Hiding the Tumblr App Buttons on iPhone
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Introduction
In this article, we’ll explore how to hide the Tumblr app buttons on an iPhone. This can be achieved using CSS selectors and properties. We’ll break down the process into manageable sections, explaining each technical term and concept along the way.
Understanding the Problem
The issue at hand is that the Tumblr app buttons are still visible even after we’ve applied a CSS rule to hide them. The current solution involves setting the opacity of the .app-cta-button element to 0, but this doesn’t seem to work as expected.
To better understand the problem, let’s examine the HTML and CSS involved in displaying these buttons on an iPhone.
Tumblr App Buttons HTML
The Tumblr app buttons are contained within a container element with the class tx-button. The relevant HTML structure for these elements looks like this:
<a href="#" class="tx-button tx-button--cta" data-attrs='{"id": "view-ctas", "type": "link"}' role="button">
<img src="https://blog.tumblr.com/img/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9/aHR0cHM6Ly91c2VyaW1vLm1ldHdvcml0e3MuaW8i" alt="" data-attrs='{"id": "view-ctas", "type": "img"}'>
<span class="tx-button__text">Get the Tumblr App</span>
<span class="tx-button__icon">
<svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" viewBox="0 0 16 16"><path d="M2 8L14 2L16 10L2 12Z"></path><path d="M4 8l-6 6 6-6Z"></path></svg>
</span>
</a>
Tumblr App Buttons CSS
The CSS rules for these elements are contained within the tx-button class. The relevant styles look like this:
.tx-button {
/* ... */
}
tx-button__text {
color: #333;
font-size: 16px;
line-height: 24px;
}
tx-button__icon {
width: 16px;
height: 16px;
background-color: #333;
border-radius: 50%;
}
Setting Opacity to Hide the Buttons
Now that we’ve examined the HTML and CSS involved, let’s dive into setting the opacity of the .app-cta-button element to hide the buttons.
As mentioned in the original post, using opacity: 0 !important; on the .app-cta-button element seems to work, but it only hides the “Get the Tumblr App” button. The “Open in the Tumblr App” top bar remains visible.
To understand why this happens, let’s explore the concept of CSS specificity and how it applies to our case.
CSS Specificity
CSS specificity determines the order in which styles are applied when multiple elements share the same selector. There are two types of specificity:
- Content-specificity: This refers to the specificity of an element based on its attributes, class names, and ID values.
- Layout-box specificity: This refers to the specificity of an element based on its position within a layout box.
In our case, we’re dealing with a CSS selector that selects elements by their class name (tx-button). The !important keyword at the end of the rule indicates that this style should override any other styles applied to these elements.
However, due to the nature of the HTML structure and the specificity of the selectors involved, there are some quirks when it comes to applying styles like this. Let’s explore what might be causing the issue.
Quirks with App-Style Overriding
When you try to override an app-style using CSS, things can get tricky due to the way that app styles interact with your custom styles.
On mobile devices, particularly iPhones, there’s a phenomenon called “app style overriding” where a browser will use its own rendering engine and apply the styles from the tx-button class only if they are not overridden by an app-specific style. This can lead to inconsistencies in the appearance of elements on your website when using these specific classes.
This behavior is due to the way that iOS handles CSS rules, particularly those involving opacity or visibility.
Alternative Approach: Using Visibility
Given the issues with setting opacity to hide the buttons, let’s explore an alternative approach using the visibility property instead.
The idea behind this approach is that by setting the visibility property to hidden, we can effectively hide the elements without affecting their layout.
Here’s how you might modify your CSS rule:
.app-cta-button {
opacity: 0 !important;
visibility: hidden !important;
}
However, keep in mind that this approach still may not work as expected due to the app-style overriding behavior mentioned earlier.
Workaround for App-Style Overriding
If you’re still facing issues with hiding the buttons using the visibility property or any other method, here are some potential solutions:
- Use a different class name: If possible, try giving your elements a different class name that’s not used by the app. This can help you override the app-style without conflicts.
- Add media queries: Adding media queries for specific screen sizes and orientations might allow you to apply your styles only when needed, avoiding potential conflicts with the app-style on smaller screens.
- Use a CSS framework or library: Some popular frameworks like Bootstrap provide built-in solutions for dealing with app-style overrides. If you’re already using one of these frameworks, look into their features that can help simplify this task.
Alternative Solution: Disable App-Style
As an alternative solution, some web developers recommend disabling the app-style on mobile devices to ensure consistency in your website’s design.
To do this, you’ll need to set a user-scalable property on your meta tag or HTML head. Here’s how:
<meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1, user-scalable=no">
By doing so, the browser will no longer use its own rendering engine and will instead rely solely on your custom styles for elements within a container.
While this approach might work for you, keep in mind that disabling app-style can have implications for your users’ overall browsing experience.
Conclusion
Hiding the Tumblr app buttons on an iPhone requires some careful consideration of CSS selectors, properties, and browser behavior. In this article, we explored alternative approaches to solving the problem using opacity and visibility, as well as methods to overcome app-style overriding issues.
By understanding how these concepts work together and applying them effectively, you can create consistent design patterns across your website while respecting user expectations for a seamless experience.
Last modified on 2025-03-01