Display vs. Visibility in CSS: How Do These Properties Differ in Controlling Element Visibility?

CSS Properties: The Nuance Between Display and Visibility

In the realm of CSS, the properties display and visibility play distinct roles in controlling the visibility and appearance of elements on a webpage.

Display: Controlling Appearance and Flow

The display property governs how an element is rendered and interplays with other elements on the page. It determines whether an element will be displayed inline, as a block, as an inline-block, or in other specified ways. By altering the display property, you can control an element's visibility, size, and position.

Visibility: Binary Visibility

In contrast, the visibility property simply toggles an element's visibility between two states: visible or invisible. When visibility is set to visible, the element is visible, whereas when it is set to hidden, the element is essentially removed from the display.

The Interplay Between Display and Visibility

The distinction between display and visibility becomes apparent when considering elements with visibility: hidden. These elements have their visibility turned off, yet they still affect the page layout. This is because elements with a display property other than none continue to exist in the DOM and influence the layout. For instance, an element with display: block but visibility: hidden will still behave as a block element and occupy space, even though it is invisible.

Practical Implications

Understanding the difference between display and visibility is crucial for fine-tuning the presentation and functionality of web pages. By employing display, you can control an element's appearance, flow, and interactions, while visibility allows you to simply hide or show it without affecting the layout.

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