craft/src/components/layout/Container.toHtml.test.ts

@@ -65,14 +65,29 @@ describe('Container.toHtml tag allowlist (adversarial re-review, same class as C
 });
 
 describe('Container.toHtml vertical alignment (justify-content + min-height)', () => {
-  test('is always a column flex container (display:flex;flex-direction:column)', () => {
+  // Regression lock: Container/Section must NOT unconditionally become a
+  // flex container. Flex-blockifies in-flow children, forcing components
+  // that deliberately render display:inline-block (ButtonLink, Icon) to
+  // stack vertically instead of sitting side-by-side -- a real visual
+  // regression for existing published pages that never touch vertical
+  // alignment.
+  test('does NOT become a flex container when no vertical alignment is set (plain block flow preserved)', () => {
     const { html } = toHtml({}, 'child');
-    expect(html).toContain('display:flex');
-    expect(html).toContain('flex-direction:column');
+    expect(html).not.toContain('display:flex');
+    expect(html).not.toContain('flex-direction');
   });
 
-  test('style.justifyContent flows into the emitted style attribute', () => {
+  test('does NOT become a flex container from min-height alone (min-height must not itself trigger flex)', () => {
+    const { html } = toHtml({ style: { minHeight: '400px' } }, 'child');
+    expect(html).not.toContain('display:flex');
+    expect(html).not.toContain('flex-direction');
+    expect(html).toContain('min-height:400px');
+  });
+
+  test('becomes a column flex container when style.justifyContent is set (feature still works)', () => {
     const { html } = toHtml({ style: { justifyContent: 'center' } }, 'child');
+    expect(html).toContain('display:flex');
+    expect(html).toContain('flex-direction:column');
     expect(html).toContain('justify-content:center');
   });
 
@@ -83,6 +98,8 @@ describe('Container.toHtml vertical alignment (justify-content + min-height)', (
 
   test('justify-content and min-height still flow through in boxed (contentWidth) mode', () => {
     const { html } = toHtml({ contentWidth: 'boxed', style: { justifyContent: 'flex-end', minHeight: '500px' } }, 'child');
+    expect(html).toContain('display:flex');
+    expect(html).toContain('flex-direction:column');
     expect(html).toContain('justify-content:flex-end');
     expect(html).toContain('min-height:500px');
   });

craft/src/components/layout/Container.tsx

@@ -43,17 +43,19 @@ const flexAlignFromTextAlign = (textAlign: CSSProperties['textAlign']): CSSPrope
   return {};
 };
 
-// Container is ALWAYS display:flex/flex-direction:column at its root (both
-// in the editor render below and in toHtml) so that `style.justifyContent`
-// (the new Vertical Alignment control, paired with `style.minHeight`) has an
-// axis to act on. This is a no-op visually for existing content: a column
-// flex container with default `justify-content:flex-start` and
-// `align-items:stretch` reproduces ordinary block-flow stacking (children
-// stack top-to-bottom, full width) byte-for-byte, so nothing published
-// before this feature shipped changes appearance. `flexAlignFromTextAlign`
-// above still supplies `alignItems` (cross-axis, i.e. horizontal position)
-// from `textAlign` independently -- the two controls act on orthogonal axes
-// and don't conflict.
+// Container only becomes display:flex/flex-direction:column at its root
+// (both in the editor render below and in toHtml) when the user has
+// actually set `style.justifyContent` (the Vertical Alignment control,
+// paired with `style.minHeight`) -- i.e. the flex conversion is gated on
+// vertical-align actually being in use, not unconditional. In-flow children
+// of a flex container get CSS-blockified, which would force components that
+// deliberately render `display:inline-block` (ButtonLink, Icon) to stack
+// vertically instead of sitting side-by-side -- a real visual regression for
+// any container/section that never touches vertical alignment, not a no-op.
+// So plain block flow (no `display`/`flex-direction` at all) is preserved
+// unless vertical-align is set. `flexAlignFromTextAlign` above still
+// supplies its own conditional flex conversion (cross-axis alignItems from
+// `textAlign`) independently -- unrelated to this gate.
 
 export const Container: UserComponent<ContainerProps> = ({
   style = {},
@@ -70,12 +72,12 @@ export const Container: UserComponent<ContainerProps> = ({
   const safeTag = sanitizeContainerTag(tag);
   const needsBoxedWrapper = contentWidth === 'boxed';
   const flexStyles = flexAlignFromTextAlign(style.textAlign);
+  const hasVerticalAlign = !!style.justifyContent;
 
   const outerStyle: CSSProperties = {
-    display: 'flex',
-    flexDirection: 'column',
     minHeight: '40px',
     ...style,
+    ...(hasVerticalAlign ? { display: 'flex', flexDirection: 'column' } : {}),
     ...(fullWidth ? { width: '100vw', marginLeft: 'calc(-50vw + 50%)' } : {}),
     ...(needsBoxedWrapper ? {} : flexStyles),
   };
@@ -142,11 +144,11 @@ Container.craft = {
   const tag = sanitizeContainerTag(props.tag);
   const isBoxed = props.contentWidth === 'boxed';
   const flexStyles = flexAlignFromTextAlign(props.style?.textAlign);
+  const hasVerticalAlign = !!props.style?.justifyContent;
 
   const outerCss: CSSProperties = {
-    display: 'flex',
-    flexDirection: 'column',
     ...props.style,
+    ...(hasVerticalAlign ? { display: 'flex', flexDirection: 'column' } : {}),
     ...(isBoxed ? {} : flexStyles),
   };
 

craft/src/components/layout/Section.toHtml.test.ts

@@ -75,14 +75,27 @@ describe('Section.toHtml shape divider color/height XSS hardening', () => {
 });
 
 describe('Section.toHtml vertical alignment (justify-content + min-height)', () => {
-  test('is always a column flex container (display:flex;flex-direction:column)', () => {
+  // Regression lock: same rationale as Container -- see Container.toHtml.test.ts.
+  // Section must not unconditionally become a flex container, or it
+  // blockifies inline-block children (ButtonLink, Icon) that are meant to
+  // sit side-by-side in existing published sections.
+  test('does NOT become a flex container when no vertical alignment is set (plain block flow preserved)', () => {
     const { html } = toHtml({}, 'child');
-    expect(html).toContain('display:flex');
-    expect(html).toContain('flex-direction:column');
+    expect(html).not.toContain('display:flex');
+    expect(html).not.toContain('flex-direction');
   });
 
-  test('style.justifyContent flows into the emitted style attribute', () => {
+  test('does NOT become a flex container from min-height alone (min-height must not itself trigger flex)', () => {
+    const { html } = toHtml({ style: { minHeight: '600px' } }, 'child');
+    expect(html).not.toContain('display:flex');
+    expect(html).not.toContain('flex-direction');
+    expect(html).toContain('min-height:600px');
+  });
+
+  test('becomes a column flex container when style.justifyContent is set (feature still works)', () => {
     const { html } = toHtml({ style: { justifyContent: 'center' } }, 'child');
+    expect(html).toContain('display:flex');
+    expect(html).toContain('flex-direction:column');
     expect(html).toContain('justify-content:center');
   });
 

craft/src/components/layout/Section.tsx

@@ -103,6 +103,13 @@ export const Section: UserComponent<SectionProps> = ({
 
   const hasTopDivider = topDivider && topDivider !== 'none';
   const hasBottomDivider = bottomDivider && bottomDivider !== 'none';
+  // Section's root only becomes a column flex container when the user has
+  // actually set `style.justifyContent` (Vertical Alignment control, paired
+  // with `style.minHeight`) -- see the matching note in Container.tsx for
+  // why an unconditional conversion is a real regression (blockifies
+  // deliberately inline-block children like ButtonLink/Icon) rather than a
+  // no-op, so plain block flow is preserved unless vertical-align is set.
+  const hasVerticalAlign = !!style.justifyContent;
 
   return (
     <section
@@ -110,16 +117,9 @@ export const Section: UserComponent<SectionProps> = ({
       id={anchorId || undefined}
       style={{
         width: '100%',
-        // Section's root is always a column flex container so
-        // `style.justifyContent` (Vertical Alignment control, paired with
-        // `style.minHeight`) has an axis to act on -- see the matching note
-        // in Container.tsx for why this is a no-op for existing content
-        // (default justify-content/align-items reproduce ordinary block
-        // stacking).
-        display: 'flex',
-        flexDirection: 'column',
         position: (hasTopDivider || hasBottomDivider) ? 'relative' : undefined,
         ...style,
+        ...(hasVerticalAlign ? { display: 'flex', flexDirection: 'column' } : {}),
       }}
     >
       {hasTopDivider && (
@@ -227,13 +227,13 @@ function buildDividerHtml(
 (Section as any).toHtml = (props: SectionProps, childrenHtml: string) => {
   const hasTopDivider = props.topDivider && props.topDivider !== 'none';
   const hasBottomDivider = props.bottomDivider && props.bottomDivider !== 'none';
+  const hasVerticalAlign = !!props.style?.justifyContent;
 
   const outerStyle = cssPropsToString({
     width: '100%',
-    display: 'flex',
-    flexDirection: 'column',
     position: (hasTopDivider || hasBottomDivider) ? 'relative' : undefined,
     ...props.style,
+    ...(hasVerticalAlign ? { display: 'flex', flexDirection: 'column' } : {}),
   });
   const innerStyle = cssPropsToString({
     maxWidth: props.innerMaxWidth || '1200px',