Is it possible to center an inline-block element and if so, how?

Question

I have an element of initially unknown width, specifically a MathJax equation supplied by the user. I have the element set as inline-block to ensure that the width of the element fits its contents and so that it has a defined width. However, this prevents traditional methods of centering. That is, the following does not work:

.equationElement {     display: inline-block;     margin-left: auto;     margin-right: auto; } 

And the solution cannot be:

.equationElement {     display: block;     width: 100px;     margin-left: auto;     margin-right: auto; } 

Because I have no idea what the width should actually be beforehand and if the user clicks on the equation, I need the entire equation highlighted, so I cannot set the width to 0. Does anyone have a solution to centering this equation?

Answer 1

Simply set text-align: center; on the container.

Here's a demo.

Answer 2

Another way to do this (works for block element also):

.center-horizontal {      position: absolute;      left: 50%;      transform: translateX(-50%); } 

Explanation: left:50% will position the element starting from the center of containing parent, so you want to pull it back by half of its width with transform: translateX(-50%)

Note1: Be sure to set the the position of containing parent to position: relative; if the parent is absolutely positioned put a 100% width and height, 0 padding and margin div inside it and give it position: relative

Note2: Can also be modified for vertical centering with

top:50%; transform: translateY(-50%);