CSS Padding

The CSS padding properties define the space between the element border and the element content.

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Padding

The padding clears an area around the content (inside the border) of an element. The padding is affected by the background color of the element.

The top, right, bottom, and left padding can be changed independently using separate properties. A shorthand padding property can also be used, to change all paddings at once.

Possible Values

Value	Description
length	Defines a fixed padding (in pixels, pt, em, etc.)
%	Defines a padding in % of the containing element

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Padding - Individual sides

In CSS, it is possible to specify different padding for different sides:

Example

padding-top:25px;
padding-bottom:25px;
padding-right:50px;
padding-left:50px;

Try it yourself »

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Padding - Shorthand property

To shorten the code, it is possible to specify all the padding properties in one property. This is called a shorthand property.

The shorthand property for all the padding properties is "padding":

Example

padding:25px 50px;

Try it yourself »

The padding property can have from one to four values.

• padding:25px 50px 75px 100px;
  • top padding is 25px
  • right padding is 50px
  • bottom padding is 75px
  • left padding is 100px
• padding:25px 50px 75px;
  • top padding is 25px
  • right and left paddings are 50px
  • bottom padding is 75px
• padding:25px 50px;
  • top and bottom paddings are 25px
  • right and left paddings are 50px
• padding:25px;
  • all four paddings are 25px

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More Examples

All the padding properties in one declaration
This example demonstrates a shorthand property for setting all of the padding properties in one declaration, can have from one to four values.

Set the left padding
This example demonstrates how to set the left padding of a p element.

Set the right padding
This example demonstrates how to set the right padding of a p element.

Set the top padding
This example demonstrates how to set the top padding of a p element.

Set the bottom padding
This example demonstrates how to set the bottom padding of a p element.

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All CSS Padding Properties

Property	Description
padding	A shorthand property for setting all the padding properties in one declaration
padding-bottom	Sets the bottom padding of an element
padding-left	Sets the left padding of an element
padding-right	Sets the right padding of an element
padding-top	Sets the top padding of an element

CSS Margin

The CSS margin properties define the space around elements.

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Margin

The margin clears an area around an element (outside the border). The margin does not have a background color, and is completely transparent.

The top, right, bottom, and left margin can be changed independently using separate properties. A shorthand margin property can also be used, to change all margins at once.

Possible Values

Value	Description
auto	The browser calculates a margin
length	Specifies a margin in px, pt, cm, etc. Default value is 0px
%	Specifies a margin in percent of the width of the containing element
inherit	Specifies that the margin should be inherited from the parent element

 It is possible to use negative values, to overlap content.

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Margin - Individual sides

In CSS, it is possible to specify different margins for different sides:

Example

margin-top:100px;
margin-bottom:100px;
margin-right:50px;
margin-left:50px;

Try it yourself »

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Margin - Shorthand property

To shorten the code, it is possible to specify all the margin properties in one property. This is called a shorthand property.

The shorthand property for all the margin properties is "margin":

Example

margin:100px 50px;

Try it yourself »

The margin property can have from one to four values.

• margin:25px 50px 75px 100px;
  • top margin is 25px
  • right margin is 50px
  • bottom margin is 75px
  • left margin is 100px
• margin:25px 50px 75px;
  • top margin is 25px
  • right and left margins are 50px
  • bottom margin is 75px
• margin:25px 50px;
  • top and bottom margins are 25px
  • right and left margins are 50px
• margin:25px;
  • all four margins are 25px

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More Examples

Set the top margin of a text using a cm value
This example demonstrates how to set the top margin of a text using a cm value.

Set the bottom margin of a text using a percent value
This example demonstrates how to set the bottom margin in percent, relative to the width of the containing element.

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All CSS Margin Properties

Property	Description
margin	A shorthand property for setting the margin properties in one declaration
margin-bottom	Sets the bottom margin of an element
margin-left	Sets the left margin of an element
margin-right	Sets the right margin of an element
margin-top	Sets the top margin of an element

CSS Outline

An outline is a line that is drawn around elements (outside the borders) to make the element "stand out".

The outline properties specify the style, color, and width of an outline.

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Examples

Draw a line around an element (outline)
This example demonstrates how to draw a line around an element, outside the border edge.

Set the style of an outline
This example demonstrates how to set the style of an outline.

Set the color of an outline
This example demonstrates how to set the color of an outline.

Set the width of an outline
This example demonstrates how to set the width of an outline.

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CSS Outline

An outline is a line that is drawn around elements (outside the borders) to make the element "stand out".

However, the outline property is different from the border property.

The outline is not a part of an element's dimensions; the element's total width and height is not affected by the width of the outline.

 

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All CSS Outline Properties

The number in the "CSS" column indicates in which CSS version the property is defined (CSS1 or CSS2).

Property	Description	Values	CSS
outline	Sets all the outline properties in one declaration	outline-color outline-style outline-widthinherit	2
outline-color	Sets the color of an outline	color_name hex_number rgb_numberinvert inherit	2
outline-style	Sets the style of an outline	none dotted dashed solid double groove ridge inset outset inherit	2
outline-width	Sets the width of an outline	thin medium thick lengthinherit	2

CSS Border

CSS Border Properties

The CSS border properties allow you to specify the style and color of an element's border.

Border Style

The border-style property specifies what kind of border to display.

 None of the border properties will have ANY effect unless the border-style property is set!

border-style values:

none: Defines no border

dotted: Defines a dotted border

dashed: Defines a dashed border

solid: Defines a solid border

double: Defines two borders. The width of the two borders are the same as the border-width value

groove: Defines a 3D grooved border. The effect depends on the border-color value

ridge: Defines a 3D ridged border. The effect depends on the border-color value

inset: Defines a 3D inset border. The effect depends on the border-color value

outset: Defines a 3D outset border. The effect depends on the border-color value

Try it yourself: Set the style of the border

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Border Width

The border-width property is used to set the width of the border.

The width is set in pixels, or by using one of the three pre-defined values: thin, medium, or thick.

Note: The "border-width" property does not work if it is used alone. Use the "border-style" property to set the borders first.

Example

p.one
{
border-style:solid;
border-width:5px;
}
p.two
{
border-style:solid;
border-width:medium;
}

Try it yourself »

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Border Color

The border-color property is used to set the color of the border. The color can be set by:

• name - specify a color name, like "red"
• RGB - specify a RGB value, like "rgb(255,0,0)"
• Hex - specify a hex value, like "#ff0000"

You can also set the border color to "transparent".

Note: The "border-color" property does not work if it is used alone. Use the "border-style" property to set the borders first.

Example

p.one
{
border-style:solid;
border-color:red;
}
p.two
{
border-style:solid;
border-color:#98bf21;
}

Try it yourself »

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Border - Individual sides

In CSS it is possible to specify different borders for different sides:

Example

p
{
border-top-style:dotted;
border-right-style:solid;
border-bottom-style:dotted;
border-left-style:solid;
}

Try it yourself »

The example above can also be set with a single property:

Example

border-style:dotted solid;

Try it yourself »

The border-style property can have from one to four values.

• border-style:dotted solid double dashed;
  • top border is dotted
  • right border is solid
  • bottom border is double
  • left border is dashed
• border-style:dotted solid double;
  • top border is dotted
  • right and left borders are solid
  • bottom border is double
• border-style:dotted solid;
  • top and bottom borders are dotted
  • right and left borders are solid
• border-style:dotted;
  • all four borders are dotted

The border-style property is used in the example above. However, it also works with border-width and border-color.

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Border - Shorthand property

As you can see from the examples above, there are many properties to consider when dealing with borders.

To shorten the code, it is also possible to specify all the individual border properties in one property. This is called a shorthand property.

The border property is a shorthand for the following individual border properties:

• border-width
• border-style (required)
• border-color

Example

border:5px solid red;

Try it yourself »

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More Examples

All the top border properties in one declaration
This example demonstrates a shorthand property for setting all of the properties for the top border in one declaration.

Set the style of the bottom border
This example demonstrates how to set the style of the bottom border.

Set the width of the left border
This example demonstrates how to set the width of the left border.

Set the color of the four borders
This example demonstrates how to set the color of the four borders. It can have from one to four colors.

Set the color of the right border
This example demonstrates how to set the color of the right border.

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All CSS Border Properties

Property	Description
border	Sets all the border properties in one declaration
border-bottom	Sets all the bottom border properties in one declaration
border-bottom-color	Sets the color of the bottom border
border-bottom-style	Sets the style of the bottom border
border-bottom-width	Sets the width of the bottom border
border-color	Sets the color of the four borders
border-left	Sets all the left border properties in one declaration
border-left-color	Sets the color of the left border
border-left-style	Sets the style of the left border
border-left-width	Sets the width of the left border
border-right	Sets all the right border properties in one declaration
border-right-color	Sets the color of the right border
border-right-style	Sets the style of the right border
border-right-width	Sets the width of the right border
border-style	Sets the style of the four borders
border-top	Sets all the top border properties in one declaration
border-top-color	Sets the color of the top border
border-top-style	Sets the style of the top border
border-top-width	Sets the width of the top border
border-width	Sets the width of the four borders