Why Doesn't Margin Work on Divs with `display: table-cell;` and How Can I Add Spacing?

Margin Property Not Affecting Div with "display: table-cell;"

In HTML, we can encounter a scenario where div elements with "display: table-cell;" lack the expected spacing introduced by the margin property.

Cause

The margin property is incompatible with elements exhibiting display types other than table-caption, table, or inline-table. Regrettably, display: table-cell falls outside of these exceptions.

Solution

To circumvent this limitation, consider utilizing the border-spacing property as an alternative. However, it's crucial to apply border-spacing to a parent element featuring a display: table layout, accompanied by border-collapse: separate.

HTML

<div>
<pre class="brush:php;toolbar:false"><div><p></p></div><br>

CSS

.row {display:table-row;}<br>.cell {display:table-cell;padding:5px;border:1px solid black;}<br>

With this setup, you can add spacing between the div elements.

Horizontal and Vertical Margin Variations

Additionally, the border-spacing property allows for independent margin values along the horizontal and vertical axes by specifying two distinct values.

.../border-spacing:3px 5px;} /<em> 3px horizontally, 5px vertically </em>/<br>