'Add the Ability to click on buttons in DIV that is behind other DIV

I have a button that is on a div, that is behind another div. The second div overlaps the first by using the css:

position: absolute;

Therefore the button is not clickable. Is there any way I can make it clickable like a normal button?

Example: jsfiddle

HTML :

<div class="stack">
    <div class="background" onclick="alert('background clicked');">
        <button onclick="alert('bg-button clicked');" style="left:65px; top:65px; position: absolute;">This is a background button</button>
        <div class="card">
            <button onclick="alert('card-button clicked');">This is a card button</button>
            <textarea style="left:100px; top:100px; position: absolute;">This is a card textarea</textarea>
        </div>
    </div>
</div>

CSS :

body {
    background-color: blue;
}
.stack {
    width: 320px;
    height: 240px;
    position: absolute;
    top: 50%;
    left: 50%;
    background-color: white;
    margin-top:-120px;
    margin-left:-160px;
}
.background {
    width: 320px;
    height: 240px;
    background-image:url('http://www.userlogos.org/files/logos/ps1d3r/apple-black-i.png');
    top:0px;
    left:0px;
    position: absolute;
}
.card {
    pointer-events:none;
    width: 320px;
    height: 240px;
    background-image:url('http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-OIHQM4x8l0U/UEiDLQyiTRI/AAAAAAAAHFs/i1a6rkqQ8tQ/s320/floral+swirl.png');
    top:0px;
    left:0px;
    position: absolute;
}
htmlcssbuttonclick


Solution 1:[1]

You can use pointer-events:none; on .card. This will disable the click event on the .card div and user can click on the button behind it. More info here (MDN).

Here is an example showing how you can enable the click envent on an element hidden behind another one :

button {
  margin: 50px;
}

button:focus {
  background: red;
}
button:hover {
  background: teal;
}

.inFront {
  pointer-events: none;
  position: absolute;
  top: 25px; left: 25px;
  right: 25px; height: 150px;
  border: 3px solid red;
  background: rgba(0, 0, 0, .5);
}
<button onclick="alert('button clicked');">I am a button behind the .inFront div</button>
<div class="inFront"></div>

In this example, the .inFront div is over the button but the pointer-events: none; property on the div allows the button to be clicked, focused and hovered.

Regarding your example, the drawback is that it will also disable the textarea and the "card button" so you will have to change your HTML and move both textarea and card button out of the .card div so they are still clickable. Here is a demo :

DEMO

Solution 2:[2]

Use z-index in this case.

<button onclick="alert('bg-button clicked');" style="left:65px; top:65px; position: absolute; z-index:1;">This is a background button</button>

DEMO

This positions the element in the depth field higher than everything else. The higher the number, the higher the stack order.

z-index: 1;

Though, z-index requires positioning such as position: absolute; or position: relative;.

Read a great article about Z-Index here.

Solution 3:[3]

Give the button a positive z-index

button {
    position: absolute;
    z-index: 1;
}

Solution 4:[4]

For those who have the same issue as I do where(not restructuring your HTML):

  1. div 1 is on top of div 2
  2. Both div 1 and 2 needs to be clickable/interactive
  3. However div 2 should be infront of div 1

Apply the following codes to div 2:

div2 {
  position: absolute; // to manipulate position
  z-index: 999; // manipulating the position, putting it in front of div1
  pointer-events: visible; // making it interactive, clickable
}

Sources

This article follows the attribution requirements of Stack Overflow and is licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0.

Source: Stack Overflow

Solution Source
Solution 1
Solution 2 James Martin-Davies
Solution 3 shadyyx
Solution 4 KvnG.

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