Do not use "flex: 1" or "flex-basis: 0" inside "flex-direction: column" when you need to support IE11
Flexbox is awesome. Most of it even works in IE11, but flex: 1 won't work reliably in Internet Explorer.
This it because implicitly sets flex-basis: 0 which IE fails to support properly.
Example
Consider the following HTML and CSS.
Copy<div class="container"> <div class="child"> foo </div> <div class="bar"> bar </div> </div>
Copy.container { display: flex; flex-direction: column; } .child { flex: 1; }
See it in action at Plunker.
Background
flex: 1 is a shortcut to flex-grow: 1 + flex-shrink: 1 + flex-basis: 0. A base size of zero is okay because the element would grow when needed.
In Internet Explorer, this only works when the flex container uses flex-direction: row. For flex-direction: column, children will overlap as if they would not consume any height.
How to fix
What works, and what you probably want anyway, is flex-basis: auto.
We recommend you use the flex shorthand property with all 3 values:
Copy.container { display: flex; flex-direction: column; } .child { flex: 1 1 auto; }
In the example above, the flex children are allowed to grow and shrink, so the result will be the same. But using auto, it finally works in IE11.
Once an application no longer requires constant development, it needs periodic maintenance for stable and secure operation. makandra offers monthly maintenance contracts that let you focus on your business while we make sure the lights stay on.
