Why Doesn\'t \'margin: 0 auto;\' Center Elements in IE8 Standard Mode, and How Can I Fix It?

HTML Document Type Declaration and the Behavior of "margin: 0 auto;" in Internet Explorer 8

As you're testing your website in Internet Explorer 8, you may encounter an issue where the "margin: 0 auto;" property doesn't center your elements as expected. This is especially evident in the case of the following HTML code:

<div>
<p>While this code centers the button correctly in most browsers, including Firefox 3, Opera, Safari, Chrome, IE7, and IE8 compatibility mode, it fails to do so in IE8 standard mode.</p>
<p>To comprehend this behavior, it's essential to understand the role of HTML document type declarations. Adding a document type declaration, such as:</p>
<pre class="brush:php;toolbar:false"><p>to the beginning of your document can address the issue and center the button correctly in IE8 standard mode. This is because the document type declaration specifies the version of HTML being used, enabling the browser to interpret the code according to the correct standards.</p><p>When it comes to the behavior of "margin: 0 auto;" in general, browsers handle it differently based on the element's "display" property. Here's a breakdown:</p>

• If "display: block" is set:
  The element will have a width that is not explicitly defined, making the "margin: 0 auto;" property center the element horizontally within its parent container.
• If "display: inline" is set:
  The element will not have a block-level width, and the "margin: 0 auto;" property will have no effect.