

   This property lets you assign names to parts of the grid layout, making it easier to place items by referring to those names.

2. Step 2: Compare with other grid properties

   Other properties like gap or font size do not name areas; they control spacing or style, so they are not correct here.

3. Final Answer:

   It names areas of the grid to place items easily. -> Option A

4. Quick Check:

   grid-template-areas = names grid parts [OK]

Hint: Remember: areas = named parts of grid layout [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Confusing grid-template-areas with grid-gap
• Thinking it sets colors or fonts
• Mixing it up with grid-template-columns

2. Which of the following is the correct syntax for defining grid-template-areas with two rows and three columns?

easy

A. grid-template-areas: ['header' 'header' 'header'] ['main' 'main' 'sidebar'];

B. grid-template-areas: header header header; main main sidebar;

C. grid-template-areas: "header header header" "main main sidebar";

D. grid-template-areas: ("header header header", "main main sidebar");

Solution

1. Step 1: Check the syntax format

   The correct syntax uses quoted strings for each row, separated by spaces for columns, all inside the property value.

2. Step 2: Identify correct quotes and separators

   grid-template-areas: "header header header" "main main sidebar"; uses double quotes around each row and spaces between area names, which is correct. Other options use incorrect brackets or missing quotes.

3. Final Answer:

   grid-template-areas: "header header header" "main main sidebar"; -> Option C

4. Quick Check:

   Quotes per row, spaces per column [OK]

Hint: Use quotes for each row, spaces for columns [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Omitting quotes around rows
• Using brackets instead of quotes
• Separating rows with commas or semicolons incorrectly

3. Given this CSS:

  .container {
    display: grid;
    grid-template-columns: 1fr 2fr 1fr;
    grid-template-areas:
      "nav nav nav"
      "sidebar main main";
  }
  .nav { grid-area: nav; }
  .sidebar { grid-area: sidebar; }
  .main { grid-area: main; }

What will be the layout of the grid areas?

medium

A. The nav, sidebar, and main all overlap in the first row.

B. The nav is only in the first column; sidebar and main share the second row equally.

C. The nav is in the last column; sidebar spans all columns in second row.

D. The nav spans all three columns in the first row; sidebar is left in second row; main spans two columns on right in second row.

Solution

1. Step 1: Analyze grid-template-areas rows

   The first row is "nav nav nav", so nav covers all three columns in row one. The second row is "sidebar main main", so sidebar is in first column, main spans second and third columns.

2. Step 2: Match grid-area assignments

   Each class uses grid-area matching the names in template areas, so items appear in those named spots.

3. Final Answer:

   The nav spans all three columns in the first row; sidebar is left in second row; main spans two columns on right in second row. -> Option D

4. Quick Check:

   Named areas match layout positions [OK]

Hint: Repeat area names in quotes to span columns [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Assuming nav only covers one column
• Mixing up row and column spans
• Ignoring repeated area names for spanning

4. Identify the error in this CSS snippet:

  .container {
    display: grid;
    grid-template-areas:
      "header header header"
      "content sidebar";
  }
  .header { grid-area: header; }
  .content { grid-area: content; }
  .sidebar { grid-area: sidebar; }

medium

A. The grid-template-areas rows have different numbers of columns.

B. Missing grid-template-columns property.

C. The grid-area names do not match the template areas.

D. Using double quotes instead of single quotes.

Solution

1. Step 1: Count columns in each grid-template-areas row

   The first row "header header header" has 3 area names (columns). The second row "content sidebar" has 2 area names. Mismatch!

2. Step 2: Verify the rule

   All rows in grid-template-areas must have the same number of area names to define consistent columns.

3. Step 3: Check other options

   B: grid-template-columns is implicitly created by areas. C: Names match exactly. D: Double quotes are valid.

4. Final Answer:

   The grid-template-areas rows have different numbers of columns. -> Option A

5. Quick Check:

   Same # areas per row [OK]

Hint: Every row must have identical number of area names [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Assuming rows have same columns without counting
• Thinking missing grid-template-columns is the error
• Believing quote type causes issues

5. You want a grid layout with three rows and three columns. The top row is a header spanning all columns. The middle row has a sidebar on the left and main content spanning the other two columns. The bottom row is a footer spanning all columns. Which grid-template-areas value correctly defines this layout?

hard

A. "header sidebar main" "header sidebar main" "footer footer footer"

B. "header header header" "sidebar main main" "footer footer footer"

C. "header header header" "main main sidebar" "footer footer footer"

D. "header header" "sidebar main main" "footer footer footer"

Solution

1. Step 1: Understand the layout requirements

   Top row: header spans all 3 columns. Middle row: sidebar left (1 column), main content spans 2 columns on right. Bottom row: footer spans all 3 columns.

2. Step 2: Match the grid-template-areas string

   "header header header" "sidebar main main" "footer footer footer" matches exactly: first row "header header header" (3 columns), second row "sidebar main main" (sidebar left, main spans 2 columns), third row "footer footer footer" (footer spans all columns).

3. Step 3: Check other options for errors

   "header sidebar main" "header sidebar main" "footer footer footer" splits header and sidebar in first row, which is wrong. "header header header" "main main sidebar" "footer footer footer" swaps main and sidebar positions. "header header" "sidebar main main" "footer footer footer" has only 2 columns in first row, inconsistent with 3 columns.

4. Final Answer:

   "header header header" "sidebar main main" "footer footer footer" -> Option B

5. Quick Check:

   Repeat area names to span columns correctly [OK]

Hint: Repeat area names in quotes to span columns properly [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Mismatching number of columns per row
• Swapping sidebar and main positions
• Not repeating area names to span columns