Two Column Layout

The TwoColumnLayout component creates a responsive two-column grid layout with a main content area and a sidebar. The sidebar can optionally be sticky, staying visible as users scroll through long content.

Features

Responsive Design: Automatically switches to single column on mobile/tablet
Sticky Sidebar: Optional sticky positioning for the sidebar
Customizable Ratio: Adjust the width ratio between columns
Flexible Content: Accepts any React components as children

Basic Usage

import TwoColumnLayout from '@site/src/components/TwoColumnLayout';

<TwoColumnLayout
  sidebar={<div>Sidebar content here</div>}
>
  <div>Main content here</div>
</TwoColumnLayout>

Props

Prop	Type	Default	Description
`children`	`ReactNode`	required	Main content for the left column
`sidebar`	`ReactNode`	required	Content for the right sidebar
`sidebarSticky`	`boolean`	`true`	Whether the sidebar should stick when scrolling
`sidebarTop`	`string`	`'2rem'`	Top offset for sticky sidebar (CSS value)
`ratio`	`string`	`'2:1'`	Column width ratio (e.g., '2:1', '3:1')

Examples

Basic Two-Column Layout

<TwoColumnLayout
  sidebar={
    <div style={{ 
      padding: '1.5rem', 
      background: 'var(--ifm-background-surface-color)',
      borderRadius: '12px'
    }}>
      <h3>Quick Links</h3>
      <ul>
        <li>Link 1</li>
        <li>Link 2</li>
        <li>Link 3</li>
      </ul>
    </div>
  }
>
  <div>
    <h1>Main Article</h1>
    <p>Your main content goes here...</p>
  </div>
</TwoColumnLayout>

import QuizModal from '@site/src/components/QuizModal';
import quizData from '@site/src/data/quiz-demo.json';

<TwoColumnLayout
  sidebar={
    <div style={{ 
      background: 'var(--ifm-background-surface-color)', 
      padding: '1.5rem', 
      borderRadius: '16px',
      border: '2px solid var(--ifm-color-emphasis-200)'
    }}>
      <h3>Test Your Knowledge</h3>
      <p>Take a quick quiz to test what you've learned.</p>
      <QuizModal 
        quizData={quizData} 
        buttonText="Start Quiz"
        questionCount={5}
      />
    </div>
  }
>
  <div>
    <h1>Educational Content</h1>
    <p>Learn about various topics...</p>
  </div>
</TwoColumnLayout>

Custom Column Ratio

Use a 3:1 ratio for a wider main content area:

<TwoColumnLayout
  ratio="3:1"
  sidebar={<div>Narrow sidebar</div>}
>
  <div>Wide main content</div>
</TwoColumnLayout>

<TwoColumnLayout
  sidebarSticky={false}
  sidebar={<div>Regular sidebar</div>}
>
  <div>Main content</div>
</TwoColumnLayout>

Custom Sticky Offset

Useful when you have a fixed header:

<TwoColumnLayout
  sidebarTop="5rem"
  sidebar={<div>Sidebar with more top spacing</div>}
>
  <div>Main content</div>
</TwoColumnLayout>

Responsive Behavior

Desktop (>996px)

Displays two columns side by side
Sidebar can be sticky if enabled
Column widths follow the specified ratio

Mobile/Tablet (≤996px)

Automatically switches to single column layout
Sidebar appears below main content
Sticky positioning is disabled for better mobile UX

Common Use Cases

Educational Content with Quiz: Main content on left, quiz button in sticky sidebar
Article with Table of Contents: Long-form content with navigation sidebar

Styling

The component uses CSS modules for scoped styling. The layout is built with CSS Grid for robust responsive behavior.

Custom Styling

You can add custom styles to your sidebar or main content:

<TwoColumnLayout
  sidebar={
    <div className="my-custom-sidebar">
      Custom styled sidebar
    </div>
  }
>
  <div className="my-custom-content">
    Custom styled content
  </div>
</TwoColumnLayout>

Best Practices

Keep sidebar content concise: The sidebar is narrower, so avoid lengthy content
Use sticky wisely: Not all sidebars need to be sticky; consider the user experience
Mobile-first content: Ensure sidebar content makes sense when it appears below main content
Avoid heavy images in sticky sidebars: Can cause performance issues on scroll
Test on various screen sizes: Ensure your content works well at the 996px breakpoint

Example

The Common Scams page uses this component to display scam information with a quiz sidebar that stays visible as users learn about different threats.

src/pages/common-scams.js
<TwoColumnLayout
  sidebar={
    <div style={{ 
      background: 'var(--ifm-background-surface-color)', 
      padding: '1.5rem', 
      borderRadius: '16px',
      border: '2px solid var(--ifm-color-emphasis-200)'
    }}>
      <h3>Test Your Knowledge</h3>
      <p>Take our quiz to see how well you can identify scams.</p>
      <QuizModal 
        quizData={scamsQuizData} 
        buttonText="Start Quiz"
      />
    </div>
  }
>
  {/* All scam information content */}
</TwoColumnLayout>

Get Involved

Two Column Layout