There are many ways to create the shape with a slanted edge only on one side.
The following methods cannot support dynamic sizes as already mentioned in the question:
- Border triangle method with pixel values for
border-width
.
- Linear gradients with the angle syntax (like 45deg, 30deg etc).
The methods that can support dynamic sizes are described below.
Method 1 - SVG
(Browser Compatibility)
SVG can be used to produce the shape either by using polygon
s or path
s. The below snippet makes use of polygon
. Any text content required can be positioned on top of the shape.
$(document).ready(function() {
$('#increasew-vector').on('click', function() {
$('.vector').css({
'width': '150px',
'height': '100px'
});
});
$('#increaseh-vector').on('click', function() {
$('.vector').css({
'width': '100px',
'height': '150px'
});
});
$('#increaseb-vector').on('click', function() {
$('.vector').css({
'width': '150px',
'height': '150px'
});
});
})
div {
float: left;
height: 100px;
width: 100px;
margin: 20px;
color: beige;
transition: all 1s;
}
.vector {
position: relative;
}
svg {
position: absolute;
margin: 10px;
top: 0px;
left: 0px;
height: 100%;
width: 100%;
z-index: 0;
}
polygon {
fill: tomato;
}
.vector > span {
position: absolute;
display: block;
padding: 10px;
z-index: 1;
}
.vector.top > span{
height: 50%;
width: 100%;
top: calc(40% + 5px); /* size of the angled area + buffer */
left: 5px;
}
.vector.bottom > span{
height: 50%;
width: 100%;
top: 5px;
left: 5px;
}
.vector.left > span{
width: 50%;
height: 100%;
left: 50%; /* size of the angled area */
top: 5px;
}
.vector.right > span{
width: 50%;
height: 100%;
left: 5px;
top: 5px;
}
/* Just for demo */
body {
background: radial-gradient(circle at 50% 50%, aliceblue, steelblue);
}
polygon:hover, span:hover + svg > polygon{
fill: steelblue;
}
.btn-container {
position: absolute;
top: 0px;
right: 0px;
width: 150px;
}
button {
width: 150px;
margin-bottom: 10px;
}
.vector.left{
clear: both;
}
<script src="https://cdnjs.cloudflare.com/ajax/libs/prefixfree/1.0.7/prefixfree.min.js"></script>
<script src="https://ajax.googleapis.com/ajax/libs/jquery/2.1.1/jquery.min.js"></script>
<div class="vector bottom">
<span>Some content</span>
<svg viewBox="0 0 40 100" preserveAspectRatio="none">
<polygon points="0,0 40,0 40,100 0,60" />
</svg>
</div>
<div class="vector top">
<span>Some content</span>
<svg viewBox="0 0 40 100" preserveAspectRatio="none">
<polygon points="0,40 40,0 40,100 0,100" />
</svg>
</div>
<div class="vector left">
<span>Some content</span>
<svg viewBox="0 0 40 100" preserveAspectRatio="none">
<polygon points="0,0 40,0 40,100 20,100" />
</svg>
</div>
<div class="vector right">
<span>Some content</span>
<svg viewBox="0 0 40 100" preserveAspectRatio="none">
<polygon points="0,0 20,0 40,100 0,100" />
</svg>
</div>
<div class='btn-container'>
<button id="increasew-vector">Increase Width</button>
<button id="increaseh-vector">Increase Height</button>
<button id="increaseb-vector">Increase Both</button>
</div>
Pros
- SVG is designed to produce scalable graphics and can work well with all dimension changes.
- Borders and hover effect can be achieved with minimal coding overhead.
- Image or gradient background can also be provided to the shape.
Cons
- Browser support is probably the only downside because IE8- doesn't support SVG but that can be mitigated by using libraries like Raphael and also VML. Moreover, the browser support is in no way worse than the other options.
Method 2 - Gradient Background
(Browser Compatibility)
Linear gradients can still be used to produce the shape but not with angles as mentioned in the question. We have to use the to [side] [side]
syntax (thanks to vals) instead of specifying angles. When sides are specified, the gradient angles are automatically adjusted based on the container's dimensions.
$(document).ready(function() {
$('#increasew-gradient').on('click', function() {
$('.gradient').css({
'height': '100px',
'width': '150px'
});
});
$('#increaseh-gradient').on('click', function() {
$('.gradient').css({
'height': '150px',
'width': '100px'
});
});
$('#increaseb-gradient').on('click', function() {
$('.gradient').css({
'height': '150px',
'width': '150px'
});
});
})
div {
float: left;
height: 100px;
width: 100px;
margin: 10px 20px;
color: beige;
transition: all 1s;
}
.gradient{
position: relative;
}
.gradient.bottom {
background: linear-gradient(to top right, transparent 50%, tomato 50%) no-repeat, linear-gradient(to top right, transparent 0.1%, tomato 0.1%) no-repeat;
background-size: 100% 40%, 100% 60%;
background-position: 0% 100%, 0% 0%;
}
.gradient.top {
background: linear-gradient(to bottom right, transparent 50%, tomato 50%) no-repeat, linear-gradient(to bottom right, transparent 0.1%, tomato 0.1%) no-repeat;
background-size: 100% 40%, 100% 60%;
background-position: 0% 0%, 0% 100%;
}
.gradient.left {
background: linear-gradient(to top right, transparent 50%, tomato 50%) no-repeat, linear-gradient(to top right, transparent 0.1%, tomato 0.1%) no-repeat;
background-size: 40% 100%, 60% 100%;
background-position: 0% 0%, 100% 0%;
}
.gradient.right {
background: linear-gradient(to top left, transparent 50%, tomato 50%) no-repeat, linear-gradient(to top left, transparent 0.1%, tomato 0.1%) no-repeat;
background-size: 40% 100%, 60% 100%;
background-position: 100% 0%, 0% 0%;
}
.gradient span{
position: absolute;
}
.gradient.top span{
top: calc(40% + 5px); /* background size + buffer */
left: 5px;
height: 50%;
}
.gradient.bottom span{
top: 5px;
left: 5px;
height: 50%;
}
.gradient.left span{
left: 40%; /* background size */
top: 5px;
width: 50%;
}
.gradient.right span{
left: 5px;
top: 5px;
width: 50%;
}
/* Just for demo */
body {
background: radial-gradient(circle at 50% 50%, aliceblue, steelblue);
}
.btn-container {
position: absolute;
top: 0px;
right: 0px;
width: 150px;
}
button {
width: 150px;
margin-bottom: 10px;
}
.gradient.left{
clear:both;
}
<script src="https://cdnjs.cloudflare.com/ajax/libs/prefixfree/1.0.7/prefixfree.min.js"></script>
<script src="https://ajax.googleapis.com/ajax/libs/jquery/2.1.1/jquery.min.js"></script>
<div class="gradient bottom"><span>Some content</span>
</div>
<div class="gradient top"><span>Some content</span>
</div>
<div class="gradient left"><span>Some content</span>
</div>
<div class="gradient right"><span>Some content</span>
</div>
<div class='btn-container'>
<button id="increasew-gradient">Increase Width</button>
<button id="increaseh-gradient">Increase Height</button>
<button id="increaseb-gradient">Increase Both</button>
</div>
Pros
- Shape can be achieved and maintained even if the dimensions of the container are dynamic.
- Hover effect can be added by changing the gradient color.
Cons
- Hover effect will be triggered even when cursor is outside the shape but within the container.
- Adding borders would require tricky gradient manipulations.
- Gradients are known for producing jagged corners when the width (or height) is very big.
- Image backgrounds cannot be used on the shape.
Method 3 - Skew Transforms
(Browser Compatibility)
In this method, a pseudo-element is added, skewed and positioned in such a way that it looks like one of the edges is slanted/angled.If the top or bottom edge is slanted, the skew should be along Y axis, else the rotation should be along X axis. The transform-origin
should have the side opposite to the slanted side.
$(document).ready(function() {
$('#increasew-skew').on('click', function() {
$('.skew').css({
'height': '100px',
'width': '150px'
});
});
$('#increaseh-skew').on('click', function() {
$('.skew').css({
'height': '150px',
'width': '100px'
});
});
$('#increaseb-skew').on('click', function() {
$('.skew').css({
'height': '150px',
'width': '150px'
});
});
})
div {
float: left;
height: 100px;
width: 100px;
margin: 50px;
color: beige;
transition: all 1s;
}
.skew {
padding: 10px;
position: relative;
background: tomato;
}
.skew:after {
position: absolute;
content: '';
background: inherit;
z-index: -1;
}
.skew.bottom:after,
.skew.top:after {
width: 100%;
height: 60%;
}
.skew.left:after,
.skew.right:after {
height: 100%;
width: 60%;
}
.skew.bottom:after {
bottom: 0px;
left: 0px;
transform-origin: top left;
transform: skewY(22deg);
}
.skew.top:after {
top: 0px;
left: 0px;
transform-origin: top left;
transform: skewY(-22deg);
}
.skew.left:after {
top: 0px;
left: 0px;
transform-origin: bottom left;
transform: skewX(22deg);
}
.skew.right:after {
top: 0px;
right: 0px;
transform-origin: bottom right;
transform: skewX(-22deg);
}
.skew:hover {
background: steelblue;
}
/* Just for demo */
body {
background: radial-gradient(circle at 50% 50%, aliceblue, steelblue);
}
.skew.bottom {
margin-top: 10px;
}
.skew.left {
clear: both;
}
.btn-container {
position: absolute;
top: 0px;
right: 0px;
width: 150px;
}
button {
width: 150px;
margin-bottom: 10px;
}
<script src="https://cdnjs.cloudflare.com/ajax/libs/prefixfree/1.0.7/prefixfree.min.js"></script>
<script src="https://ajax.googleapis.com/ajax/libs/jquery/2.1.1/jquery.min.js"></script>
<div class="skew bottom">Some content</div>
<div class="skew top">Some content</div>
<div class="skew left">Some content</div>
<div class="skew right">Some content</div>
<div class='btn-container'>
<button id="increasew-skew">Increase Width</button>
<button id="increaseh-skew">Increase Height</button>
<button id="increaseb-skew">Increase Both</button>
</div>
Pros
- Shape can be achieved even with borders.
- Hover effect will be restricted to within the shape.
Cons
- Dimensions need to increase proportionally for the shape to be maintained because when an element is skewed, its offset in Y-axis increases as
width
increases and vice-versa (try increasing the width
to 200px
in the snippet). You can find more information about this here.
Method 4 - Perspective Transforms
(Browser Compatibility)
In this method, the main container is rotated along the X or Y axis with a bit of perspective. Setting the appropriate value to transform-origin
would produce a slanted edge on only one side.
If the top or bottom side is slanted, the rotation should be along Y axis, else the rotation should be along X axis. The transform-origin
should have the side opposite to the slanted side.
$(document).ready(function() {
$('#increasew-rotate').on('click', function() {
$('.rotate').css({
'height': '100px',
'width': '150px'
});
});
$('#increaseh-rotate').on('click', function() {
$('.rotate').css({
'height': '150px',
'width': '100px'
});
});
$('#increaseb-rotate').on('click', function() {
$('.rotate').css({
'height': '150px',
'width': '150px'
});
});
})
div {
float: left;
height: 100px;
width: 100px;
margin: 50px;
color: beige;
transition: all 1s;
}
.rotate {
position: relative;
width: 100px;
background: tomato;
}
.rotate.bottom {
transform-origin: top;
transform: perspective(10px) rotateY(-2deg);
}
.rotate.top {
transform-origin: bottom;
transform: perspective(10px) rotateY(-2deg);
}
.rotate.left {
transform-origin: right;
transform: perspective(10px) rotateX(-2deg);
}
.rotate.right {
transform-origin: left;
transform: perspective(10px) rotateX(-2deg);
}
.rotate span {
position: absolute;
display: block;
top: 0px;
right: 0px;
width: 50%;
height: 100%;
}
.rotate.bottom span {
padding: 10px;
transform-origin: top;
transform: perspective(10px) rotateY(2deg);
}
.rotate.top span {
padding: 20px;
transform-origin: bottom;
transform: perspective(20px) rotateY(2deg);
}
.rotate.left span {
padding: 10px;
transform-origin: right;
transform: perspective(10px) rotateX(2deg);
}
.rotate.right span {
padding: 0px 30px;
transform-origin: left;
transform: perspective(10px) rotateX(2deg);
}
.rotate:hover {
background: steelblue;
}
/* Just for demo */
body {
background: radial-gradient(circle at 50% 50%, aliceblue, steelblue);
}
.rotate.left{
clear:both;
}
.btn-container {
position: absolute;
top: 0px;
right: 0px;
width: 150px;
}
button {
width: 150px;
margin-bottom: 10px;
}
<script src="https://cdnjs.cloudflare.com/ajax/libs/prefixfree/1.0.7/prefixfree.min.js"></script>
<script src="https://ajax.googleapis.com/ajax/libs/jquery/2.1.1/jquery.min.js"></script>
<div class="rotate bottom"><span>Some content</span>
</div>
<div class="rotate top"><span>Some content</span>
</div>
<div class="rotate left"><span>Some content</span>
</div>
<div class="rotate right"><span>Some content</span>
</div>
<div class='btn-container'>
<button id="increasew-rotate">Increase Width</button>
<button id="increaseh-rotate">Increase Height</button>
<button id="increaseb-rotate">Increase Both</button>
</div>
Pros
- Shape can be achieved with borders.
- Dimensions need not increase proportionally for the shape to be maintained.
Cons
- Content will also be rotated and hence they have to be counter rotated to look normal.
- Positioning text will be tedious if the dimensions are not static.
Method 5 - CSS Clip Path
(Browser Compatibility)
In this method, the main container is clipped into the required shape using a polygon. The polygon's points should be modified depending on the side where the slanted edge is required.
$(document).ready(function() {
$('#increasew-clip').on('click', function() {
$('.clip-path').css({
'height': '100px',
'width': '150px'
});
});
$('#increaseh-clip').on('click', function() {
$('.clip-path').css({
'height': '150px',
'width': '100px'
});
});
$('#increaseb-clip').on('click', function() {
$('.clip-path').css({
'height': '150px',
'width': '150px'
});
});
})
.clip-path {
position: relative;
float: left;
margin: 20px;
height: 100px;
width: 100px;
background: tomato;
padding: 4px;
transition: all 1s;
}
.clip-path.bottom {
-webkit-clip-path: polygon(0% 0%, 100% 0%, 100% 100%, 0% 60%);
}
.clip-path.top {
-webkit-clip-path: polygon(0% 40%, 100% 0%, 100% 100%, 0% 100%);
}
.clip-path.left {
-webkit-clip-path: polygon(0% 0%, 100% 0%, 100% 100%, 40% 100%);
}
.clip-path.right {
-webkit-clip-path: polygon(0% 0%, 60% 0%, 100% 100%, 0% 100%);
}
.clip-path .content {
position: absolute;
content: '';
height: calc(100% - 10px);
width: calc(100% - 8px);
background: bisque;
}
.clip-path.bottom .content {
-webkit-clip-path: polygon(0% 0%, 100% 0%, 100% 100%, 0% 60%);
}
.clip-path.top .content {
-webkit-clip-path: polygon(0% 40%, 100% 0%, 100% 100%, 0% 100%);
}
.clip-path .content.img {
top: 6px;
background: url(http://lorempixel.com/250/250);
background-size: 100% 100%;
}
/* Just for demo */
body {
background: radial-gradient(circle at 50% 50%, aliceblue, steelblue);
}
.clip-path.left {
clear: both;
}
.clip-path:hover {
background: gold;
}
.btn-container {
position: absolute;
top: 0px;
right: 0px;
margin: 20px;
width: 150px;
}
button {
width: 150px;
margin-bottom: 10px;
}
<script src="https://cdnjs.cloudflare.com/ajax/libs/prefixfree/1.0.7/prefixfree.min.js"></script>
<script src="https://ajax.googleapis.com/ajax/libs/jquery/2.1.1/jquery.min.js"></script>
<div class="clip-path bottom">
<div class="content">abcd</div>
</div>
<div class="clip-path top">
<div class="content img"></div>
</div>
<div class="clip-path left"></div>
<div class="clip-path right"></div>
<div class='btn-container'>
<button id="increasew-clip">Increase Width</button>
<button id="increaseh-clip">Increase Height</button>
<button id="increaseb-clip">Increase Both</button>
</div>
Pros
- Shape can be maintained even when the container is being resized dynamically.
- Hover effect will be perfectly restricted within the borders of the shape.
- Image can also be used as background for the shape.
Cons
- Browser support is very poor at present.
- Borders can be added by placing an absolutely positioned element on top of the shape and giving it the necessary clip but beyond a point it doesn't fit well when re-sizing dynamically.
Method 6 - Canvas
(Browser Compatibility)
Canvas can also be used to produce the shape by drawing paths. The below snippet has a demo. Any text content required can be positioned on top of the shape.
window.onload = function() {
var canvasEls = document.getElementsByTagName('canvas');
for (var i = 0; i < canvasEls.length; i++) {
paint(canvasEls[i]);
}
function paint(canvas) {
var ctx = canvas.getContext('2d');
ctx.beginPath();
if (canvas.className == 'bottom') {
ctx.moveTo(0, 0);
ctx.lineTo(250, 0);
ctx.lineTo(250, 100);
ctx.lineTo(0, 60);
} else if (canvas.className == 'top') {
ctx.moveTo(0, 40);
ctx.lineTo(250, 0);
ctx.lineTo(250, 100);
ctx.lineTo(0, 100);
} else if (canvas.className == 'left') {
ctx.moveTo(0, 0);
ctx.lineTo(250, 0);
ctx.lineTo(250, 100);
ctx.lineTo(60, 100);
} else if (canvas.className == 'right') {
ctx.moveTo(0, 0);
ctx.lineTo(190, 0);
ctx.lineTo(250, 100);
ctx.lineTo(0, 100);
}
ctx.closePath();
ctx.lineCap = 'round';
ctx.fillStyle = 'tomato';
ctx.fill();
}
$('#increasew-canvas').on('click', function() {
$('.container').css({
'width': '150px',
'height': '100px'
});
});
$('#increaseh-canvas').on('click', function() {
$('.container').css({
'width': '100px',
'height': '150px'
});
});
$('#increaseb-canvas').on('click', function() {
$('.container').css({
'width': '150px',
'height': '150px'
});
});
};
.container {
float: left;
position: relative;
height: 100px;
width: 100px;
margin: 20px;
color: beige;
transition: all 1s;
}
canvas {
height: 100%;
width: 100%;
}
.container > span {
position: absolute;
top: 5px;
left: 5px;
padding: 5px;
}
.top + span {
top: 40%; /* size of the angled area */
}
.left + span {
left: 40%; /* size of the angled area */
}
/* Just for demo */
body {
background: radial-gradient(circle at 50% 50%, aliceblue, steelblue);
}
.btn-container {
position: absolute;
top: 0px;
right: 0px;
width: 150px;
}
button {
width: 150px;
margin-bottom: 10px;
}
div:nth-of-type(3) {
clear: both;
}
<script src="https://ajax.googleapis.com/ajax/libs/jquery/2.1.1/jquery.min.js"></script>
<script src="https://cdnjs.cloudflare.com/ajax/libs/prefixfree/1.0.7/prefixfree.min.js"></script>
<div class="container">
<canvas height="100px" width="250px" class="bottom"></canvas> <span>Some content</span>
</div>
<div class="container">
<canvas height="100px" width="250px" class="top"></canvas> <span>Some content</span>
</div>
<div class="container">
<canvas height="100px" width="250px" class="left"></canvas> <span>Some content</span>
</div>
<div class="container">
<canvas height="100px" width="250px" class="right"></canvas> <span>Some content</span>
</div>
<div class='btn-container'>
<button id="increasew-canvas">Increase Width</button>
<button id="increaseh-canvas">Increase Height</button>
<button id="increaseb-canvas">Increase Both</button>
</div>
Pros
- Shape can be achieved and maintained even if the dimensions of the container are dynamic. Borders can also be added.
- Hover effect can be restricted to within the shape's boundaries by using
pointInpath
method.
- Image or gradient background can also be provided to the shape.
- Better choice if real-time animation effects are needed as it doesn't require DOM manipulation.
Cons
- Canvas is raster based and hence the angled edges will become pixelated or blurred when scaled beyond a point *.
* - Avoiding pixelation would need repaints of the shape whenever viewport is resized. There is an example of it here but that is an overhead.