#grid v5

Wed, 3 Nov 2010: This is a little tool we created for our Analog holding page. It inserts a layout grid in web pages, allows you to hold it in place, and toggle between displaying it in the foreground or background. To see it in action, hit G on your keyboard.

Download

Download #grid from GitHub

Features

• Adaptable for all layout widths and alignments
• Adaptable for any vertical rhythm value
• Set keyboard shortcuts to show and hide the grid, hold it in place, toggle it to the foreground and background, and jump between multiple grids
• Uses a single JavaScript file and a little CSS to control the grid lines, columns and gutters

#grid comes set up with a 980px-wide container that includes 20px gutters, and assumes one lead of 20px. A second 660px-wide container is included to show you how to set up multiple grids.

Installation

1. Copy the hashgrid.js script to your project

2. Add the script to your page(s) just inside the </body> tag

   <!-- Grab latest version of jQuery --> <script type="text/javascript" src="http://ajax.googleapis.com/ajax/libs/jquery/1/jquery.min.js"> </script> <!-- Include the hashgrid script --> <script type="text/javascript" src="hashgrid.js"></script>

3. Add the CSS to your page(s)

   /** * Grid */ #grid{ /* Dimensions - same width as your grid with gutters */ width: 980px; /* Grid (left-aligned) position: absolute; top: 0; left: 0; */ /* Grid (centered) */ position: absolute; top: 0; left: 50%; margin-left: -490px; } /** * Vertical grid lines * * Set the column width taking the borders into consideration, * and use margins to set column gutters. */ #grid div.vert{ width: 139px; border: solid darkturquoise; border-width: 0 1px; margin-right: 19px; } #grid div.vert.first-line{ margin-left: 19px; } /** * Horizontal grid lines, defined by your base line height * * Remember, the CSS properties that define the box model: * visible height = height + borders + margins + padding */ #grid div.horiz{ /* 20px line height */ height: 19px; border-bottom: 1px dotted darkgray; margin: 0; padding: 0; } /** * Classes for multiple grids * * When using more than one grid, remember to set the numberOfGrids * option in the hashgrid.js file. */ #grid.grid-1 div.vert{ /* Vertical grid line colour for grid 1 */ border-color: darkturquoise; } #grid.grid-2{ /* Adjustments */ padding: 0 160px; width: 660px; } #grid.grid-2 div.vert{ /* Vertical grid line colour for grid 2 */ border-color: crimson; }

4. Modify #grid to suit your needs

   The CSS and JavaScript is annotated to help you.

Usage

The document must have keyboard focus for #grid to work. You may need to click on the document background or TAB into the page first.

G

Show the grid until you release.

G + H

Show and hold the grid (G will remove it again).

G + F

Toggle the grid to the foreground and back. Pressing F while the grid is held also works.

G + J

Jump to the next grid. Pressing J while the grid is held also works.

N.B. A cookie conveniently remembers the state of the grid when you refresh the page. While the grid is in front, you will not be able to interact with the page except in Chrome v4, Safari v4, Firefox v3.6, or more recent versions.

Release Notes

v5 — 3 Nov 2010

• Vertical grid lines can now be set using CSS… images are no longer required! Thanks to Sean Coates for the contribution.
• Click events now interact with the page when the grid is in the foreground. Tested in WebKit and Gecko. Thanks to Phil Dokas for the tip about using the pointer-events CSS property.
• Improved grid rendering, fixing a compatibility issue with jQuery 1.4.3. Thanks to everybody who’s given feedback.

v4 — 29 Mar 2010

Fixes for multiple grid support under WebKit (Safari and Chrome).

v3 — 22 Feb 2010

Multiple grids can be set up and cycled through at a key press. To avoid keyboard shortcut conflicts, the default keys have been changed (see Usage). Using CTRL, ALT or SHIFT as a modifier key is now optional. Keys no longer show or affect the grid while typing in forms.

v2 — 2 Feb 2010

Keys are now more easily configured (see top of hashgrid.js). Renamed the GridOverlay object to hashgrid. Fixed crash when using with disabled CSS.

v1 — 21 Dec 2009

First release.

Known Issues

• IE 8: Fully functional, but the default ALT + G + ENTER shortcut puts IE into full screen mode. Hit ALT + ENTER to toggle full screen mode off again. The default keyboard shortcuts have been changed.
• IE 6: The grid is always in the foreground.
• Opera 9/10: Using CTRL or ALT as a modifier key will not work due to different key handling by the browser.

License

Released under a Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike License, which essentially means that you’re free to copy it and adapt it. Contact us at Analog if you need a different license.