CSS – Shape-Outside


CSS Shape-Outside is a property that allows text to wrap around a specified shape. This can be used to create unique and interesting layouts on a webpage. With careful consideration of the guidelines and limitations, it can be used to great effect.

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CSS Shape-Outside is supported by most modern browsers, including Chrome, Firefox, and Safari. However, there are some guidelines to keep in mind when using this property.

Firstly, it’s important to note that not all shapes are supported by all browsers. Some shapes, such as polygon, are not supported by Internet Explorer or Edge, so it’s important to test your layout in different browsers to ensure compatibility.

Another consideration is that certain shapes may not work well with certain types of content. For example, using a circular shape with a lot of text can make the text difficult to read. It’s also important to avoid shapes that are too complex, as this can cause performance issues and slow down the page load time.

Shape-Outside – How to Use

To use CSS Shape-Outside, the following steps can be followed:

  1. Create the shape using one of the supported methods, such as shape-outside: rectangle(50px 50px 50px 50px); for a rectangular shape.
  2. Apply the shape to an element that contains the text to be wrapped, such as a <div> or <p> element, with the shape-outside property, like this: shape-outside: rectangle(50px 50px 50px 50px);

Shape-Outside Limitations

There are some limits to CSS Shape-Outside, such as the fact that it only works with block-level elements, and that it can be difficult to create complex shapes that work well with different types of content.

Shape-Outside Experimental Methods

However, there are also experimental methods of using CSS Shape-Outside that show promise. For example, some developers are exploring ways to use CSS Grid and Flexbox to create more complex shapes, or using SVG shapes with the clip-path property to achieve interesting effects.


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