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Introduction

In CSS, a display property decides how the HTML elements will be displayed and rendered on the browser. In this article, I will be talking about the four display values and the differences between those values.

FOUR(4) display values:

• display: block

• display: inline

• display: inline-block

• display: none

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display: block

Characteristics of display: block:

• By default, your HTML element is set to display: block.

• By default, your HTML element is set to { width: 100%; height: auto; }

• Elements are placed from top to bottom.

• You can use width and height to customize the size of an element.

• You can use padding & margin to customize the box model.

• Generates line breaks

• Example of display: block --> <div>, <p>, <h1>

Of course, it is not essential to know all those characteristics, but it is good to know that elements are placed from top to bottom, you can set the width & height, and you can use padding & margin.

Now, let's look at the example.

HTML:

<div id="ex1">display: block -> from top to bottom</div>
<div id="ex2">display: block -> can set the width and height</div>

CSS:

#ex1 {
    background-color: blueviolet;
}

#ex2 {
    background-color: yellowgreen;
    /* don't need to set display: block */
}

As you can see, the width covers the entire body (browser) because the width: 100% by default. Moreover, you don't need to set display: block because your HTML element is already display: block by default. Also, notice that the elements are placed along the y-axis.

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display: inline

Characteristics of display: inline:

• You CAN'T set the width and height.

• By default, your HTML element is set to { width: auto; height: auto; }

• You can only set the left & right margin and padding.

• The next HTML element will be on the same line if there is space.

• Therefore, we can use display: inline when we want to insert the text.

• DOES NOT generate line breaks

• Example of display: inline -> <span>, <img>

Again, no need to know all these characteristics, but it is good to know that the HTML elements will go from left to right, you cannot set the width & height, and you can only use left & right margin and padding

Now, let's look at the example.

HTML:

<div id="ex1">display: inline -> from left to right</div>
<div id="ex2">display: inline -> CANT set the width and height</div>

CSS:

#ex1 {
    background-color: blueviolet;
    display: inline;
    width: 9999px;
    height: 250px;
    margin-top: 20px;
}

#ex2 {
    background-color: yellowgreen;
    display: inline;
    width: 2929px;
    height: 999px;
    padding-left: 25px;
    padding-right: 50px;
    border: solid black 2px;
}

Notice that the elements now go from left to right. In the display: block, the width was 100%, which covers the entire window. Now, the width: auto, but also you cannot set the width and height.

As you can see, I gave the { width: 9999px; height: 250px; }, but it is not applied, as well as margin-top: 20px.

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display: inline-block

display: inline-block is somewhat a mixture of block and inline.

Characteristics of display: inline-block:

• By default, your HTML element is set to { width: auto; height: auto; }(same as the inline)

• Your HTML elements are placed from left to right (same as the inline).

• DOES NOT generate line breaks (same as the line).

• You can set the width & height (same as the block).

• You can set the margin and padding (same as the block).

Now let's have a look at an example.

HTML:

<span id="ex1">display: inline-block1</span>
<span id="ex2">display: inline-block2</span>

CSS:

#ex1 {
    background-color: #8a2be2;
    display: inline- block;
    width: 100px;
    height: 50px;
    padding-top: 25px;
    margin: 10px;
}

#ex2 {
    background-color: yellowgreen;
    display: inline-block;
    width: 50px;
    height: 100px;
    padding: 20px;
}

Notice that you can set width, height, margin and padding, just like display: block. The elements go from left to right just like display: inline.

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display: none & Web Accessibility

display: none is commonly used with JavaScript to hide and show elements without deleting and recreating them. So, elements with display: none property will not be rendered on your webpage. But, there is a disadvantage of display: none.

display: none is not a good choice if you are considering a web accessibility. For people with disabilities, the screen reader will read your entire web page. If you use display: none, the browser cannot find and read the hidden elements/scripts.

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Reference

https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/docs/Web/CSS/display

https://memostack.tistory.com/275

https://www.w3schools.com/css/css_inline-block.asp