Inline vs. Inline-Block: Understanding the Differences in CSS Display Property

The display property is an important aspect of CSS that determines how an HTML element will be displayed on a web page. There are several different display values to choose from, including

1. display: inline

2. display: block

3. display: inline-block

In this article, we will discuss the differences between display: inline and display: inline-block in CSS.

• Inline Elements:

Inline elements are HTML elements that are displayed on the same line as surrounding text. Examples of inline elements include links, spans, and images. Inline elements have a default width that is determined by their content, which means that they cannot have a set width or height. Additionally, inline elements do not create line breaks before or after themselves.

• Block Elements:

Block elements, on the other hand, are HTML elements that are displayed as a block-level box. Examples of block-level elements include paragraphs, headings, and divs. Block elements have a default width of 100% of their parent container, and their height is determined by their content. Additionally, block elements create line breaks before and after themselves.

• Inline-Block Elements:

Inline-block elements are a hybrid of inline and block elements. They are displayed on the same line as surrounding text, but they also have the ability to have a set width and height. Additionally, inline-block elements create line breaks before and after themselves, just like block-level elements.

Differences between display: inline and display: inline-block: The main difference between display: inline and display: inline-block is that inline elements cannot have a set width or height, while inline-block elements can. This means that if you want to apply width and height to an element that is displayed inline, you will need to change its display value to inline-block.

Another difference between display: inline and display: inline-block is how they handle whitespace. Inline elements are sensitive to whitespace, which means that any whitespace between two inline elements will be displayed as a space. Inline-block elements, on the other hand, treat whitespace as if it were a regular character, which means that any whitespace between two inline-block elements will be displayed as a character.

When to use display: inline and display: inline-block: In general, you should use display: inline for elements that are naturally inline, such as links and spans, and display: inline-block for elements that need to have a set width or height, such as buttons or images. Additionally, you can use display: inline-block to create a horizontal list of elements that need to have a set width or height.

In conclusion, the display property is an important aspect of CSS that determines how an HTML element will be displayed on a web page. Display: inline and display: inline-block are two values that can be used to display elements on the same line as surrounding text. The main difference between the two is that inline elements cannot have a set width or height, while inline-block elements can. Additionally, inline-block elements treat whitespace as if it were a regular character, while inline elements display whitespace as a space. When choosing between display: inline and display: inline-block, you should consider whether or not the element needs to have a set width or height, and whether or not whitespace should be treated as a regular character.

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