Table with fixed header and fixed column on pure css

Question

I need to create a html table (or something similar looking) with a fixed header and a fixed first column.

Every solution I've seen so far uses Javascript or jQuery to set scrollTop/scrollLeft, but it doesn't work smoothly on mobile browsers, so I'm looking for a pure CSS solution.

I found a solution for a fixed column here: jsfiddle.net/C8Dtf/20/ but I don't know how I can enhance it to make the header fixed too.

I want it to work on webkit browsers or use some css3 features, but I repeat, I don't want to use Javascript for scrolling.

EDIT: This is example of the behaviour I want to achieve: https://web.archive.org/web/20130829032141/http://datatables.net/release-datatables/extras/FixedColumns/css_size.html

Answer 1

A pure CSS solution with a fixed header row and first column

The position: sticky property supports both sticking to the top and to the side in modern versions of Chrome, Firefox, and Edge. This can be combined with a div that has the overflow: scroll property to give you a table with fixed headers that can be placed anywhere on your page.

Place your table in a container:

<div class="container">
  <table></table>
</div>

Use overflow: scroll on your container to enable scrolling:

div.container {
  overflow: scroll;
}

As Dagmar pointed out in the comments, the container also requires a max-width and a max-height.

Use position: sticky to have table cells stick to the edge and top, right, or left to choose which edge to stick to:

thead th {
  position: -webkit-sticky; /* for Safari */
  position: sticky;
  top: 0;
}

tbody th {
  position: -webkit-sticky; /* for Safari */
  position: sticky;
  left: 0;
}

As MarredCheese mentioned in the comments, if your first column contains <td> elements instead of <th> elements, you can use tbody td:first-child in your CSS instead of tbody th

To have the header in the first column stick to the left, use:

thead th:first-child {
  left: 0;
  z-index: 1;
}

/* Use overflow:scroll on your container to enable scrolling: */

div {
  max-width: 400px;
  max-height: 150px;
  overflow: scroll;
}


/* Use position: sticky to have it stick to the edge
 * and top, right, or left to choose which edge to stick to: */

thead th {
  position: -webkit-sticky; /* for Safari */
  position: sticky;
  top: 0;
}

tbody th {
  position: -webkit-sticky; /* for Safari */
  position: sticky;
  left: 0;
}


/* To have the header in the first column stick to the left: */

thead th:first-child {
  left: 0;
  z-index: 2;
}


/* Just to display it nicely: */

thead th {
  background: #000;
  color: #FFF;
  /* Ensure this stays above the emulated border right in tbody th {}: */
  z-index: 1;
}

tbody th {
  background: #FFF;
  border-right: 1px solid #CCC;
  /* Browsers tend to drop borders on sticky elements, so we emulate the border-right using a box-shadow to ensure it stays: */
  box-shadow: 1px 0 0 0 #ccc;
}

table {
  border-collapse: collapse;
}

td,
th {
  padding: 0.5em;
}

<div>
  <table>
    <thead>
      <tr>
        <th></th>
        <th>headheadhead</th>
        <th>headheadhead</th>
        <th>headheadhead</th>
        <th>headheadhead</th>
        <th>headheadhead</th>
        <th>headheadhead</th>
        <th>headheadhead</th>
      </tr>
    </thead>
    <tbody>
      <tr>
        <th>head</th>
        <td>body</td>
        <td>body</td>
        <td>body</td>
        <td>body</td>
        <td>body</td>
        <td>body</td>
        <td>body</td>
      </tr>
      <tr>
        <th>head</th>
        <td>body</td>
        <td>body</td>
        <td>body</td>
        <td>body</td>
        <td>body</td>
        <td>body</td>
        <td>body</td>
      </tr>
      <tr>
        <th>head</th>
        <td>body</td>
        <td>body</td>
        <td>body</td>
        <td>body</td>
        <td>body</td>
        <td>body</td>
        <td>body</td>
      </tr>
      <tr>
        <th>head</th>
        <td>body</td>
        <td>body</td>
        <td>body</td>
        <td>body</td>
        <td>body</td>
        <td>body</td>
        <td>body</td>
      </tr>
      <tr>
        <th>head</th>
        <td>body</td>
        <td>body</td>
        <td>body</td>
        <td>body</td>
        <td>body</td>
        <td>body</td>
        <td>body</td>
      </tr>
      <tr>
        <th>head</th>
        <td>body</td>
        <td>body</td>
        <td>body</td>
        <td>body</td>
        <td>body</td>
        <td>body</td>
        <td>body</td>
      </tr>
    </tbody>
  </table>
</div>

https://jsfiddle.net/qwubvg9m/1/

Answer 2

Nowadays, this is possible to achieve using CSS only with position: sticky property.

Here goes a snippet:

(jsFiddle: https://jsfiddle.net/hbqzdzdt/5/)

.grid-container {
  display: grid; /* This is a (hacky) way to make the .grid element size to fit its content */
  overflow: auto;
  height: 300px;
  width: 600px;
}
.grid {
  display: flex;
  flex-wrap: nowrap;
}
.grid-col {
  width: 150px;
  min-width: 150px;
}

.grid-item--header {
  height: 100px;
  min-height: 100px;
  position: sticky;
  position: -webkit-sticky;
  background: white;
  top: 0;
}

.grid-col--fixed-left {
  position: sticky;
  left: 0;
  z-index: 9998;
  background: white;
}
.grid-col--fixed-right {
  position: sticky;
  right: 0;
  z-index: 9998;
  background: white;
}

.grid-item {
  height: 50px;
  border: 1px solid gray;
}

<div class="grid-container">
  <div class="grid">
    <div class="grid-col grid-col--fixed-left">
      <div class="grid-item grid-item--header">
        <p>HEAD</p>
      </div>
      <div class="grid-item">
        <p>Hello</p>
      </div>
      <div class="grid-item">
        <p>Hello</p>
      </div>
      <div class="grid-item">
        <p>Hello</p>
      </div>
      <div class="grid-item">
        <p>Hello</p>
      </div>
      <div class="grid-item">
        <p>Hello</p>
      </div>
      <div class="grid-item">
        <p>Hello</p>
      </div>
      <div class="grid-item">
        <p>Hello</p>
      </div>
      <div class="grid-item">
        <p>Hello</p>
      </div>
      <div class="grid-item">
        <p>Hello</p>
      </div>
      <div class="grid-item">
        <p>Hello</p>
      </div>
    </div>

    <div class="grid-col">
      <div class="grid-item grid-item--header">
        <p>HEAD</p>
      </div>
      <div class="grid-item">
        <p>P</p>
      </div>
      <div class="grid-item">
        <p>P</p>
      </div>
      <div class="grid-item">
        <p>P</p>
      </div>
      <div class="grid-item">
        <p>P</p>
      </div>
      <div class="grid-item">
        <p>P</p>
      </div>
      <div class="grid-item">
        <p>P</p>
      </div>
      <div class="grid-item">
        <p>P</p>
      </div>
      <div class="grid-item">
        <p>P</p>
      </div>
      <div class="grid-item">
        <p>P</p>
      </div>
      <div class="grid-item">
        <p>P</p>
      </div>
    </div>

    <div class="grid-col">
      <div class="grid-item grid-item--header">
        <p>HEAD</p>
      </div>
      <div class="grid-item">
        <p>P</p>
      </div>
      <div class="grid-item">
        <p>P</p>
      </div>
      <div class="grid-item">
        <p>P</p>
      </div>
      <div class="grid-item">
        <p>P</p>
      </div>
      <div class="grid-item">
        <p>P</p>
      </div>
      <div class="grid-item">
        <p>P</p>
      </div>
      <div class="grid-item">
        <p>P</p>
      </div>
      <div class="grid-item">
        <p>P</p>
      </div>
      <div class="grid-item">
        <p>P</p>
      </div>
      <div class="grid-item">
        <p>P</p>
      </div>
    </div>

    <div class="grid-col">
      <div class="grid-item grid-item--header">
        <p>HEAD</p>
      </div>
      <div class="grid-item">
        <p>P</p>
      </div>
      <div class="grid-item">
        <p>P</p>
      </div>
      <div class="grid-item">
        <p>P</p>
      </div>
      <div class="grid-item">
        <p>P</p>
      </div>
      <div class="grid-item">
        <p>P</p>
      </div>
      <div class="grid-item">
        <p>P</p>
      </div>
      <div class="grid-item">
        <p>P</p>
      </div>
      <div class="grid-item">
        <p>P</p>
      </div>
      <div class="grid-item">
        <p>P</p>
      </div>
      <div class="grid-item">
        <p>P</p>
      </div>
    </div>

    <div class="grid-col">
      <div class="grid-item grid-item--header">
        <p>HEAD</p>
      </div>
      <div class="grid-item">
        <p>P</p>
      </div>
      <div class="grid-item">
        <p>P</p>
      </div>
      <div class="grid-item">
        <p>P</p>
      </div>
      <div class="grid-item">
        <p>P</p>
      </div>
      <div class="grid-item">
        <p>P</p>
      </div>
      <div class="grid-item">
        <p>P</p>
      </div>
      <div class="grid-item">
        <p>P</p>
      </div>
      <div class="grid-item">
        <p>P</p>
      </div>
      <div class="grid-item">
        <p>P</p>
      </div>
      <div class="grid-item">
        <p>P</p>
      </div>
    </div>

    <div class="grid-col">
      <div class="grid-item grid-item--header">
        <p>HEAD</p>
      </div>
      <div class="grid-item">
        <p>P</p>
      </div>
      <div class="grid-item">
        <p>P</p>
      </div>
      <div class="grid-item">
        <p>P</p>
      </div>
      <div class="grid-item">
        <p>P</p>
      </div>
      <div class="grid-item">
        <p>P</p>
      </div>
      <div class="grid-item">
        <p>P</p>
      </div>
      <div class="grid-item">
        <p>P</p>
      </div>
      <div class="grid-item">
        <p>P</p>
      </div>
      <div class="grid-item">
        <p>P</p>
      </div>
      <div class="grid-item">
        <p>P</p>
      </div>
    </div>

    <div class="grid-col">
      <div class="grid-item grid-item--header">
        <p>HEAD</p>
      </div>
      <div class="grid-item">
        <p>P</p>
      </div>
      <div class="grid-item">
        <p>P</p>
      </div>
      <div class="grid-item">
        <p>P</p>
      </div>
      <div class="grid-item">
        <p>P</p>
      </div>
      <div class="grid-item">
        <p>P</p>
      </div>
      <div class="grid-item">
        <p>P</p>
      </div>
      <div class="grid-item">
        <p>P</p>
      </div>
      <div class="grid-item">
        <p>P</p>
      </div>
      <div class="grid-item">
        <p>P</p>
      </div>
      <div class="grid-item">
        <p>P</p>
      </div>
    </div>

    <div class="grid-col">
      <div class="grid-item grid-item--header">
        <p>HEAD</p>
      </div>
      <div class="grid-item">
        <p>P</p>
      </div>
      <div class="grid-item">
        <p>P</p>
      </div>
      <div class="grid-item">
        <p>P</p>
      </div>
      <div class="grid-item">
        <p>P</p>
      </div>
      <div class="grid-item">
        <p>P</p>
      </div>
      <div class="grid-item">
        <p>P</p>
      </div>
      <div class="grid-item">
        <p>P</p>
      </div>
      <div class="grid-item">
        <p>P</p>
      </div>
      <div class="grid-item">
        <p>P</p>
      </div>
      <div class="grid-item">
        <p>P</p>
      </div>
    </div>

    <div class="grid-col">
      <div class="grid-item grid-item--header">
        <p>HEAD</p>
      </div>
      <div class="grid-item">
        <p>P</p>
      </div>
      <div class="grid-item">
        <p>P</p>
      </div>
      <div class="grid-item">
        <p>P</p>
      </div>
      <div class="grid-item">
        <p>P</p>
      </div>
      <div class="grid-item">
        <p>P</p>
      </div>
      <div class="grid-item">
        <p>P</p>
      </div>
      <div class="grid-item">
        <p>P</p>
      </div>
      <div class="grid-item">
        <p>P</p>
      </div>
      <div class="grid-item">
        <p>P</p>
      </div>
      <div class="grid-item">
        <p>P</p>
      </div>
    </div>

    <div class="grid-col">
      <div class="grid-item grid-item--header">
        <p>HEAD</p>
      </div>
      <div class="grid-item">
        <p>P</p>
      </div>
      <div class="grid-item">
        <p>P</p>
      </div>
      <div class="grid-item">
        <p>P</p>
      </div>
      <div class="grid-item">
        <p>P</p>
      </div>
      <div class="grid-item">
        <p>P</p>
      </div>
      <div class="grid-item">
        <p>P</p>
      </div>
      <div class="grid-item">
        <p>P</p>
      </div>
      <div class="grid-item">
        <p>P</p>
      </div>
      <div class="grid-item">
        <p>P</p>
      </div>
      <div class="grid-item">
        <p>P</p>
      </div>
    </div>

    <div class="grid-col">
      <div class="grid-item grid-item--header">
        <p>HEAD</p>
      </div>
      <div class="grid-item">
        <p>P</p>
      </div>
      <div class="grid-item">
        <p>P</p>
      </div>
      <div class="grid-item">
        <p>P</p>
      </div>
      <div class="grid-item">
        <p>P</p>
      </div>
      <div class="grid-item">
        <p>P</p>
      </div>
      <div class="grid-item">
        <p>P</p>
      </div>
      <div class="grid-item">
        <p>P</p>
      </div>
      <div class="grid-item">
        <p>P</p>
      </div>
      <div class="grid-item">
        <p>P</p>
      </div>
      <div class="grid-item">
        <p>P</p>
      </div>
    </div>

    <div class="grid-col grid-col--fixed-right">
      <div class="grid-item grid-item--header">
        <p>HEAD</p>
      </div>
      <div class="grid-item">
        <p>9</p>
      </div>
      <div class="grid-item">
        <p>9</p>
      </div>
      <div class="grid-item">
        <p>9</p>
      </div>
      <div class="grid-item">
        <p>9</p>
      </div>
      <div class="grid-item">
        <p>9</p>
      </div>
      <div class="grid-item">
        <p>9</p>
      </div>
      <div class="grid-item">
        <p>9</p>
      </div>
      <div class="grid-item">
        <p>9</p>
      </div>
      <div class="grid-item">
        <p>9</p>
      </div>
      <div class="grid-item">
        <p>9</p>
      </div>
    </div>

  </div>
</div>

Regarding compatibility. It works in all major browsers, but not in IE. There is a polyfill for position: sticky but I never tried it.