conedevelopment/sprucecss/sprucecss-list-layout

Lists whose items sit side by side

Spruce styles every ul and ol as a vertical stack: the base typography includes layout-stack(config('list-gap', $typography)) on them, a lobotomized owl:

ul > * { margin-block: 0; }
ul > * + * { margin-block-start: 0.25rem; } /* list-gap */

That's right for a list of lines. But once the items are not under each other (a flex row, a cluster, a grid), the owl still pushes the second and every later item down: the first tag sits higher than the others, the first card of a grid row is shorter, and a grid's gap gets an extra margin on top.

The rule

When a ul or ol lays out its li elements side by side (or in a grid with a gap), clear the owl on the list's items and set their block padding to 0:

.projects-block {
  &__tags {
    display: flex;
    flex-wrap: wrap;
    gap: spacer('xxs');
    list-style: none;
    padding: 0;
 
    // The items sit side by side: clear the stack margins of the base list style.
    > li {
      margin-block: 0;
      padding-block: 0;
    }
  }
}

• Put the reset on the list (> li), not on the item class. The list is the one that changes the layout, so it's the one that undoes the stack. It also covers plain li elements without a class.
• margin-block: 0 clears both owl margins; padding-block: 0 makes sure no list or item style adds vertical space that the gap doesn't control.
• Space the items with the parent's gap (display: flex, layout-cluster(), display: grid, layout-grid()), never with margins on the items.
• @include clear-list (or list-style: none; margin: 0; padding: 0;) resets the list, not its items: you still need the > li reset.
• Don't patch it with margin: 0 !important on the item class. That fights the owl one item at a time, and it breaks the next item that has no class.

When the item is a card with its own padding

A li can be the card itself (<li class="offer-block__item"> with a background, a border and a padding). Then > li { padding-block: 0; } would remove the card's padding, because .list > li is more specific than .list__item. Reset only the margin:

&__items {
  display: grid;
  gap: spacer('m');
  list-style: none;
  margin: 0;
  padding: 0;
 
  > li {
    margin-block: 0; // the li is a card: its own padding stays
  }
}

If one item needs its own vertical margin on purpose (a featured pricing tier that rises above the others), give it a selector that's more specific than the reset:

&__tiers {
  > li {
    margin-block: 0;
  }
 
  > .pricing-tiers-block__tier--featured {
    @include breakpoint('md') {
      margin-block-start: calc(#{spacer('m')} * -1);
    }
  }
}

When the items are under each other

A vertical list keeps the base stack, or replaces it with a parent gap (display: flex; flex-direction: column; gap: …). With a gap, clear the owl too, or the gap and the margin add up. A plain vertical list in running text needs nothing.

Checklist

• [ ] Every ul/ol with display: flex, display: grid, layout-cluster() or layout-grid() has a > li { margin-block: 0; padding-block: 0; } rule.
• [ ] When the li is a padded card, the reset is margin-block: 0 only.
• [ ] No margin: 0 !important on item classes to fight the list stack.
• [ ] The space between the items comes from the list's gap.
• [ ] The first item lines up with the others (check a wrapped row and the first row of a grid).