Why Is My Inline-Block Display Not Working in IE8?

IE8: Troubleshooting Display Inline-Block Problems

In the realm of web development, aspiring to achieve a specific visual layout poses a common challenge for programmers. One aspect of this process involves ensuring correct element alignment, especially in various browser environments. One element positioning method that often elicits frustration among developers is inline-block display.

Problem:

Consider the following code snippet:

<style type="text/css" media="all">
  span, ul, ul li {
    display: inline-block;
    vertical-align: top;
    margin: 0;
    padding: 0;
    list-style: none;
  }   
</style>

<span>i would want</span>

• this
• on
• one line.

The desired outcome in IE8 is to have the elements align inline. However, despite IE8's purported support for inline-block, attempts to achieve this alignment have proven unsuccessful.

Solution:

Surprisingly, the culprit may not lie in the inline-block declaration itself. Instead, a missing doctype is likely impeding the correct display behavior in IE8. To rectify this issue, simply add the following doctype declaration as the first line of HTML:

<p><strong>Explanation:</strong></p><p>The doctype declaration instructs the browser to operate in a specific mode, ensuring compatibility with the specified HTML specification. Without a doctype, IE8 may resort to its default compatibility mode, potentially rendering the inline-block display incorrectly. By explicitly defining the rendering mode using the doctype, we override this behavior and enable the desired inline-block alignment.</p>

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