Container Element
Last Update: March 13, 2023
One of Avada’s most fundamental and versatile Design Elements is the Container Element. This element is the structural foundation of all page layouts created within Avada Builder, and is an integral part of making sure your designs stay organized and intact, as well as being a great design tool for your layout.
Back inAvada 7.0, we completely re-imagined both the Container and Column elements, basing them on CSS Flexbox. This means that extremely flexible positioning and spacing have now arrived in Avada. At the same time, we have kept our classic setup for Containers and Columns, in case you want to keep using it on pre-existing sites.
By default, Flexbox will not be enabled on existing sites and containers, but will be for new sites and new containers on existing sites. For more information on these exciting changes, please see the Introducing Flexbox for Containers and Columns documentation. And for a full rundown of Legacy settings for Containers, please see our Container and Column Element Legacy Settings document.
The Container Element is massively flexible, and it provides a great range of both functional and design options that allow you to build your site exactly how you want it. Read on below to discover all you need to know about the Container Element, and watch the video below for a visual overview of this most important of Elements.
Container Interaction With Templates
While the Container Element is mostly independent, some of its features do rely on other factors on your site, such as your Site Width and the Page Template used. The Container Element enables the background color, image, or border to span 100% of the site width or the browser width, depending on the Page Template it’s being used on.
Responsive Option Sets
Another new feature for Containers and Columns in Avada 7.0 is Responsive Option Sets. You can see the Responsive Icons at the top right in the below image of the Container Element. Just note, that this feature is only available on the new Flexbox Containers, and not on Legacy Containers.
Please see the Responsive Option Sets documentation for specific details of this awesome new feature, but in short, it allows you to change what screen size you want certain option values to be valid for, and allows you to have up to three individual option sets for the included options. You will also see a screen icon on the individual options that are a part of this feature. A simple example of how this feature might be used would be to enable different container margins or column widths on mobile view, as opposed to the tablet or desktop view.
How To Add A Container
When adding a new page, whether in Avada Builder, or Avada Live, you are always greeted with the Starter Page, as seen below, which leads you into the process of adding a container. Simply click on the Add Container button, and you can then choose from the full range of Container layouts to add to the page. This can be an empty Container, but much more usefully, it can include any combination of Columns as well.
On an existing page with content, adding a new Container is equally simple. As seen below, in Avada Live, you just hover over any Container Controls and click on the Add Container Icon.
In the back-end interface of the Builder, as seen below, the Add Container Button is found at the bottom of every existing Container.
In both cases, this brings up the Select Container dialog, as seen below. Simply select the Container / Column combination you’d like to add and the new Container will be placed directly below the Container you inserted it from.
Once you have added your Container, and have Columns inside it, you can begin to add content via the Avada Builder Elements. But do not neglect to explore the Container itself. It can also play a huge role in your page layout. By editing the Container Options (through the pen icon on the Container toolbar) you access the Container Options, which are very powerful, and can help you achieve a wide range of layout scenarios. Read on below to see the full list of Container options.
Element Options
Inside the Container Element options, you will find 4 tabs – General, Design, Background, and Extras. Because of the amount of options you can set for the element, we’ve split them into these four logical tabs, so you can easily locate the option you’re looking for. Continue reading below for a full description of each tab, and the options within them.
NB. Please note that the screenshots here show ALL Flex Container options, (achieved in this case by Photoshop magic, but normally by turning the Avada’s Option Network Dependencies options off in Advanced > Theme Features) and so may look different to your initial options panel. This option is on by default and only shows various options when they relevant options are enabled. For more information on this important feature of the Avada Options Network, please see the Avada’s Option Network Dependencies document.