Some aspects of the CSS formatting model may seem counterintuitive at first, but as you’ll learn in this practical guide, the more you work with these features, the more they make sense. Author Eric Meyer gives you a good grounding in CSS visual rendering, from element box rules and concepts to the specifics of managing tricky layouts for block-level and inline elements.

Short and sweet, this book is an excerpt from the upcoming fourth edition of CSS: The Definitive Guide. When you purchase either the print or the ebook edition of Basic Visual Formatting in CSS, you’ll receive a discount on the entire Definitive Guide once it’s released. Why wait? Learn how to bring life to your web pages now.

• Learn the details of element box types, including block, inline, inline-block, list-item, and run-in boxes
• Change the type of box an element generates, from inline to block, or list-item to inline
• Dive into the complexities of horizontal and vertical block-box formatting
• Explore key concepts of inline layout: anonymous text, em box, content area, leading, inline box, and line box
• Understand formatting differences between nonreplaced and replaced inline elements