CSS - Inline Block

Using Inline-Block

To use the inline-block display property, you can set the display property of an element to inline-block in your CSS code.

.element {
  display: inline-block;
}

By setting the display property to inline-block, the element will have these characteristics:

1. Flow like inline elements: Inline-block elements flow alongside other inline or inline-block elements on the same line. They do not start on a new line by default, unlike block elements.

2. Accept width and height properties: Unlike inline elements, inline-block elements can have a specified width and height. You can set the desired width and height using the width and height properties in your CSS code.

.element {
  display: inline-block;
  width: 200px;
  height: 100px;
}

3. Respect margins and padding: Inline-block elements respect margin and padding properties. You can add space around the element using the margin property and add space within the element using the padding property. This allows you to control spacing and positioning of inline-block elements.

.element {
  display: inline-block;
  margin: 10px;
  padding: 20px;
}

Using margins and padding, you can create space between inline-block elements and adjust their internal spacing.

Using the inline-block display property gives you flexibility to create elements that flow in line while still being able to control their dimensions and spacing.

Inline-Block vs. Inline

When comparing inline and inline-block elements, there are some key differences to consider. Inline elements are limited in terms of styling and layout control, while inline-block elements offer more flexibility.

One major advantage of using inline-block over inline is the ability to set width and height properties. With inline elements, you cannot specify the width or height; they automatically adjust based on the content within them. In contrast, inline-block elements allow you to set specific dimensions using the width and height properties in your CSS code.

.inline-block-element {
  display: inline-block;
  width: 200px;
  height: 100px;
}

By setting the width and height, you can create elements with a fixed size, which is useful for creating consistent layouts and aligning elements precisely.

Another advantage of inline-block elements is the ability to control vertical alignment. Inline elements are aligned vertically based on the baseline of the text, which can lead to inconsistent alignment when elements have different font sizes or line heights. With inline-block elements, you can use the vertical-align property to control vertical alignment relative to each other.

.inline-block-element {
  display: inline-block;
  vertical-align: middle;
}

By setting vertical-align to values like top, middle, or bottom, you can align the inline-block elements vertically within their line.

These advantages of using inline-block over inline give you greater control over your web page's layout and appearance. You can create items that flow in line with each other while still being able to set their dimensions and control their vertical alignment.

Inline-Block vs. Block

When comparing block and inline-block elements, there are some differences in their behavior and layout capabilities.

Block elements, such as <div>, <p>, and <h1>, have the following characteristics:

• They start on a new line and take up the full width available by default.
• They stack vertically one after another.
• They can have margins, padding, and a specified width and height.

Inline-block elements have a mix of inline and block characteristics:

• They flow inline with other elements, meaning they stay on the same line as adjacent elements.
• They can have a specified width, height, margins, and padding.

One advantage of using inline-block over block is that elements can stay on the same line. With block elements, each element starts on a new line, occupying the full width of its parent container. This leads to vertical stacking of elements. In contrast, inline-block elements allow you to place multiple items side by side on the same line.

.block-element {
  display: block;
}

.inline-block-element {
  display: inline-block;
  width: 200px;
  margin: 10px;
}

In this code example above, the .block-element will start on a new line taking up full width while .inline-block-element will flow with other items maintaining its specified dimensions.

Another advantage of using inline-block is controlling spacing between items. With blocks, you add margins for vertical spacing but horizontal spacing control becomes challenging. Inline-block allows setting margins all around giving more control over item spacing.

.inline-block-element {
  display: inline-block;
  width: 200px;
  margin: 10px;
}

By setting margins on these, you create consistent spaces both vertically and horizontally, useful for grid-like layouts or evenly spaced containers.

Using these gives flexibility creating layouts where items placed side-by-side still having dimension and space controls useful building navigation menus displaying images/cards row-wise creating responsive designs adapting different screen sizes.

Practical Applications

The inline-block display property has many uses in web design and development. Here are a few common use cases where inline-block can be helpful.

.nav-item {
  display: inline-block;
  padding: 10px 20px;
}

.image-container img {
  display: inline-block;
  width: 200px;
  margin: 10px;
}

.column {
  display: inline-block;
  width: 50%;
  padding: 10px;
  box-sizing: border-box;
}

@media screen and (max-width: 600px) {
 .column {
   width:100%;
 }
}