CSS pointer-events Property

Posted in CSS Tutorial

Updated on Oct 07, 2024

By Mari Selvan

👁️ 33 - Views

⏳ 4 mins

💬 1 Comment

Photo Credit to CodeToFun

🙋 Introduction

The pointer-events property in CSS is used to control whether an element can be the target of pointer events, such as mouse clicks, touch events, or cursor hovers.

This property is particularly useful for creating interactive web elements and managing user interactions on your webpage.

💡 Syntax

The syntax for the pointer-events property is simple and can be applied to any HTML element.

Syntax

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element {
  pointer-events: value;
}

Here, value can be one of the predefined keywords that determine the behavior of pointer events for the element.

🎛️ Default Value

The default value of the pointer-events property is auto, which means that the element can be the target of pointer events as usual.

🏠 Property Values

Value	Description
auto	The element behaves as it would if the `pointer-events` property were not specified. It can be the target of pointer events.
none	The element is never the target of pointer events. All pointer events will be ignored for this element.
visiblePainted	The element can be the target of pointer events only when it is visible and painted. This is the default value for SVG content.
visibleFill	The element can be the target of pointer events when the fill is visible.
visibleStroke	The element can be the target of pointer events when the stroke is visible.
visible	The element can be the target of pointer events when it is visible (can apply to both fill and stroke for SVG).
painted	The element can be the target of pointer events when it is painted (fill, stroke, or any other visible part).
fill	The element can be the target of pointer events when the fill is painted.
stroke	The element can be the target of pointer events when the stroke is painted.
all	The element can be the target of pointer events regardless of visibility or paint status.
inherit	The element inherits the `pointer-events` property from its parent.

📄 Example

In this example, we'll disable pointer events for a button.

index.html

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<!DOCTYPE html>
<html lang="en">
<head>
  <meta charset="UTF-8">
  <meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1.0">
  <title>CSS pointer-events Example</title>
  <style>
    button {
      pointer-events: none;
      background-color: grey;
      color: white;
      border: none;
      padding: 10px 20px;
      font-size: 16px;
    }
  </style>
</head>
<body>
  <h1>Button with Disabled Pointer Events</h1>
  <button>Click Me</button>
  <p>The button above cannot be clicked because pointer events are disabled.</p>
</body>
</html>

🖥️ Browser Compatibility

The pointer-events property is supported in all modern browsers, including the latest versions of Chrome, Firefox, Safari, Edge, and Opera. However, it is always a good practice to test your website across different browsers to ensure compatibility.

🎉 Conclusion

The pointer-events property is a versatile tool for managing user interactions with web elements.

By using this property, you can control whether an element responds to pointer events, which is useful for creating custom interactions and enhancing user experience. Experiment with different values to see how this property can improve the interactivity of your web projects.