Article Categories
- All Categories
-
Data Structure
-
Networking
-
RDBMS
-
Operating System
-
Java
-
MS Excel
-
iOS
-
HTML
-
CSS
-
Android
-
Python
-
C Programming
-
C++
-
C#
-
MongoDB
-
MySQL
-
Javascript
-
PHP
-
Economics & Finance
Outlines Vs Borders in CSS
Outline doesn't take up space and is displayed around the border if set. It is used for highlighting elements and we can't specify whether individual sides should have an outline or not. Like borders, outline is not displayed by default. In some browsers, say Firefox, focused elements are displayed with a thin outline.
Borders can be customized to a greater extent. We can style individual sides of a border and round their edges. Borders take up space and affect the box-sizing.
Syntax
/* Outline Syntax */ outline: outline-width outline-style outline-color; /* Border Syntax */ border: border-width border-style border-color;
Key Differences
| Property | Outline | Border |
|---|---|---|
| Space | Does not take up space | Takes up space |
| Position | Outside border edge | Between margin and padding |
| Individual sides | Cannot style individual sides | Can style each side separately |
| Box model | Does not affect box sizing | Affects box sizing |
Outlines
The outline is drawn outside the borders. It is a line drawn around elements for highlighting purposes. The outline properties include outline-style, outline-color, outline-width, and outline-offset.
Example: Basic Outline
You can clearly see the outlines are displayed outside the borders −
<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
<head>
<style>
h1 {
outline: yellow solid 5px;
border: 2px solid red;
padding: 10px;
}
p {
outline: blue dashed 3px;
margin: 20px 0;
padding: 10px;
}
</style>
</head>
<body>
<h1>Demo Heading</h1>
<p>This is a demo text with outline</p>
</body>
</html>
A heading with a red border and yellow solid outline outside it, and a paragraph with a blue dashed outline appear on the page.
Borders
The borders are set using the border properties: border-style, border-width, and border-color. The border-style is required for the border to be visible.
Example: Basic Border
The following example demonstrates different border styles −
<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
<head>
<style>
h1 {
border: 2px dashed yellow;
padding: 10px;
margin: 10px 0;
}
p {
border: 3px dotted orange;
padding: 15px;
margin: 10px 0;
}
</style>
</head>
<body>
<h1>Demo Heading</h1>
<p>This is a demo text with border</p>
</body>
</html>
A heading with yellow dashed border and a paragraph with orange dotted border, both with padding inside the border area.
Example: Combined Outline and Border
The following example illustrates CSS outline and border used together −
<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
<head>
<style>
.box1 {
width: 200px;
padding: 20px;
margin: 20px;
border: 3px solid blue;
outline: 2px dotted red;
background-color: lightblue;
}
.box2 {
width: 200px;
padding: 20px;
margin: 20px;
border: 5px double green;
background-color: lightgreen;
}
</style>
</head>
<body>
<div class="box1">Box with both border and outline</div>
<div class="box2">Box with only border</div>
</body>
</html>
Two boxes appear: the first has a blue solid border with a red dotted outline outside it, the second has only a green double border. The outline extends beyond the border without affecting spacing.
Conclusion
Outlines are perfect for highlighting elements without affecting layout, while borders are part of the box model and provide more styling flexibility. Use outlines for focus indicators and borders for visual structure and spacing.
872 Views
