In CSS, the padding property is a commonly used attribute that adds space within the inner side of an element. It is important to differentiate padding from margin, as margin adds space outside an element’s border, while padding adds space inside it.
Specific Padding Properties
The padding property has four related properties that allow for easy manipulation of individual edges:
padding-toppadding-rightpadding-bottompadding-left
These properties can be easily used in conjunction, for example:
padding-left: 30px;
padding-right: 3em;
Using the Padding Shorthand
The padding shorthand property allows for the specification of multiple padding values simultaneously. The behavior of the shorthand property changes based on the number of values entered.
- One value: This applies the value to all paddings (top, right, bottom, and left).
padding: 20px;
- Two values: The first value applies to the bottom and top paddings, while the second value applies to the left and right paddings.
padding: 20px 10px;
- Three values: The first value applies to the top padding, the second value applies to the left and right paddings, and the third value applies to the bottom padding.
padding: 20px 10px 30px;
- Four values: The first value applies to the top padding, the second value applies to the right padding, the third value applies to the bottom padding, and the fourth value applies to the left padding.
padding: 20px 10px 5px 0px;
Therefore, the order is top-right-bottom-left.
Accepted Values
The padding property accepts values expressed in any length unit, including commonly used units such as px, em, and rem. You can explore more options here.
Tags: CSS, Padding, Web Design, Frontend Development