Anytime an exciting new web technology starts to land in browsers, developers want to know “when in the world am I going to be able to use this?” Currently, the finalized syntax for Grid Lanes is available in Safari Technology Preview.

Every now and then, CSS gets a new feature that makes you pause and think: wait… we can do that now? The idea is deceptively simple: let one element position itself relative to another, without JavaScript, without fragile DOM assumptions, and without extra wrapper elements.

By using anchor positioning and scroll-driven animations, we can adjust our element’s outer dimensions by measuring its inner contents, demonstrating that for many cases this can already work and might unlock a future native feature.

Accessibility advice around modals have commonly taught us to trap focus within the modal. Upon further research, it seems like we no longer need to trap focus within the <dialog> (even in modal mode).

Go forth and make more natural transitions that feel spatially contextual. Stop letting your elements "teleport" into view, start letting them grow, stretch, and evolve directly from the components that triggered them.