The left
property in CSS goes hand in hand with positioning. By default, elements are static
positioned in which the left property has no effect whatsoever. But when the positioning of an element is relative
, absolute
, or fixed
, the left
value plays a big role.
div { left: value (px, em, %, pt, etc) || auto || inherit; /* can be negative */ }
“The Nudge” (Relative Position)
If you apply a left value to an element with relative positioning, it will “nudge” the element that direction.
If you apply both a left
and right
value, only the left
value will be honored.
“The Place” (Absolute/Fixed Position)
If you apply a left value to an element with relative positioning, it will “place” that element at that value according to it’s nearest positioning context (meaning: it’s nearest parent element with some positioning value other than static, or the document itself).
Note that if you apply both a left
and right
value, it will stretch the element to hit both of those values.
Browser Support
Chrome | Safari | Firefox | Opera | IE | Android | iOS |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Works | Works | Works | 5+ | 5.5+ | Works | Works |
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