CSShark - Basic Elements, Properties, and Values
The CSS Know-How Site

The Basics

Elements, Properties and Values

The most important point about elements is the distinction between Block Level Elements and Inline Elements.

HTML Blocklevel Elements like <P>, <DIV>, <H1> or Lists start and end on a line of their own. Block level elements can be children only of other blocklevel elements.

Inline Elements like <A>, <SPAN>, <STRONG> do not force a line break before or after the element. Inline elements can be children of block, inline or list elements.

Then there are List-Item Elements (<LI>) that are block elements but have the presentational marker or number.

And we have Replaced Elements, like images and form elements. The replaced elements are inline elements, but can be blocklevel elements.

All those HTML elements can be redefined and styled (for looks and/or position) with CSS properties (CSS elements) and values.

Certain CSS properties are valid only for Blocklevel elements (text-indent, for example), others for inline elements (vertical-align, f.e.), but most are for both types of elements.

If you do not have an HTML element to which you can apply the CSS styling, then you can use DIV or SPAN, because they have no inherent properties of their own.

Here is the official W3C list of CSS1 elements:
http://www.w3.org/TR/REC-CSS1

And these are the CSS2 elements
http://www.w3.org/TR/REC-CSS2/intro.html

A very useful resource is Eric Meyer's 'Mastergrid' at
http://devedge.netscape.com/library/xref/2003/css-support/

Here is a list that shows the browser support for CSS1 and CSS2 properties:
http://www.westciv.com.au/style_master/academy/browser_support/basic_concepts.html

CSS Properties

Blooberry has a wonderful list with all CSS properties, values and browser support at: http://www.blooberry.com/indexdot/css/propindex/all.htm

Other topics:

•  Syntax
•  Elements, Properties and Values
•  DIVs and SPANs
•  CLASS and ID
•  Inheritance and
•  The Stylesheet