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CSS - The Complete Guide (incl. Flexbox, Grid & Sass)

Learn CSS for the first time or brush up your CSS skills and dive in even deeper. EVERY web developer has to know CSS.

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  3. CSS - The Complete Guide (incl. Flexbox, Grid & Sass)

CSS - short for Cascading Style Sheets - is a "programming language" you use to turn your raw HTML pages into real beautiful websites.

This course covers it all - we start at the very basics (What is CSS? How does it work? How do you use it)? and gradually dive in deeper and deeper. And we do this by showing both practical examples as well as the theory behind it.

Getting started with CSS might look easy but there actually is a lot of depth to CSS - hence this course provides different "Tracks" or "Entry points" to exactly meet your demands and reflect you current knowledge level:

  • The Basics Track:Start from scratch, learn CSS from the ground up. You start with lecture 1 and simply follow through to the end.
  • The Advanced Track: You already know the CSS basics, you know what selectors are and how it works but you want to dive in deeper and learn some advanced features and usages.
  • The Expert Track: You got the advanced knowledge, too, but you want to dive into things like Flexbox, CSS Grid, CSS Variables or Sass. This track is for you.

Of course this course offers the theory and practical examples - we'll build an entire real course project throughout the course - but there also are multiple assignments, quizzes and challenges for you to practice individual concepts taught throughout the course.

Talking about the course project - we'll build the frontend (no backend) of a fictional web hosting company. We'll have a starting screen which has different sections, we got a responsive design with an animated side-drawer, we got modals and forms and in general we got a lot of CSS animations, font styles and more!

Here's what's inside the course in detail - this is all also applied to the mentioned course project:

  • The basics about selectors, combinators and how you set up styling rules in general
  • Properties, values and decalarations
  • How specifity and inheritance work and why it's called "Cascading" Style Sheets
  • Important theoretical concepts like the "Box Model"
  • How the default position of elements can be changed
  • Styling backgrounds (e.g. gradients) and images
  • Which units and dimensions you typically use in CSS (px, rem, % and more)
  • How JavaScript and CSS interact
  • Responsive design and what "Mobile First" means
  • Styling forms and form inputs
  • Working with text, fonts and text styles
  • Flexbox! How it works and how to use it
  • Using the CSS Grid and how it differs from Flexbox
  • Transforming and animating HTML elements with the help of CSS
  • Writing future-proof CSS with features like CSS variables or best-practice class names
  • Using Sass and what it actually is all about

Is this course for you?

It's for you if ...

  • you started with learning web development and you want to build more beautiful websites
  • you already know CSS but want to dive deeper
  • you're using CSS in a trial-and-error manner and want to change this (you should!)

You might come back later if ...

  • you're an absolute CSS pro and you know the CSS working group drafts by heart
  • you're a backend-only developer (Node, PHP, NO HTML or frontend JavaScript)
  • you're a total newcomer to web development and you don't know the basics about HTML

Section: Getting Started

1. Introduction (1:39)
2. What is CSS? (2:59)
3. CSS History, Present & Future (1:50)
4. Join our Online Learning Community (1:00)
5. Course Outline (4:34)
6. Course Prerequisites (0:43)
7. How To Get The Most Out Of This Course (2:49)
8. Recommended Tools (1:26)
9. Useful Resources & Links (1:00)
10. Where to Find the Source Code (1:00)

Section: Diving Into the Basics of CSS

11. Module Introduction (0:55)
12. Understanding the Course Project Setup (2:44)
13. Adding CSS to our Project with Inline Styles (3:53)
14. Understanding the "style" Tag & Creating a .css File (6:27)
15. Applying Additional Styles & Importing Google Fonts (6:51)
16. Theory Time - Selectors (8:56)
17. Understanding the "Cascading" Style & Specificity (8:14)
18. Understanding Inheritance (5:47)
19. Adding Combinators (6:16)
20. Theory Time - Combinators (5:42)
21. Summarizing Properties & Selectors (3:49)
22. Assignment - The Basics (Problem) (3:15)
23. Assignment - The Basics (Solution) (12:40)
24. Wrap Up (2:02)
25. Useful Resources & Links (1:00)

Section: Diving Deeper into CSS

26. Module Introduction (1:19)
27. Introducing the CSS Box Model (3:36)
28. Understanding the Box Model (3:01)
29. Understanding Margin Collapsing and Removing Default Margins (3:05)
30. Deep Dive on "Margin Collapsing" (1:00)
31. Theory Time - Working with Shorthand Properties (3:48)
32. Applying Shorthands in Practice (2:05)
33. Diving Into the Height & Width Properties (6:07)
34. Understanding Box Sizing (6:43)
35. Adding the Header to our Project (5:37)
36. Understanding the Display Property (7:12)
37. display: none vs visibility: hidden (1:00)
38. HTML Refresher: Block-level vs Inline Elements (1:00)
39. Applying the Display Property & Styling our Navigation Bar (6:53)
40. Understanding an Unexpected "inline-block" Behaviour (2:03)
41. Working with "text-decoration" & "vertical-align" (4:54)
42. Styling Anchor Tags (4:00)
43. Adding Pseudo Classes (1:47)
44. Theory Time - Pseudo Classes & Pseudo Elements (5:38)
45. Grouping Rules (1:14)
46. Working with "font-weight" & "border" (2:04)
47. Adding & Styling a CTA-Button (4:09)
48. Adding a Background Image to our Project (1:50)
49. Properties Worth to Remember (1:29)
50. Assignment - Diving Deeper (Problem) (3:08)
51. Assignment - Diving Deeper (Solution) (16:26)
52. Wrap Up (2:31)
53. Useful Resources & Links (1:00)

Section: More on Selectors & CSS Features

54. Module Introduction (0:41)
55. Using Multiple CSS Classes & Combined Selectors (7:09)
56. Classes or IDs? (4:05)
57. (Not) using !important (3:15)
58. Selecting the Opposite with :not() (3:29)
59. CSS & Browser Support (3:51)
60. Wrap Up (1:06)
61. Useful Resources & Links (1:00)

Section: Practicing the Basics

62. Module Introduction (0:37)
63. Adding Style to our Plans (8:34)
64. Working on the Recommended Plan (6:33)
65. Styling the Badge with "border-radius" (3:22)
66. Styling our List (3:02)
67. Working on the Title and the Price of our Packages (4:33)
68. Improving our Action Button (6:40)
69. Understanding Outlines (2:17)
70. Presenting the Core Features to the User (1:22)
71. Styling the Headline of the Core Features Section (3:38)
72. Preparing the Content of the Key Feature Area (7:15)
73. Adding the Footer (6:49)
74. What we Achieved so Far (1:46)
75. Adding the Packages Page (6:24)
76. Your Challenge (1:31)
77. Styling the Links (3:55)
78. Styling our Package Boxes (7:15)
79. Adding "float" to our Package (5:14)
80. Fixing the Hover Effect (4:11)
81. Adding the Final Touches (3:01)
82. Useful Resources & Links (1:00)

Section: Positioning Elements with CSS

83. Module Introduction (2:44)
84. Why Positioning will Improve our Website (2:32)
85. Understanding Positioning - The Theory (5:54)
86. Working with the "fixed" Value (9:50)
87. Creating a Fixed Navigation Bar (3:54)
88. Using "position" to Add a Background Image (6:03)
89. Understanding the Z-Index (6:59)
90. Adding a Badge to our Package (8:00)
91. Styling & Positioning our Badge with "absolute" and "relative" (3:10)
92. Diving Deeper into Relative Positioning (4:02)
93. Working with "overflow" and Relative Positioning (4:17)
94. Introducing "sticky" Positioning (6:53)
95. Understanding the Stacking Context (5:53)
96. Assignment - Positioning (Problem) (4:41)
97. Assignment - Positioning (Solution) (14:35)
98. Wrap Up (4:12)
99. Useful Resources & Links (1:00)

Section: Understanding Background Images & Images

100. Optional: Advanced Track Introduction (2:22)
101. Module Introduction (1:05)
102. Understanding "background-size" (8:41)
103. Working with "background-position" (5:00)
104. The "background" Shorthand - Theory (2:12)
105. Applying "background" Origin, Clip & Attachment (5:51)
106. Using the "background" Shorthand on our Project (2:19)
107. Styling Images (7:33)
108. Adding the Customers Page to our Website (3:19)
109. Working on the Image Layout (8:07)
110. Understanding Linear Gradients (6:16)
111. Applying Radial Gradients (5:41)
112. Stacking Multiple Backgrounds (4:50)
113. Understanding Filters (4:00)
114. Adding & Styling SVGs - The Basics (4:20)
115. Wrap Up (2:14)
116. Useful Resources & Links (1:00)

Section: Sizes & Units

117. Module Introduction (2:35)
118. What's Wrong With Our Project Units? (5:21)
119. Where Units Matter (6:02)
120. An Overview of Available Sizes & Units (4:24)
121. Rules to Remember: Fixed Positioning & "%" (4:15)
122. Rules to Remember: Absolute Positioning & "%" (8:14)
123. Rules to Remember: Relative / Static Positioning & "%" (8:53)
124. Fixing the Height 100% Issue (12:02)
125. Defining the Font Size in the Root Element (2:18)
126. Using "min-width/height" & "max-width/height" (5:27)
127. Working with "rem" & "em" (12:47)
128. Adding "rem" to Additional Properties (8:17)
129. Finishing "rem" (5:21)
130. Understanding the Viewport Units "vw" &"vh" (9:47)
131. Windows, Viewport Units & Scrollbars (1:00)
132. Choosing the Right Unit (5:30)
133. Using "auto" to Center Elements (1:42)
134. Cleaning Up our Code (1:06)
135. Wrap Up (4:23)
136. Useful Resources & Links (1:00)

Section: Working with JavaScript & CSS

137. Module Introduction (1:16)
138. Adding a Modal (4:13)
139. Selecting & Manipulating Styles with JavaScript (10:34)
140. Adding an Event Listener (6:05)
141. Assignment - Adding Style with JavaScript (Problem) (0:45)
142. Assignment - Adding Style with JavaScript (Solution) (3:58)
143. Adding a Side Navigation Bar (7:14)
144. Opening and Closing the Hamburger Menu (3:57)
145. Manipulating Element Classes (6:40)
146. Understanding Property Notations (3:12)
147. Cleaning Up our Code (5:31)
148. Wrap Up (1:15)
149. Useful Resources & Links (1:00)

Section: Responsive Design

150. Module Introduction (1:45)
151. Why our Project Should Become Responsive (2:25)
152. Understanding Hardware Pixels vs. Software Pixels (10:29)
153. Comparing the Viewport Metatag (HTML) and Media Queries (CSS) (3:04)
154. Understanding the "viewport" Metatag (7:22)
155. Designing Websites "Mobile First" (1:54)
156. Adding our First Media Queries (12:52)
157. Things to Keep in Mind when Working with Media Queries (8:09)
158. Finding the Right Breaking Points (3:45)
159. Creating the Mobile First Design for our Plans (6:37)
160. Making the Plans Responsive (8:35)
161. Your Challenge (6:06)
162. Assignment - Responsive Websites (Problem) (3:00)
163. Assignment - Responsive Websites (Solution) (8:07)
164. Working with Logical Operators (8:13)
165. Improving the Customers Page (14:58)
166. Improving the Packages Page (5:41)
167. Cleaning Up the Navigation Bar (4:39)
168. Positioning our Footer Correctly (10:09)
169. Wrap Up (2:15)
170. Useful Resources & Links (1:00)

Section: Adding & Styling Forms

171. Module Introduction (1:32)
172. Adding the Unstyled Form (2:37)
173. Page Initialization (6:35)
174. Understanding Advanced Attribute Selectors (6:02)
175. Working on the General Layout (7:15)
176. Restyling the Form Elements (6:29)
177. Styling the Checkbox (6:52)
178. Providing Validation Feedback (8:50)
179. Styling the Signup Button (3:42)
180. Fixing a Broken Link (1:00)
181. Wrap Up (1:29)
182. Useful Resources & Links (1:00)

Section: Working with Text and Fonts

183. Module Introduction (1:20)
184. Comparing Generic Families & Font Families (2:56)
185. Understanding the Browser Settings (6:17)
186. Using the Default Font Families (6:53)
187. Understanding the "font-family" Syntax (6:18)
188. Working with Locally Saved Fonts (3:50)
189. Working with Google Fonts (10:28)
190. Understanding Font Faces & "font-style" (6:49)
191. Importing our Custom Fonts (9:03)
192. Understanding Font Formats (5:41)
193. Diving into Font Properties (3:10)
194. Adding "letter-spacing" (4:43)
195. Changing the Line Height (6:07)
196. Applying "text-decoration" & "text-shadow" (5:51)
197. Understanding the "font" Shorthand (8:39)
198. Loading Performance & "font-display" (9:49)
199. Wrap Up (3:47)
200. Useful Resources & Links (1:00)

Section: Adding Flexbox to our Project

201. Optional: Expert Track Introduction (3:23)
202. Module Introduction (1:31)
203. How we Could Improve our Project (2:58)
204. Understanding Flexbox (3:18)
205. Creating a Flex Container (5:33)
206. Using "flex-direction" & "flex-wrap" (8:55)
207. Understanding the Importance of Main Axis & Cross Axis (7:27)
208. Working with "align-items" & "justify-content" (10:59)
209. And What About "align-content"? (2:40)
210. Improving the Navigation Bar with Flexbox (12:02)
211. Your Challenge - Working on the Mobile Navigation Bar (4:16)
212. Improving the Footer (8:55)
213. Assignment - Flexbox (Problem) (4:19)
214. Assignment - Flexbox (Solution) (8:32)
215. Flexbox and the Z-Index (1:00)
216. Adding Flexbox to the Customers Page (3:16)
217. Using the "order" Property for a Flex Item (6:07)
218. Working with "align-self" (2:44)
219. Understanding "flex-grow" (7:35)
220. Applying "flex-shrink" (3:12)
221. Comparing "flex-basis" vs "width" & "height" (8:35)
222. Wrap Up (3:52)
223. Useful Resources & Links (1:00)

Section: Using the CSS Grid

224. Module Introduction (1:14)
225. What is the CSS Grid? (1:27)
226. Getting Started (2:22)
227. Turning a Container into a Grid (3:21)
228. Defining Columns & Rows (5:49)
229. Positioning Child Elements in a Grid (4:13)
230. Using "element-sizing", "repeat" & "minmax" (6:45)
231. Advanced Element Positioning (6:30)
232. Working with Named Lines (3:53)
233. Assignment - Grid (Problem) (0:49)
234. Assignment - Grid (Solution) (9:14)
235. Understanding Column & Row Shorthands (2:54)
236. Working with Gaps (2:33)
237. Adding Named Template Areas (6:39)
238. Assignment - Diving Deeper (Problem) (0:38)
239. Assignment - Diving Deeper (Solution) (3:22)
240. Creating Automatically Generated Grid Areas (7:10)
241. Using the Grid on our Project (9:10)
242. Working with "fit-content" (3:31)
243. Positioning Grid Elements (3:35)
244. Positioning the Entire Grid Content (3:17)
245. Positioning Elements Individually (1:34)
246. Understanding Responsive Grids (5:30)
247. Applying Autoflow (6:39)
248. Comparing the Explicit & Implicit Grid (2:31)
249. Understanding "auto-fill" & "auto-fit" (3:33)
250. Creating a Dense Grid (3:22)
251. Styling the Project Form with Grid (9:45)
252. Comparing Grid & Flexbox (2:27)
253. Next Steps (1:31)
254. Wrap Up (3:49)
255. Useful Resources & Links (1:00)

Section: Transforming Elements with CSS Transforms

256. Module Introduction (0:31)
257. Rotating Elements and setting transform-origin (3:45)
258. Using Rotate and Translate (4:57)
259. Working with "skew" and "scale" (6:18)
260. Applying Transformation Shorthands (2:23)
261. Rotating Elements in 3 Dimensions (4:19)
262. Understanding the "perspective" Property (3:37)
263. Moving Elements along the Z-Axis with "translateZ" (3:54)
264. Rotating the Container with "transform style" (3:44)
265. Flipping Elements & "backface-visibility" (1:15)
266. Wrap Up (1:14)
267. Useful Resources & Links (1:00)

Section: Transitions & Animations in CSS

268. Module Introduction (0:22)
269. Understanding and Applying Transitions (7:23)
270. CSS "transition" Property Deep Dive (1:00)
271. Working with Timing Functions (2:50)
272. Transitions & "display" (6:11)
273. Assignment - CSS Transitions (Problem) (0:48)
274. Assignment - CSS Transitions (Solution) (2:12)
275. Using CSS Animations (9:00)
276. CSS "animation" Property Deep Dive (1:00)
277. Adding Multiple Keyframes (3:22)
278. Adding Animations to our Customers Page (3:59)
279. Assignment - Animations (Problem) (0:33)
280. Assignment - Animations (Solution) (3:03)
281. Using JavaScript Animation Event Listeners (3:24)
282. Wrap Up (1:35)
283. Useful Resources & Links (1:00)

Section: Writing Future-Proof CSS Code

284. Module Introduction (0:34)
285. CSS Modules & Their Working Groups (1:55)
286. Using CSS Variables (7:31)
287. Understanding & Using Vendor Prefixes (4:47)
288. Which Prefixes Should You Use? (2:58)
289. Detecting Browser Support with @supports (5:09)
290. Polyfills (2:45)
291. Eliminating Cross-Browser Inconsistencies (2:58)
292. How to Name CSS Classes (4:52)
293. Vanilla CSS vs Frameworks (8:36)
294. Wrap Up (4:16)
295. Useful Resources & Links (1:00)

Section: Introducing Sass (Syntactically Awesome Style Sheets)

296. Module Introduction (0:42)
297. What is Sass & Scss? (3:30)
298. Installing Sass (4:25)
299. Things to be Improved with Sass (1:33)
300. Nesting Selectors (6:35)
301. Adding Nested Properties (1:27)
302. Understanding Variables (3:05)
303. Storing Lists & Maps in Variables (5:58)
304. Built-In Functions (3:18)
305. Assignment - Sass (Problem) (0:49)
306. Assignment - Sass (Solution) (3:42)
307. Adding Simple Arithmetics (2:24)
308. Adding Better Import and Partials (4:46)
309. Improving Media Queries (2:24)
310. Understanding Inheritance (3:33)
311. Adding Mixins (6:45)
312. Using the Ampersand Operator (2:57)
313. Wrap Up (1:13)
314. Useful Resources & Links (1:00)

Section: Course Roundup

315. Course Roundup (1:56)

Course Instructor

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Maximilian Schwarzmüller

As a self-taught professional I really know the hard parts and the difficult topics when learning new or improving on already-known languages. This background and experience enable me to focus on the most relevant key concepts and topics. My track record of many 5-star rated courses, more than 1,000,000 students worldwide as well as a successful YouTube channel is the best proof for that.

The most rewarding experience for me is to see how people find new, better jobs, build awesome web applications, work on amazing projects or simply enjoy their hobby with the help of my content. That's why, together with Manuel Lorenz, I founded Academind to offer the best possible learning experience and to share the pleasure of learning with our students.