Style paddingLeft Property

Example

Set the left padding of a <div> element:

document.getElementById("myDiv").style.paddingLeft = "50px";
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Description

The paddingLeft property sets or returns the left padding of an element.

Both the margin property and the padding property insert space around an element. However, the difference is that margin inserts the space around the border, while padding inserts the space within the border of an element.


Browser Support

Property
paddingLeft Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes

Syntax

Return the paddingLeft property:

object.style.paddingLeft

Set the paddingLeft property:

object.style.paddingLeft = "%|length|initial|inherit"

Property Values

Value Description
% Defines the left padding in % of the width of the parent element
length Defines the left padding in length units
initial Sets this property to its default value. Read about initial
inherit Inherits this property from its parent element. Read about inherit


Technical Details

Default Value: 0
Return Value: A String, representing the left padding of an element
CSS Version CSS1

More Examples

Example

Change the left padding of a <div> element back to "normal":

document.getElementById("myDiv").style.paddingLeft = "0px";
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Example

Return the left padding of a <div> element:

alert(document.getElementById("myDiv").style.paddingLeft);
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Example

Difference between marginLeft and paddingLeft:

function changeMargin() {
  document.getElementById("myDiv").style.marginLeft = "100px";
}

function changePadding() {
  document.getElementById("myDiv2").style.paddingLeft = "100px";
}
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Related Pages

CSS tutorial: CSS Padding

CSS reference: padding-left property

HTML DOM reference: padding property


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