Advantages of using display:inline-block vs float:left in CSS

Comprehensive Comparison

Let's demystify some of the dance moves of display: inline-block and float: left.

Alignment and Whitespace

Display: inline-block comes handy while aligning elements vertically using properties such as vertical-align, line-height and text-align: center. In contrast, float: left naturally aligns to the top edge, so for vertical centering you'll need additional CSS magic.

Whitespace can become the bane of your existence with inline-block. The culprit is inline formatting, even spaces in HTML affect layout. Fortunately, you can dodge this by removing spaces in the HTML markup or employing cunning font-size tricks on the parent element.

Layout Predictability and Page Flow

Floats pose their problems – they're withdrawn from the document flow, causing overlapping or floating of the elements. To keep the page's flow, you'll likely need a clearfix.

Display: inline-block maintains layout flow, keeping elements in a neat line. However, it is sensitive to vertical-align, which may cause unanticipated shifts if not treated carefully.

The Legacy Browser Conundrum

Talking about older browsers, particularly IE7 and its predecessors, they don't support inline-block. On the flip side, floats have wider compatibility, offering consistent behavior across older browsers.

Flexbox: The Modern Contender

With the advent of Flexbox, deciding between inline-block and float has become easier. Flexbox is a responsive and robust trade-off, evident from Bootstrap 4’s shift to Flexbox away from floats.

Responsive Grids and Layout Frameworks

For responsive grids, floats work without whitespace issues, unlike inline-block. Hence, floats are better equipped to manage percentage widths.

Layout frameworks like Bootstrap have used floats historically, but looking ahead, Flexbox and CSS Grid are the future. If you're starting afresh, consider these modern layout giants for superior design.

Layouts according to Content Types

CMS platforms or content heavy sites, like blogs or news websites, might sway your layout choice. float: left is commonly used for text flow around images.

For uniform grid layouts like image galleries or e-commerce product lists, display: inline-block offers easier and uncomplicated management.

Layout Hacks

• For inline-block, set font-size: 0 on the parent to sidestep whitespace issues, then reset the font size on the child.
• Uncannily precise positioning within a container can be achieved by playing with margin adjustments with float: left.
• To fix pixel misalignment issues in different browsers with display: inline-block use media queries.

Modern Layout Practices

Look forward and adopt technologies like Flexbox or CSS Grid for smooth, responsive layouts. Float and inline-block still work, but future-proofing your designs is important, especially as support for legacy browsers dwindles.