Style display Property
Example
Set a <div> element to not be displayed:
document.getElementById("myDIV").style.display = "none";Try it Yourself »
Definition and Usage
The display property sets or returns the element's display type.
Elements in HTML are mostly "inline" or "block" elements: An inline element has floating content on its left and right side. A block element fills the entire line, and nothing can be displayed on its left or right side.
The display property also allows the author to show or hide an element. It is
similar to the visibility property. However, if you set display:none, it hides
the entire element, while visibility:hidden means that the contents of the
element will be invisible, but the element stays in its original position and
size.
Tip: If an element is a block element, its display type can also be changed with the float property.
Browser Support
| Property | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| display | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Syntax
Return the display property:
object.style.display
Set the display property:
object.style.display = value
Property Values
| Value | Description |
|---|---|
| block | Element is rendered as a block-level element |
| compact | Element is rendered as a block-level or inline element. Depends on context |
| flex | Element is rendered as a block-level flex box. New in CSS3 |
| inline | Element is rendered as an inline element. This is default |
| inline-block | Element is rendered as a block box inside an inline box |
| inline-flex | Element is rendered as a inline-level flex box. New in CSS3 |
| inline-table | Element is rendered as an inline table (like <table>), with no line break before or after the table |
| list-item | Element is rendered as a list |
| marker | This value sets content before or after a box to be a marker (used with :before and :after pseudo-elements. Otherwise this value is identical to "inline") |
| none | Element will not be displayed |
| run-in | Element is rendered as block-level or inline element. Depends on context |
| table | Element is rendered as a block table (like <table>), with a line break before and after the table |
| table-caption | Element is rendered as a table caption (like <caption>) |
| table-cell | Element is rendered as a table cell (like <td> and <th>) |
| table-column | Element is rendered as a column of cells (like <col>) |
| table-column-group | Element is rendered as a group of one or more columns (like <colgroup>) |
| table-footer-group | Element is rendered as a table footer row (like <tfoot>) |
| table-header-group | Element is rendered as a table header row (like <thead>) |
| table-row | Element is rendered as a table row (like <tr>) |
| table-row-group | Element is rendered as a group of one or more rows (like <tbody>) |
| initial | Sets this property to its default value. Read about initial |
| inherit | Inherits this property from its parent element. Read about inherit |
Technical Details
| Default Value: | inline |
|---|---|
| Return Value: | A String, representing the display type of an element |
| CSS Version | CSS1 |
More Examples
Example
Difference between the display property and the visibility property:
function demoDisplay() {
document.getElementById("myP1").style.display = "none";
}
function demoVisibility() {
document.getElementById("myP2").style.visibility = "hidden";
}
Try it Yourself »
Example
Toggle between hiding and showing an element:
function myFunction() {
var x = document.getElementById('myDIV');
if (x.style.display === 'none') {
x.style.display = 'block';
} else {
x.style.display = 'none';
}
}
Try it Yourself »
Example
Difference between "inline", "block" and "none":
function myFunction(x) {
var whichSelected = x.selectedIndex;
var sel = x.options[whichSelected].text;
var elem = document.getElementById("mySpan");
elem.style.display = sel;
}
Try it Yourself »
Example
Return the display type of a <p> element:
alert(document.getElementById("myP").style.display);
Try it Yourself »
Related Pages
CSS tutorial: CSS Display and visibility
CSS reference: display property
❮ Style Object
