[ ← blog / dompdf ](/) Feb 09, 2013  ·  \#dompdf  ·  2 min read 

# dompdf float left using inline-block



 ![dompdf-logo](/wp-content/uploads/2013/02/logo.png)

CSS floats are on the list of known limitations of dompdf, [an HTML to PDF converter](http://code.google.com/p/dompdf/). The latest beta, dompdf Beta 3, adds the beginnings of CSS float support and is turned off by default. Trust me and keep it that way, there is a different solution to dompdf float left using inline-block. However, if you feel daring, you can enable CSS floats within dompdf by opening *dompdf\_config.inc.php* and setting *DOMPDF\_ENABLE\_CSS\_FLOAT* to true.

I was using dompdf for Drupal's Print module to create PDF files of forms filled out within the website. As you can imagine a form with no inline values gets awfully lengthy and pretty ugly. I had enabled CSS floats within dompdf, refreshed my PDF render only to find every floated text jumbled on top of one another. Then two words popped into my head: inline and block. I honestly believe that the *inline-display* is one of the most overlooked property values - I know I always just skip to float:left and hope I have enough clearfixs to remedy any display issues.

Regardless how to better use inline-display in our normal web development life it solved my dompdf issues. In my situation I applied inline-block to the field's label and the field's value item. I did notice though that unexpected results occurred if I did not define a standard width for my labels. This may have been conflicting with the Drupal theme's styling.

Chances are you will be doing a lot of re-rendering and testing, as I know I sure have. Hopefully this helps resolve some float and design issues people are experiencing through dompdf.

 

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I write about Drupal, PHP, and the quiet infrastructure behind large sites — caching, config, and testing. New posts land every week or two.

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