Utilizing CSS nested spans and setting custom width attributes

I'm curious about how nested spans and CSS handle the width attribute. In the HTML code provided, the 'wide' class sets the width while the 'box' class adds a border. I've noticed that the width is only applied when both classes are used together. Can someone clarify why this happens? I'm relatively new to CSS and may have overlooked a basic rule.

<span class="wide"><span  class="box">Not wide</span></span>
<span class="wide box"><span>Wide</span></span>
<span><span class="wide box">Wide</span></span>
<span class="box"><span class="wide">Not wide</span></span>

View the effects here: http://jsfiddle.net/7hXUu/2/

Any insights would be greatly appreciated, Aaron

cssnestedwidthhtml

Answer №1

The issue seems to stem from the use of float:left;. However, the specific reason for this behavior is unclear.

To address this, consider assigning a width to elements such as span and a using either display:block; or display:inline-block;

Answer №2

When it comes to inline elements, applying widths can be tricky. However, when dealing with floated inline elements, the rendering behavior changes:

If the computed 'width' is set to 'auto', the used value is determined by the "shrink-to-fit" width... In this case, the shrink-to-fit width is: 

min(max(preferred minimum width, available width), preferred width)

But wait, there's more. Each of your floating containers creates a new block formatting context, which impacts how floated elements are positioned. Detailed explanations step-by-step could be provided upon request, but in reality, this would not be practical.

In conclusion: while this may make for an interesting brain-teaser question, it's definitely not suitable for real-world applications.

Answer №3

By using the box class with float: left, the element transforms into a floated element, contrary to the default behavior of span which is an inline element. Keep in mind that the width property does not typically affect inline elements.

To make the width property effective on a span element, you can alternatively apply display: inline-block to it.

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