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

Question

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;
}

Answer 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) .

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

DEMO

Answer 2

Give the button a positive z-index

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

Answer 3

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.

Answer 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
}