Understanding measurement units
In many cases, when you enter a number as the value of an attribute or property—for example, font size—you are given the choice of what unit to use. The units you can use in Namo WebEditor are described below.
It is usually not necessary to specify a unit, even when the choice is given. If you do not specify a unit, the default unit will be used. The default unit depends on the property or attribute being modified, but most often it is pixels.
Common length units
These units are used in cascading style sheet (CSS) properties that take a length value, such as margins and borders. For more information, please refer to CSS Value Types in the online CSS reference.
|
Unit |
Abbr. |
Meaning |
|---|---|---|
|
inches |
in |
inches |
|
points |
pt |
1/72 of an inch |
|
picas |
pc |
12 points |
|
cm |
cm |
centimeters |
|
mm |
mm |
millimeters |
|
pixels |
px |
pixels (units of screen resolution) |
|
em |
em |
a unit equal to the current font size |
|
ex |
ex |
a unit equal to the “x-height” of the current font |
|
% |
% |
percentage of base value* |
*The base value for a % value depends on the property being modified. For font sizes, the base value is the calculated font size of the parent element.
Special font size values
These unitless values are used only for font sizes.
|
Unit |
Notes |
|---|---|
|
1~7 |
Size on a scale from 1 (smallest) to 7 (largest). The exact size corresponding to each number depends on the browser, but “3″ usually corresponds to 12pt. |
|
xx-small |
The exact size corresponding to each keyword depends on the browser. |
|
smaller |
Sets the font size one “step” smaller or larger than the font size of the parent element. The size of each step depends on the browser. |