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Tip of the Day
Expertise: Beginner
Language: Web
January 5, 2000
CSS Properties: Display vs. Visibility
Browsers Targeted: Internet Explorer 3+

It's fairly easy to confuse the Cascading Style Sheets (CSS) properties display and visibility, because it would seem that they do much the same thing. However, the two properties are in fact quite different. The visibility property determines whether a given element is visible or not (visibility="visible|hidden"). However, when visibility is set to hidden, the element being hidden still occupies its same place in the layout of the page.


<script language="JavaScript">
function toggleVisibility(me){
if (me.style.visibility=="hidden"){
me.style.visibility="visible";
}
else {
me.style.visibility="hidden";
}
}
</script>

<div onclick="toggleVisibility(this)" style="position:relative">
This example displays text that toggles between a visibility of 'visible' and 'hidden'.
Note the behavior of the next line.</div><div>This second line shouldn't
move, since visibility retains its position in the flow</div>
This example displays text that toggles between a visibility of 'visible' and 'hidden'. Note the behavior of the next line.
This second line shouldn't move, since visibility retains its position in the flow

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Kurt Cagle
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