[html] How can I have two fixed width columns with one flexible column in the center?

I'm trying to set up a flexbox layout with three columns where the left and right columns have a fixed width, and the center column flexes to fill the available space.

Despite setting up dimensions for the columns, they still seem to shrink as the window shrinks.

Anyone know how to accomplish this?

An additional thing I will need to do is hide the right column based on user interaction, in which case the left column would still keep its fixed width, but the center column would fill the rest of the space.

#container {_x000D_
    display: flex;_x000D_
    justify-content: space-around;_x000D_
    align-items: stretch;_x000D_
    max-width: 1200px;_x000D_
}_x000D_
_x000D_
.column.left {_x000D_
    width: 230px;_x000D_
}_x000D_
_x000D_
.column.right {_x000D_
    width: 230px;_x000D_
    border-left: 1px solid #eee;_x000D_
}_x000D_
_x000D_
.column.center {_x000D_
    border-left: 1px solid #eee;_x000D_
}

<div id="container">_x000D_
    <div class="column left">_x000D_
        <p>Anxiety was a blog series that ran in the New York Times Opinion section from January 2012 to July 2013. It featured essays, fiction, and art by a wide range of contributors that explored anxiety from scientific, literary, and artistic perspectives.</p>_x000D_
    </div>_x000D_
    <div class="column center">_x000D_
        <img src="http://i.imgur.com/60PVLis.png" width="100" height="100" alt="">_x000D_
    </div>_x000D_
    <div class="column right">_x000D_
        Balint Zsako_x000D_
        <br/> Someone’s Knocking at My Door_x000D_
        <br/> 01.12.13_x000D_
    </div>_x000D_
</div>

Here's a JSFiddle: http://jsfiddle.net/zDd2g/185/

Compatibility with older browsers can be a drag, so be adviced.

If that is not a problem then go ahead. Run the snippet. Go to full page view and resize. Center will resize itself with no changes to the left or right divs.

Change left and right values to meet your requirement.

Thank you.

Hope this helps.

#container {_x000D_
  display: flex;_x000D_
}_x000D_
_x000D_
.column.left {_x000D_
  width: 100px;_x000D_
  flex: 0 0 100px;_x000D_
}_x000D_
_x000D_
.column.right {_x000D_
  width: 100px;_x000D_
  flex: 0 0 100px;_x000D_
}_x000D_
_x000D_
.column.center {_x000D_
  flex: 1;_x000D_
  text-align: center;_x000D_
}_x000D_
_x000D_
.column.left,_x000D_
.column.right {_x000D_
  background: orange;_x000D_
  text-align: center;_x000D_
}

<div id="container">_x000D_
  <div class="column left">this is left</div>_x000D_
  <div class="column center">this is center</div>_x000D_
  <div class="column right">this is right</div>_x000D_
</div>

Despite setting up dimensions for the columns, they still seem to shrink as the window shrinks.

An initial setting of a flex container is flex-shrink: 1. That's why your columns are shrinking.

It doesn't matter what width you specify (it could be width: 10000px), with flex-shrink the specified width can be ignored and flex items are prevented from overflowing the container.

I'm trying to set up a flexbox with 3 columns where the left and right columns have a fixed width...

You will need to disable shrinking. Here are some options:

.left, .right {
     width: 230px;
     flex-shrink: 0;
 }  

OR

.left, .right {
     flex-basis: 230px;
     flex-shrink: 0;
}

OR, as recommended by the spec:

.left, .right {
    flex: 0 0 230px;    /* don't grow, don't shrink, stay fixed at 230px */
}

7.2. Components of Flexibility

Authors are encouraged to control flexibility using the flex shorthand rather than with its longhand properties directly, as the shorthand correctly resets any unspecified components to accommodate common uses.

More details here: What are the differences between flex-basis and width?

An additional thing I need to do is hide the right column based on user interaction, in which case the left column would still keep its fixed width, but the center column would fill the rest of the space.

Try this:

.center { flex: 1; }

This will allow the center column to consume available space, including the space of its siblings when they are removed.

Revised Fiddle