-
CSS Tutorial
- CSS HOME
- CSS Introduction
- CSS Syntax
- CSS Selectors
- CSS How To
- CSS Comments
- CSS Colors
- CSS Backgrounds
- CSS Borders
- CSS Margins
- CSS Padding
- CSS Height/Width
- CSS Box Model
- CSS Outline
- CSS Text
- CSS Fonts
- CSS Icons
- CSS Links
- CSS Lists
- CSS Tables
- CSS Display
- CSS Max-width
- CSS Position
- CSS Z-index
- CSS Overflow
- CSS Float
- CSS Inline-block
- CSS Align
- CSS Combinators
- CSS Pseudo-class
- CSS Pseudo-element
- CSS Opacity
- CSS Navigation Bar
- CSS Dropdowns
- CSS Image Gallery
- CSS Image Sprites
- CSS Attr Selectors
- CSS Forms
- CSS Counters
- CSS Website Layout
- CSS Units
- CSS Specificity
- CSS !important
- CSS Math Functions
CSS Advanced
- CSS Rounded Corners
- CSS Border Images
- CSS Backgrounds
- CSS Colors
- CSS Color Keywords
- CSS Gradients
- CSS Shadows
- CSS Text Effects
- CSS Web Fonts
- CSS 2D Transforms
- CSS 3D Transforms
- CSS Transitions
- CSS Animations
- CSS Tooltips
- CSS Style Images
- CSS Image Reflection
- CSS object-fit
- CSS object-position
- CSS Masking
- CSS Buttons
- CSS Pagination
- CSS Multiple Columns
- CSS User Interface
- CSS Variables
- CSS Box Sizing
- CSS Media Queries
- CSS MQ Examples
- CSS Flexbox
CSS Responsive
- RWD Intro
- RWD Viewport
- RWD Grid View
- RWD Media Queries
- RWD Images
- RWD Videos
- RWD Frameworks
- RWD Templates
CSS Grid
CSS SASS
CSS Examples
CSS References
CSS Layout - The display Property
The display property is the most important CSS property for controlling layout
The display Property
The display property specifies if/how an element is displayed.
Every HTML element has a default display value depending on what type
of element it is. The default display value for most elements is block or
inline.
Click to show panel
This panel contains a <div> element, which is hidden by default (display: none).
It is styled with CSS, and we use JavaScript to show it (change it to (display: block).
Block-level Elements
A block-level element always starts on a new line and takes up the full width available (stretches out to the left and right as far as it can).
The <div> element is a block-level element.
Examples of block-level elements:
Inline Elements
An inline element does not start on a new line and only takes up as much width as necessary.
This is an inline <span> element inside a paragraph.
Examples of inline elements:
Display: none;
display: none; is commonly used with JavaScript to hide
and show elements without deleting and recreating them. Take a look at our last
example on this page if you want to know how this can be achieved.
The <script> element uses display: none;
as default.
Override The Default Display Value
As mentioned, every element has a default display value. However, you can override this.
Changing an inline element to a block element, or vice versa, can be useful for making the page look a specific way, and still follow the web standards.
A common example is making inline <li> elements for horizontal menus:
Example
li {
display: inline;
}
Note: Setting the display property of an element only changes how the element is displayed,
NOT what kind of element it is. So, an inline element with display: block; is not allowed
to have other block elements inside it.
The following example displays <span> elements as block elements:
Example
span {
display: block;
}
The following example displays <a> elements as block elements:
Example
a {
display: block;
}
Hide an Element - display:none or visibility:hidden?
display:none
visibility:hidden
Reset
function removeElement() { document.getElementById("imgbox1").style.display = "none"; } function changeVisibility() { document.getElementById("imgbox2").style.visibility = "hidden"; } function resetElement() { document.getElementById("imgbox1").style.display = "block"; document.getElementById("imgbox2").style.visibility = "visible"; }
Hiding an element can be done by setting the display property to
none.
The element will be hidden, and the page will be displayed as if the element is not
there:
Example
h1.hidden {
display: none;
}
visibility:hidden; also hides an element.
However, the element will still take up the same space as before. The element will be hidden, but still affect the layout:
Example
h1.hidden {
visibility: hidden;
}
More Examples
This example demonstrates display: none; versus visibility: hidden;
This example demonstrates how to use CSS and JavaScript to show an element on click.
Test Yourself With Exercises
Exercise:
Hide the <h1> element. It should still take up the same space as before.
<style>
h1 {
: ;
}
</style>
<body>
<h1>This is a heading</h1>
<p>This is a paragraph</p>
<p>This is a paragraph</p>
</body>
CSS Display/Visibility Properties
| Property | Description |
|---|---|
| display | Specifies how an element should be displayed |
| visibility | Specifies whether or not an element should be visible |