In the world of web development, using the a tag to add links to text is a common practice. However, there are many situations where you may want to make not just the text but the entire box (parent element) clickable.
Today, we’ll introduce a method to extend the clickable area of an a tag to cover the entire box element.
Making the Entire Box a Link with the a Tag
Typically, the a tag is used to add links to text, but you can also use it to make an entire box clickable.
This technique is particularly useful when designing websites where user interface experience is crucial.
So, how exactly can we implement this?
CSS Configuration
First, let’s take a look at the basic CSS setup. Here, we will prepare two styles:
One where the link applies only to the text (.box1), and another where the link applies to the entire box element (.box2).
<style>
body{
padding: 0;
margin: 0;
font-size: 18px;
text-align: center;
}
h1{
line-height:1.6em;
text-align:center;
font-weight:normal;
padding:15px 0;
font-size: 18px;
}
.box1{
width: 300px;
height: 300px;
background-color: #CCCCCC;
margin: 0 auto 30px auto;
}
.box1 a{
text-align: center;
line-height: 300px;
color: #000000;
text-decoration: none;
}
.box2{
width: 300px;
height: 300px;
background-color: #007FFF;
margin: 0 auto;
}
.box2 a{
text-align: center;
line-height: 300px;
color: #ffffff;
text-decoration: none;
display: block;
}
.box1 a:hover,
.box2 a:hover{
text-decoration: underline;
}
</style>
In this CSS setup, adding display: block; to the a tag inside .box2 makes the entire box element clickable.
HTML Markup
Next, let’s look at how to structure the HTML.
The following example applies the previously defined CSS styles:
<h1>Applying "Link to Text Only" and "Link to Entire Box Element" in Box Elements</h1>
<div class="box1"><a href="/" target="_blank">Link to Text Only</a></div>
<div class="box2"><a href="/" target="_blank">Link to Entire Box Element</a></div>
In this HTML structure:
- class=”box1″ applies the link to the text only.
- class=”box2″ applies the link to the entire box element.
Demo Page for Setting the a Tag’s Clickable Area to the Entire Box
To better understand this concept, we have prepared a demo page.
Click the link below to see how the above code works in action.
Demo of Making the Entire Box Clickable with the a Tag
Summary
Using the a tag to make the entire box clickable is a very effective technique in web design.
By mastering this method, you can create more interactive and user-friendly web pages.
※ If you use this method, please do so at your own risk.
Do not reuse the Google Analytics tag from the demo page.
