Trouble with styling HTML5 tags

[Genesis99]

I am trying to add the html5 elements(aside,article,section etc. in in my mark up but I really do not want to style the elements. SO I tried adding them above and below the div I use for styling but I am having trouble using the margin:0px css that would usually put the div to the very top of the body element but because the html5 tage are there it does not work(really should have saw that coming).

I wonder if there is another way to not style the tags but make it work. Liek perhaps nesting the element inside the div like :
<div id="content">
<article>

*content*

</article>
</div>

would that work semantic wise?

[lucy24]

Don't know about anyone else, but I'm having a hard time figuring out what you mean by "style":

I really do not want to style the elements

and

the div I use for styling

and

another way to not style the tags but make it work

"Style" is about how something looks (presentation). It shouldn't have anything to do with how-- or whether-- an element works (semantics). Unless you goof and let an invisible element cover another element, such as an anchor, so the user can't "reach" the second element.

What are you trying to do-- or not do?

[Genesis99]

By style I mean applying any sorta css to it.
I want to use the section , article etc tags but I do not want to touch them with css.

[lucy24]

OK, narrowing down: Do you mean that you don't want to assign classes or IDs, like
<article class = "blahblah">
... or do you mean that you don't want to mention these elements in your CSS at all? Not even an all-purpose

article {look like this}
aside {look like this}

and so on?

At this point I can't be the only person asking: Why?

Oh, and what do you mean by "the div I use for styling"? This is another of those things that is probably completely obvious to you, but isn't obvious to the passing reader. (Like "it doesn't work", which can mean an amazing lot of different things!)

Next door in Apache there's some generic advice that applies equally well here: First figure out what you want to do, and describe it in plain English. Then work on getting the code to achieve what you want. If you skip the first part and proceed directly to the code, you are likely to end up in a big mess.

[penders]

It sounds like you are wanting to simply inject these HTML 5 elements as an afterthought, in order to make your document more semantic and hope that all your current styles will continue to work as is? This might not be the case, especially if you are creating an additional level of nesting in your elements.

I think in some cases these HTML 5 elements should ideally replace your generic DIV containers, as otherwise it's just adding unnecessary bloat to your page. Particularly if you are simply wrapping an HTML 5 element around one of your DIV containers.

Whether you have the <article> inside or outside the <div> shouldn't matter semantically IMHO?

...having trouble using the margin:0px css that would usually put the div to the very top of the body element...

This sounds like it might be a collapsing margins issue? With an additional element between your DIV and the BODY, the margins on the body are no longer collapsing...? Do you clear the padding/margins on the BODY element?

[Genesis99]

It sounds like you are wanting to simply inject these HTML 5 elements as an afterthought, in order to make your document more semantic and hope that all your current styles will continue to work as is?

Thats exactly what I want to do. Is it impossible?

[penders]

Well, it depends entirely on your current CSS, the structure of your document and your intended style-goal. ...and see my post above.