Chapter 49. Controlling Spacing

In HTML, the browser pretty much determines the amount of space between elements. It's all built into the browser's understanding of what each tag looks like. Sure, you can force a line break with the br tag, but this method is crude and imprecise. Graphic designers understand that empty or negative space is just as important as occupied or positive space. Space a crucial element of design, and it demands pixel-perfect control. You don't have to build too many Web pages before you start wanting better options for managing space than HTML is willing to provide.

Thank the gods for CSS. It delivers all kinds of space control: space around elements, space inside elements, space between lines of text, space between words, and space between letters. Topic 26 discusses the issue of setting page margins with CSS. This topic looks at other kinds of CSS spacing, particularly as it relates to text.