Can CSS Natively Insert a Line Break Within Inline-Block Elements?

CSS Insertion of Line Breaks Within inline-block Elements: A Theoretical Exploration

In the ever-evolving landscape of web development, the ability to manipulate the flow of content remains paramount. One particular challenge that often arises involves the insertion of line breaks within inline-block elements.

Consider the following HTML structure:

<h3 id="features">Features</h3>
<ul>
    <li><img src="alphaball.png">Smells Good</li>
    <li><img src="alphaball.png">Tastes Great</li>
    <li><img src="alphaball.png">Delicious</li>
</ul>

When coupled with the following CSS styling:

#features li {
    text-align: center;
    display: inline-block;
    padding: 0.1em 1em;
}
img {
    width: 64px;
    display: block;
    margin: 0 auto;
}

This HTML code renders three list items as a horizontal row, as demonstrated at http://jsfiddle.net/YMN7U/1/. However, the intention is to break this content into three columns, effectively inserting a line break after the third inline-block element.

Unfortunately, neither the "after" pseudo-element approach nor using fixed-width blocks prove fruitful. Thus, the question arises: can CSS natively insert a line break within inline-block content?

Theorizing a Solution

Despite extensive research, no known CSS solution exists to force a line break within display:inline-block elements. This limitation stems from the inherent nature of inline content, which flows continuously without respecting line breaks.

In a hypothetical scenario where a CSS solution were to emerge, it would likely involve the use of the recently introduced "page-break" property. However, this property is primarily intended for hard page breaks and may not apply to inline-block elements.

Conclusion

Based on current CSS capabilities, it is impossible to force a line break within inline-block content. This theoretical exploration highlights the limitations of CSS in manipulating the flow of inline elements with precision.

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