263 lines
8.5 KiB
Markdown
263 lines
8.5 KiB
Markdown
---
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name: card-based-design
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description: Web and App implementation guide for Card-Based Design. Trigger when user wants information cards, Pinterest-style layouts, and bite-sized content containers.
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date_added: "2026-06-17"
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risk: safe
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source: self
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source_type: self
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---
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# Card-Based Design
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> "Bite-sized consumption. Encapsulating discrete pieces of information into distinct visual containers."
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## When to Use
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Use this sub-style when the user's request matches the aesthetic described above. This is a child reference of the `design-it` skill and is not meant to be triggered directly.
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## Core Principles
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1. **Encapsulation**: Every card is self-contained. It has an image, a title, a short description, and usually an action (like a button or a 'like' icon).
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2. **Responsive Flow**: Cards easily reflow on different screen sizes (from a 4-column grid on desktop to a single column on mobile).
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3. **Clear Boundaries**: Cards must visually pop off the background.
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## Visual DNA
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- **Colors**: Very flexible. The background should be slightly darker or distinct from the card color. **Sophisticated Neutral** works well for a premium feel.
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- **Typography**: Clear hierarchy within the card (Header, Subheader, Body).
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- **Styling**: Standard `border-radius: 8px` and a medium drop shadow.
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## Web Implementation
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- CSS Grid with `auto-fit` or a Masonry layout.
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- **CSS Example**:
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```css
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body {
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background-color: #f0f2f5; /* Standard app background */
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padding: 40px;
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}
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.card-grid {
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display: grid;
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/* Auto-responsive magic */
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grid-template-columns: repeat(auto-fill, minmax(300px, 1fr));
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gap: 24px;
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}
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.card {
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background: #ffffff;
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border-radius: 12px;
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overflow: hidden; /* Keep images inside the rounded corners */
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box-shadow: 0 4px 12px rgba(0,0,0,0.08);
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transition: transform 0.2s, box-shadow 0.2s;
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display: flex;
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flex-direction: column;
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}
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.card:hover {
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transform: translateY(-4px);
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box-shadow: 0 8px 24px rgba(0,0,0,0.12);
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}
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.card-image {
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width: 100%;
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height: 200px;
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object-fit: cover;
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border-bottom: 1px solid #eee;
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}
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.card-content {
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padding: 20px;
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flex-grow: 1; /* Pushes footer to the bottom */
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}
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.card-footer {
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padding: 16px 20px;
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border-top: 1px solid #eee;
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display: flex;
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justify-content: space-between;
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}
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```
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## App Implementation
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### SwiftUI
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```swift
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struct ContentCard: View {
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var body: some View {
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VStack(alignment: .leading, spacing: 0) {
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// Image Area
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Rectangle()
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.fill(Color.gray.opacity(0.2))
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.frame(height: 160)
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// Content Area
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VStack(alignment: .leading, spacing: 8) {
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Text("Card Title")
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.font(.headline)
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Text("A brief description of the content inside this discrete card container.")
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.font(.subheadline)
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.foregroundColor(.secondary)
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.lineLimit(2)
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}
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.padding(16)
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}
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.background(Color.white)
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.cornerRadius(12)
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// Clean, subtle drop shadow
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.shadow(color: Color.black.opacity(0.08), radius: 12, x: 0, y: 4)
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}
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}
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// In your view:
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// LazyVGrid(columns: [GridItem(.adaptive(minimum: 160), spacing: 16)]) { ... }
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```
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- `VStack` inside a background with `.cornerRadius` and `.shadow` is the standard.
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- Use `LazyVGrid` with `.adaptive(minimum: 160)` to automatically create a multi-column card grid that flows perfectly on iPad or iPhone.
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### Flutter
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```dart
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class ContentCard extends StatelessWidget {
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@override
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Widget build(BuildContext context) {
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return Card(
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elevation: 4, // Handles shadow natively
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shadowColor: Colors.black.withOpacity(0.4),
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shape: RoundedRectangleBorder(borderRadius: BorderRadius.circular(12)),
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clipBehavior: Clip.antiAlias, // Critical: stops images from bleeding over corners
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child: Column(
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crossAxisAlignment: CrossAxisAlignment.start,
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mainAxisSize: MainAxisSize.min,
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children: [
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// Image Area
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Container(
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height: 160,
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color: Colors.grey[300],
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width: double.infinity,
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),
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// Content Area
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Padding(
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padding: const EdgeInsets.all(16.0),
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child: Column(
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crossAxisAlignment: CrossAxisAlignment.start,
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children: const [
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Text('Card Title', style: TextStyle(fontWeight: FontWeight.bold, fontSize: 18)),
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SizedBox(height: 8),
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Text(
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'A brief description of the content inside this discrete card container.',
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style: TextStyle(color: Colors.black54),
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maxLines: 2,
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overflow: TextOverflow.ellipsis,
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),
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],
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),
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),
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],
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),
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);
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}
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}
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// In your view: Use GridView.builder for the layout
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```
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- The native `Card` widget does almost all the heavy lifting.
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- **Critical fix**: You must set `clipBehavior: Clip.antiAlias` on the `Card`, otherwise the top corners of your images will peek outside the border radius.
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### React Native
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```jsx
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const ContentCard = () => {
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return (
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<View style={styles.card}>
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<View style={styles.imageArea} />
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<View style={styles.contentArea}>
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<Text style={styles.title}>Card Title</Text>
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<Text style={styles.description} numberOfLines={2}>
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A brief description of the content inside this discrete card container.
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</Text>
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</View>
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</View>
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);
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};
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const styles = StyleSheet.create({
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card: {
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backgroundColor: '#FFF',
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borderRadius: 12,
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shadowColor: '#000',
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shadowOffset: { width: 0, height: 4 },
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shadowOpacity: 0.08,
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shadowRadius: 12,
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elevation: 4,
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margin: 8,
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overflow: 'hidden', // Keeps image inside borders
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},
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imageArea: {
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height: 160,
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backgroundColor: '#E0E0E0',
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},
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contentArea: {
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padding: 16,
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},
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title: {
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fontSize: 18,
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fontWeight: '600',
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marginBottom: 8,
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},
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description: {
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color: '#666',
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}
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});
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// In your view: <FlatList numColumns={2} data={data} renderItem={...} />
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```
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- Wrap everything in a View with `borderRadius` and `overflow: 'hidden'`.
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- `elevation: 4` provides the drop shadow on Android, while the `shadow*` props handle iOS.
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- For a Pinterest/Masonry style (columns of different heights), you must use a third-party library like `react-native-masonry-list`, as `FlatList` cannot do varying row heights in columns.
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### Jetpack Compose
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```kotlin
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@Composable
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fun ContentCard() {
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// ElevatedCard provides the shadow and shape natively
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ElevatedCard(
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elevation = CardDefaults.elevatedCardElevation(defaultElevation = 4.dp),
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shape = RoundedCornerShape(12.dp),
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colors = CardDefaults.elevatedCardColors(containerColor = Color.White),
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modifier = Modifier.fillMaxWidth().padding(8.dp)
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) {
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Column {
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// Image Area
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Box(
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modifier = Modifier
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.fillMaxWidth()
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.height(160.dp)
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.background(Color.LightGray)
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)
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// Content Area
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Column(modifier = Modifier.padding(16.dp)) {
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Text(
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text = "Card Title",
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style = MaterialTheme.typography.titleMedium,
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fontWeight = FontWeight.Bold
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)
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Spacer(Modifier.height(8.dp))
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Text(
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text = "A brief description of the content inside this discrete card container.",
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style = MaterialTheme.typography.bodyMedium,
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color = Color.Gray,
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maxLines = 2,
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overflow = TextOverflow.Ellipsis
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)
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}
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}
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}
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}
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// In your view: LazyVerticalGrid(columns = GridCells.Adaptive(minSize = 160.dp)) { ... }
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```
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- `ElevatedCard` is the perfect Material 3 component for this. It handles clipping and shadows automatically.
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- Use `GridCells.Adaptive(minSize = 160.dp)` in a `LazyVerticalGrid` to achieve an auto-flowing grid identical to CSS Grid `auto-fit`.
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## Do's and Don'ts
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- **DO**: Make the entire card clickable, not just the title or image.
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- **DON'T**: Put too much text in a card. If the user has to scroll *within* a card, the card is too big.
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## Limitations
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- This is a styling reference and does not replace environment-specific validation, accessibility testing, or expert review.
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- Ensure appropriate contrast ratios and responsive behaviors are verified separately.
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