cols

Cols, short for columns, are vertical divisions used to organize space, text, and data. The plural form is commonly written as cols when referring to more than one such division. The concept appears in several domains that rely on grids, tables, or blocks of text.

In typography and page design, columns structure text into narrow blocks. This can improve readability and allow layout flexibility, as seen in newspapers, magazines, and responsive web designs. In web engineering, CSS supports multi-column layouts through properties such as column-count and column-width, or the columns shorthand, which enable content to flow between columns.

In data organization, a column is the vertical axis of a table, spreadsheet, or database. Each column holds values for a single field, and the number of columns describes the dataset’s width. Rows and columns together define a matrix or grid used in computation and data storage.

In HTML, the textarea element uses the cols attribute to specify the visible width of the input area in character units, alongside rows that specify its height.

In computing and UI design, columns are foundational to grid systems and data presentation. Many frameworks implement a column-based grid to align content, with common examples such as a 12-column grid that enables flexible, modular layouts.