CSS, or Cascading Style Sheets, is a critical tool in web design, responsible for managing the look and feel of a website. One of the most powerful tools in a designer’s toolkit is the display property.
This property controls the way an element is displayed on a page, making it a cornerstone of layout and design.
In this informative article, we will explore the wide array of values linked to the “display” property and how they can be practically utilized in the field of professional web design.
What is the CSS Display Property?
CSS display is a fundamental property that enables professional web developers to control how elements are rendered on a webpage.
It defines how an element is presented in the web layout—whether it behaves like a block, inline, or flexbox element, among others.
Understanding this property and how it affects an element’s behavior can dramatically improve your proficiency in creating complex layouts.
Types of CSS Display
The CSS display property can take several values, with each affecting the element differently:
1. display: block; (default):
The “display” property allows the element to be rendered as a block-level component, occupying the entire width available and introducing line breaks both before and after it.
<div>, <p>, and <h1> are examples of elements that are block by default.
div {
display: block;
}By setting the display property to “block”, the <div> element will occupy the full width available and generate line breaks before and after it.
This can be useful for creating distinct sections or divisions within a webpage layout.
2. display: inline;
The “display” property, when set to “inline,” enables the element to be rendered as a inline-level element, facilitating the display of adjacent elements horizontally without inducing line breaks.
This is the default setting for <span>, <a>, and <img>.
div {
display: inline;
}By setting the display property to “inline”, the <div> element will no longer cause line breaks before and after it.
Instead, it will flow within the text or other inline elements, allowing other content to appear next to it horizontally. This can be useful for creating inline elements within a block-level context.
3. display: inline-block;
Combines characteristics of block-level and inline elements. It allows other elements to be displayed next to it horizontally while preserving the ability to set a height and width.
.coadding {
display: inline-block;
/* Additional styles for the coadding class */
}By setting the display property to “inline-block”, the <div> element will be displayed inline, allowing other elements to appear next to it horizontally.
However, it will also retain the ability to set a width, height, margins, and padding, similar to a block-level element. This can be useful for creating elements that flow inline while still having specific dimensions and spacing.
4. display: flex;
The display: flex property transforms the element into a flexible container. It allows for the flexible adjustment of its children’s width and height to fill available space or distribute space around them. This is excellent for creating complex, responsive layouts.
.coadding {
display: flex;
/* Additional styles for the coadding class */
}By setting the display property to “flex”, the container element with the “coadding” class becomes a Flexbox container.
This allows you to use Flexbox properties such as justify-content:, align-items:, and flex-direction to control the arrangement and positioning of its child elements.
5. display: grid;
Transforms the element into a grid container, enabling you to define rows and columns using properties like grid template columns and rows.
These layout systems offer extensive control over element arrangement and positioning, simplifying the creation of intricate and responsive designs.
.coadding {
display: grid;
}By setting the display property to “grid”, the container element with the “coadding” class becomes a Grid container.
This enables you to define rows and columns using properties like grid-template-rows and grid-template-columns, providing a powerful way to create grid-based layouts.
6. display: none;
The display: none property entirely removes an element from the page. Unlike visibility: hidden, display: none not only makes the element invisible but also removes it from the flow of the document. This means the space that the element would have taken up is also removed.
.coadding {
display: none;
}By setting the display property to “none” for the “coadding” class, the element with that class will be hidden and not displayed on the webpage.
It will not take up any space within the layout. This can be useful for hiding elements that are not needed initially or for dynamically showing/hiding elements based on user interactions or JavaScript events.
7. Display: Table, TableRow, and TableCell
The display: table, display: table-row, and display: table-cell properties are used to design layouts that mimic tables. The elements behave similarly to <table>, <tr>, and <td> HTML elements, respectively. These properties are rarely used due to the introduction of Grid and Flexbox, but they can be useful for certain layouts.
Newer Display Types
As CSS evolves, additional values have been added to the display property:
1. Display: Contents
The display: contents value makes the container disappear, making the child elements children of the element above it in the DOM tree. This can be handy when you need to apply styles to an element but don’t want it to affect the layout.
2. Display: Flow-Root
The display: flow-root value creates a new block formatting context. This means floated elements contained by the flow-root element are cleared, and they don’t overlap next to the flow-root container.
Conclusion:
The CSS display property is a powerful and flexible tool in web design. Whether you want elements to behave as blocks, inline elements, flex containers, grids, or something else, the display property provides a multitude of options for structuring your web layouts.
Remember, understanding how each display value impacts an element’s behavior is crucial. With mastery of the display property, you can confidently tackle the most complex layouts and design challenges. Practice, experiment, and continue to learn—this is the key to becoming proficient in CSS and web design.