CSS Tutorial
Save a lot of work with CSS! In our CSS tutorial you will learn how to use CSS to control the style and layout of multiple Web pages all at once. Start learning CSS now!
CSS Examples
Learn by 150 examples! With our editor, you can edit CSS, and click on a test button to view the result. Try-It-Yourself!
CSS Reference
At W3Schools you will find a complete CSS2 reference with syntax, examples, browser support, and more. CSS2 Reference or CSS2 Reference - Alphabetically We also have a complete CSS2 aural reference and an overview of CSS units and colors. CSS2 Aural Reference CSS Units CSS Colors
The JavaScript Certificate documents your knowledge of JavaScript and HTML DOM. The XML Certificate documents your knowledge of XML, XML DOM and XSLT. The ASP Certificate documents your knowledge of ASP, SQL, and ADO. The PHP Certificate documents your knowledge of PHP and SQL (MySQL).
CSS Introduction
What you should already know
Before you continue you should have a basic understanding of the following:
HTML / XHTML
If you want to study these subjects first, find the tutorials on our Home page.
What is CSS?
CSS stands for Cascading Style Sheets Styles define how to display HTML elements Styles are normally stored in Style Sheets Styles were added to HTML 4.0 to solve a problem External Style Sheets can save a lot of work External Style Sheets are stored in CSS files Multiple style definitions will cascade into one
CSS demo
An HTML document can be displayed with different styles: See how it works
inside an HTML element inside the head section of an HTML page in an external CSS file
Tip: Even multiple external style sheets can be referenced inside a single HTML document.
Cascading order - What style will be used when there is more than one style specified for an HTML element?
Generally speaking we can say that all the styles will "cascade" into a new "virtual" style sheet by the following rules, where number four has the highest priority: 1. 2. 3. 4. Browser default External style sheet Internal style sheet (in the head section) Inline style (inside an HTML element)
So, an inline style (inside an HTML element) has the highest priority, which means that it will override a style defined inside the <head> tag, or in an external style sheet, or in a browser (a default value). If the link to the external style sheet is placed after the internal style sheet in HTML <head>, the external style sheet will override the internal style sheet!
CSS Syntax
Syntax
The CSS syntax is made up of three parts: a selector, a property and a value:
selector {property:value}
The selector is normally the HTML element/tag you wish to define, the property is the attribute you wish to change, and each property can take a value. The property and value are separated by a colon, and surrounded by curly braces:
body {color:black}
Note: If the value is multiple words, put quotes around the value:
p {font-family:"sans serif"}
Note: If you want to specify more than one property, you must separate each property with a semicolon. The example below shows how to define a center aligned paragraph, with a red text color:
p {text-align:center;color:red}
To make the style definitions more readable, you can describe one property on each line, like this:
Grouping
You can group selectors. Separate each selector with a comma. In the example below we have grouped all the header elements. All header elements will be displayed in green text color:
h1,h2,h3,h4,h5,h6 { color:green }
<p class="right">This paragraph will be right-aligned.</p> <p class="center">This paragraph will be center-aligned.</p>
Note: To apply more than one class per given element, the syntax is:
.center {text-align:center}
In the code below both the h1 element and the p element have class="center". This means that both elements will follow the rules in the ".center" selector:
<h1 class="center">This heading will be center-aligned</h1> <p class="center">This paragraph will also be center-aligned.</p>
Do NOT start a class name with a number! It will not work in Mozilla/Firefox.
input[type="text"] {background-color:blue}
The id Selector
You can also define styles for HTML elements with the id selector. The id selector is defined as a #. The style rule below will match the element that has an id attribute with a value of "green":
#green {color:green}
The style rule below will match the p element that has an id with a value of "para1":
CSS Comments
Comments are used to explain your code, and may help you when you edit the source code at a later date. A comment will be ignored by browsers. A CSS comment begins with "/*", and ends with "*/", like this:
on the page. It is possible to prevent an old browser from displaying the content by hiding it in the HTML comment element:
<head> <style type="text/css"> <!-hr {color:sienna} p {margin-left:20px} body {background-image:url("images/back40.gif")} --> </style> </head>
Inline Styles
An inline style loses many of the advantages of style sheets by mixing content with presentation. Use this method sparingly, such as when a style is to be applied to a single occurrence of an element. To use inline styles you use the style attribute in the relevant tag. The style attribute can contain any CSS property. The example shows how to change the color and the left margin of a paragraph:
h3 { text-align:right; font-size:20pt }
If the page with the internal style sheet also links to the external style sheet the properties for h3 will be:
CSS Background
The CSS background properties define the background effects of an element.
Examples
Set the background color This example demonstrates how to set the background color for an element. Set an image as the background This example demonstrates how to set an image as the background. How to repeat a background image This example demonstrates how to repeat a background image. How to repeat a background image only vertically This example demonstrates how to repeat a background image only vertically. How to repeat a background image only horizontally This example demonstrates how to repeat a background image only horizontally. How to display a background image only one time This example demonstrates how to display a background image only one time How to place the background image This example demonstrates how to place the image on the page. How to position a background image using % This example demonstrates how to position an image on the page using percent. How to position a background image using pixels This example demonstrates how to position an image on the page using pixels. How to set a fixed background image This example demonstrates how to set a fixed background image. All the background properties in one declaration This example demonstrates how to use the shorthand property for setting all of the background properties in one declaration.
background-attachment
Sets whether a background image scroll is fixed or scrolls with the rest of fixed the page
background-color
background-image background-position
Sets an image as the background url(URL) none Sets the starting position of a background image top left top center top right center left center center center right bottom left bottom center bottom right x% y% xpos ypos repeat repeat-x repeat-y no-repeat
1 1
background-repeat
CSS Text
The CSS text properties define the appearance of text:
text example
This example includes some text formatting properties. The heading uses the textalign, text-transform, and color properties. The paragraph is indented and aligned, and the underline is removed from the "Try it yourself" link.
Text Color
The color property is used to set the color of the text. The color can be set by:
name - specify a color name, like "red" RGB - specify an RGB value, like "rgb(255,0,0)" Hex - specify a hex value, like "#ff0000"
Example
body {color:blue} h1 {color:#00ff00} h2 {color:rgb(255,0,0)}
For W3C compliant CSS: If you define the color property, you must also define the background-color property.
Text Alignment
The text-align property is used to set the horizontal alignment of a text. Text can be centered, or aligned to the left or right, or justified. When text-align is set to "justify", each line is stretched so that every line has equal width, and the left and right margins are straight (like in magazines and newspapers).
Example
h1 {text-align:center} p.date {text-align:right} p.main {text-align:justify}
Text Decoration
The text-decoration property is used to set or remove decorations from text. The text-decoration property is mostly used to remove underlines from links for design purposes:
Example
a {text-decoration:none}
Example
h1 h2 h3 h4 {text-decoration:overline} {text-decoration:line-through} {text-decoration:underline} {text-decoration:blink}
It is not recommended to underline text that is not a link, as this often confuse users.
Text Transformation
The text-transform property is used to specify uppercase and lowercase letters in a text. It can be used to turn everything into uppercase or lowercase letters, or capitalize the first letter of each word.
Example
Text Indentation
The text-indentation property is used to specify the indentation of the first line of a text.
Example
p {text-indent:50px}
More Examples
Specify the space between characters This example demonstrates how to increase or decrease the space between characters. Specify the space between lines This example demonstrates how to specify the space between the lines in a paragraph. Set the text direction of an element This example demonstrates how to change the text direction of an element. Increase the white space between words This example demonstrates how to increase the white space between words in a paragraph. Disable text wrapping inside an element This example demonstrates how to disable text wrapping inside an element. Vertical alignment of an image This example demonstrates how to set the vertical align of an image in a text.
letter-spacing text-align
Increase or decrease the space between characters normal length Aligns the text in an element left right
1 1
center justify text-decoration Adds decoration to text none underline overline line-through blink length % none color length Controls the letters in an element none capitalize uppercase lowercase normal embed bidi-override Sets the vertical alignment of an element baseline sub super top text-top middle bottom text-bottom length % 1 1
text-indent text-shadow
text-transform
unicode-bidi
vertical-align
white-space
Sets how white space inside an element is handled normal pre nowrap Increase or decrease the space between words normal length
word-spacing
CSS Font
CSS font properties define the font family, boldness, size, and the style of a text.
On computer screens, sans-serif fonts are considered easier to read than serif fonts.
generic family - a group of font families with a similar look (like "Serif" or "Monospace") font family - a specific font family (like "Times New Roman" or "Arial") Font family Description Serif fonts have small lines at the ends on some characters "Sans" means without - these fonts do not have the lines at the ends of characters All monospace characters has the same width
Times New Roman Georgia Arial Verdana Courier New Luc ida Conso le
Sans-serif
Monospace
Font Family
The font family of a text is set with the font-family property. The font-family property can hold several font names as a "fallback" system. If the browser does not support the first font, it tries the next font. Start with the font you want, and end with a generic family, to let the browser pick a similar font in the generic family, if no other fonts are available. Note: If the name of a font family is more than one word, it must be in quotation marks, like font-family: "Times New Roman". More than one font family is specified in a comma-separated list:
Example
p{font-family:"Times New Roman",Georgia,Serif}
Font Style
The font-style property is mostly used to specify italic text. This property has three values:
normal - The text is shown normally italic - The text is shown in italics oblique - The text is "leaning" (oblique is very similar to italic, but less supported)
Example
Font Size
The font-size property sets the size of the text. Being able to manage the text size is important in web design. However, you should not use font size adjustments to make paragraphs look like headings, or headings look like paragraphs. Always use the proper HTML tags, like <h1> - <h6> for headings and <p> for paragraphs. The font-size value can be an absolute, or relative size. Absolute size:
Sets the text to a specified size Does not allow a user to change the text size in all browsers (bad for accessibility reasons) Absolute size is useful when the physical size of the output is known
Relative size:
Sets the size relative to surrounding elements Allows a user to change the text size in browsers
If you do not specify a font size, the default size for normal text, like paragraphs, is 16px (16px=1em).
Example
h1 {font-size:40px} h2 {font-size:30px} p {font-size:14px}
The example above allows Firefox, Chrome, and Safari to resize the text, but not Internet Explorer. The text can be resized in all browsers using the zoom tool (however, this resizes the entire page, not just the text).
The em size unit is recommended by the W3C. 1em is equal to the current font size. The default text size in browsers is 16px. So, the default size of 1em is 16px. The size can be calculated from pixels to em using this formula: pixels/16=em
Example
h1 {font-size:2.5em} /* 40px/16=2.5em */ h2 {font-size:1.875em} /* 30px/16=1.875em */ p {font-size:0.875em} /* 14px/16=0.875em */
In the example above, the text size in em is the same as the previous example in pixels. However, with the em size, it is possible to adjust the text size in all browsers. Unfortunately, there is still a problem with IE. When resizing the text, it becomes larger than it should when made larger, and smaller than it should when made smaller.
Example
body {font-size:100%} h1 {font-size:2.5em} h2 {font-size:1.875em} p {font-size:0.875em}
Our code now works great! It shows the same text size in all browsers, and allows all browsers to zoom or resize the text!
More Examples
Set the boldness of the font This example demonstrates how to set the boldness of a font. Set the variant of the font This example demonstrates how to set the variant of a font. All the font properties in one declaration This example demonstrates how to use the shorthand property for setting all of the font properties in one declaration.
Property font
Values font-style font-variant font-weight font-size/line-height font-family caption icon menu message-box small-caption status-bar inherit family-name generic-family inherit xx-small x-small small medium large x-large xx-large smaller larger length % inherit normal italic oblique inherit
CSS 1
font-family
font-size
font-style
font-variant
Specifies whether or not a text should be normal displayed in a small-caps font small-caps inherit Specifies the weight of a font normal bold bolder lighter 100 200 300 400 500 600 700 800 900 inherit
font-weight
The box model illustrates how the CSS properties: margin, border, and padding, affects the width and height of an element.
Margin - Clears an area around the border. The margin does not have a background color, and it is completely transparent Border - A border that lies around the padding and content. The border is affected by the background color of the box Padding - Clears an area around the content. The padding is affected by the background color of the box Content - The content of the box, where text and images appear
Imagine that you only had 250px of space. Let's make an element with a total width of 250px:
Example
width:220px; padding:10px; border:5px solid gray; margin:0px;
The total width of an element should always be calculated like this: Total element width = width + left padding + right padding + left border + right border + left margin + right margin The total height of an element should always be calculated like this: Total element height = height + top padding + bottom padding + top border + bottom border + top margin + bottom margin
Example
<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"> <html> <head> <style type="text/css"> div.ex { width:220px; padding:10px; border:5px solid gray; margin:0px; } </style> </head>
CSS Border
The CSS border properties define the borders around an element:
The CSS border properties allow you to specify the style and color of an element's border.
Border Style
The border-style property specifies what kind of border to display. None of the other border properties will have any effect unless border-style is set.
border-style Values
none: Defines no border dotted: Defines a dotted border dashed: Defines a dashed border solid: Defines a solid border double: Defines two borders. The width of the two borders are the same as the border-width value
groove: Defines a 3D grooved border. The effect depends on the border-color value ridge: Defines a 3D ridged border. The effect depends on the border-color value
inset: Defines a 3D inset border. The effect depends on the border-color value
outset: Defines a 3D outset border. The effect depends on the border-color value
Border Width
The border-width property is used to set the width of the border. The width is set in pixels, or by using one of the three pre-defined values: thin, medium, or thick. Note: The "border-width" property does not work if it is used alone. Use the "border-style" property to set the borders first.
Example
Border Color
The border-color property is used to set the color of the border. The color can be set by:
name - specify a color name, like "red" RGB - specify a RGB value, like "rgb(255,0,0)" Hex - specify a hex value, like "#ff0000"
You can also set the border color to "transparent". Note: The "border-color" property does not work if it is used alone. Use the "border-style" property to set the borders first.
Example
p.one { border-style:solid; border-color:red; } p.two { border-style:solid; border-color:#98bf21; }
Example
p { border-top-style:dotted; border-right-style:solid; border-bottom-style:dotted; border-left-style:solid; }
Example
border-style:dotted solid;
border-style:dotted solid double dashed; o top border is dotted o right border is solid o bottom border is double o left border is dashed
border-style:dotted solid double; o top border is dotted o right and left borders are solid o bottom border is double
border-style:dotted solid; o top and bottom borders are dotted o right and left borders are solid
The border-style property is used in the example above. However, it also works with borderwidth and border-color.
Example
border:5px solid red;
When using the border property, the order of the values are:
It does not matter if one of the values above are missing (although, border-style is required), as long as the rest are in the specified order.
More Examples
All the top border properties in one declaration This example demonstrates a shorthand property for setting all of the properties for the top border in one declaration. Set the style of the bottom border This example demonstrates how to set the style of the bottom border. Set the width of the left border This example demonstrates how to set the width of the left border. Set the color of the four borders This example demonstrates how to set the color of the four borders. It can have from one to four colors. Set the color of the right border This example demonstrates how to set the color of the right border.
border-bottom
Sets all the bottom border properties in one border-bottom-width 1 declaration border-bottom-style border-bottom-color Sets the color of the bottom border Sets the style of the bottom border Sets the width of the bottom border Sets the color of the four borders border-color border-style border-width color_name hex_number rgb_number transparent inherit border-left-width border-left-style border-left-color border-color border-style border-width border-right-width 2 2 1 1
border-left
Sets all the left border properties in one declaration Sets the color of the left border Sets the style of the left border Sets the width of the left border Sets all the right border properties in one
2 2 1 1
declaration border-right-color border-right-style border-right-width border-style Sets the color of the right border Sets the style of the right border Sets the width of the right border Sets the style of the four borders
border-right-style border-right-color border-color border-style border-width none hidden dotted dashed solid double groove ridge inset outset inherit border-top-width border-top-style border-top-color border-color border-style border-width thin medium thick length inherit 2 2 1 1
border-top
Sets all the top border properties in one declaration Sets the color of the top border Sets the style of the top border Sets the width of the top border Sets the width of the four borders
2 2 1
CSS Outlines
An outline is a line that is drawn around elements, outside the border edge, to make the element "stand out".
Examples
Draw a line around an element (outline) (does not work in IE) This example demonstrates how to draw a line around an element, outside the border edge. Set the style of an outline (does not work in IE) This example demonstrates how to set the style of an outline. Set the color of an outline (does not work in IE) This example demonstrates how to set the color of an outline. Set the width of an outline (does not work in IE) This example demonstrates how to set the width of an outline.
Property outline
Description A shorthand property for setting all the outline properties Sets the color of the outline around an element Sets the style of the outline around an element
Values outline-color outline-style outline-width color invert none dotted dashed solid double groove ridge inset outset thin medium thick length
CSS 2
outline-color outline-style
2 2
outline-width
CSS Margin
The CSS margin properties define the space around elements.
Margin
The margin clears an area around an element (outside the border). The margin does not have a background color, and is completely transparent. The top, right, bottom, and left margin can be changed independently using separate properties. A shorthand margin property can also be used, to change all margins at once.
Possible Values
Value auto length % Description The browser sets the margin. The result of this is dependant of the browser Defines a fixed margin (in pixels, pt, em, etc.) Defines a margin in % of the containing element It is possible to use negative values, to overlap content.
Example
Example
margin:100px 50px;
margin:25px 50px 75px 100px; o top margin is 25px o right margin is 50px o bottom margin is 75px o left margin is 100px
margin:25px 50px 75px; o top margin is 25px o right and left margins are 50px o bottom margin is 75px
margin:25px 50px; o top and bottom margins are 25px o right and left margins are 50px
More Examples
Set the top margin of a text using a cm value This example demonstrates how to set the top margin of a text using a cm value. Set the bottom margin of a text using a percent value This example demonstrates how to set the bottom margin of a text using a percent value.
margin-bottom
margin-left
margin-right
margin-top
CSS Padding
The CSS padding properties define the space between the element border and the element content.
Padding
The padding clears an area around the content (inside the border) of an element. The padding is affected by the background color of the element. The top, right, bottom, and left padding can be changed independently using separate properties. A shorthand padding property can also be used, to change all paddings at once.
Possible Values
Value length % Description Defines a fixed padding (in pixels, pt, em, etc.) Defines a padding in % of the containing element
Example
Example
padding:25px 50px;
padding:25px 50px 75px 100px; o top padding is 25px o right padding is 50px o bottom padding is 75px o left padding is 100px
padding:25px 50px 75px; o top padding is 25px o right and left paddings are 50px o bottom padding is 75px
padding:25px 50px; o top and bottom paddings are 25px o right and left paddings are 50px
More Examples
All the padding properties in one declaration This example demonstrates a shorthand property for setting all of the padding properties in one declaration, can have from one to four values. Set the top padding using a cm value This example demonstrates how to set the top padding of a table cell using a cm value.
Set the bottom padding using a percent value This example demonstrates how to set the bottom padding of a table cell using a percent value.
A shorthand property for setting all the padding padding-top properties in one declaration padding-right padding-bottom padding-left Sets the bottom padding of an element Sets the left padding of an element Sets the right padding of an element Sets the top padding of an element length % length % length % length %
1 1 1 1
CSS List
The CSS list properties allow you to place the list item marker, change between different list item markers, or set an image as the list item marker.
List
In HTML, there are two types of lists:
unordered list - the list items are marked with bullets (typically circles or squares) ordered list - the list items are marked with numbers or letters
With CSS, lists can be styled further, and images can be used as list item markers.
Example
ul.circle {list-style-type:circle} ul.square {list-style-type:square} ol.upper-roman {list-style-type:upper-roman} ol.lower-alpha {list-style-type:lower-alpha}
Some of the values are for unordered lists, and some for ordered lists.
Internet Explorer does not support all property values for ordered lists.
Example
ul.inside {list-style-position:inside} ul.outside {list-style-position:outside}
Example
ul { list-style-image:url('arrow.gif'); }
The example above will not show the exact same result in all browsers. IE and Opera will display the images slightly higher than in Firefox, Chrome, and Safari. The example above will be fine for most occasions. However, there is a way to position the image more precisely. For the same result in all browsers, you will have to use a background image on each list item, like this:
Example
ul { list-style-type:none; padding:0px; margin:0px; } li { background-image:url(arrow.gif); background-repeat:no-repeat; background-position:0px 5px; padding-left:14px; }
Example explained:
For ul:
o o
For li:
Set the list-style-type to none to remove the list item marker Both padding and margin must be set to 0px for cross-browser compatibility Set the URL of the image, and show it only once (no-repeat) Use the background-position property to place the image where you want it (left 0px and down 5px) Use the padding-left property to position the text in the list
o o o
Example
list-style:square inside;
When using the shorthand property, the order of the values are:
It does not matter if one of the values above are missing, as long as the rest are in the specified order.
More Examples
The different list-item markers in lists This example demonstrates the different list-item markers in CSS.
list-style-image
list-style-type
CSS Table
The CSS table properties allow you to set the layout of a table.
Examples
Set the layout of a table This example demonstrates how to set the layout of a table. Show empty cells in a table This example demonstrates whether or not to show empty cells in a table. Collapse a table border This example demonstrates whether the table borders are collapsed into a single border or detached as in standard HTML. Set the space between table borders This example demonstrates how to set the distance between cell borders. Set the position of the table caption This example demonstrates how to position the table caption.
Sets whether the table collapse borders are collapsed into a separate single border or detached as in standard HTML Sets the distance that length length separates cell borders (only for the "separated borders" model) Sets the position of the table top caption bottom left right Sets whether or not to show show empty cells in a table (only hide for the "separated borders" model) Sets the algorithm used to auto display the table cells, rows, fixed and columns
border-spacing
5M 1
caption-side
5M 1
empty-cells
5M 1
table-layout
CSS Dimension
The CSS dimension properties allow you to control the height and width of an element.
Examples
Set the height of elements This example demonstrates how to set the height of different elements. Set the height of an image using percent This example demonstrates how to set the height of an element using a percent value. Set the width of an element using a pixel value This example demonstrates how to set the width of an element using a pixel value. Set the maximum height of an element This example demonstrates how to set the maximum height of an element. Set the maximum width of an element using percent This example demonstrates how to set the maximum width of an element using a percent value. Set the minimum height of an element This example demonstrates how to set the minimum height of an element. Set the minimum width of an element using a pixel value This example demonstrates how to set the minimum width of an element using a pixel value.
max-height
max-width
min-height
min-width
width
CSS Classification
The CSS classification properties allow you to control how to display an element, set where an element will appear in another element, position an element absolutely or relative to its normal position, and how to control the visibility of an element.
Examples
How to display an element as an inline element. This example demonstrates how to display an element as an inline element. How to display an element as a block element This example demonstrates how to display an element as a block element. A simple use of the float property Let an image float to the right in a paragraph. An image with border and margins that floats to the right in a paragraph Let an image float to the right in a paragraph. Add border and margins to the image. An image with a caption that floats to the right Let an image with a caption float to the right. Let the first letter of a paragraph float to the left Let the first letter of a paragraph float to the left and style the letter. Creating a horizontal menu Use float with a list of hyperlinks to create a horizontal menu. Creating a homepage without tables Use float to create a homepage with a header, footer, left content and main content. Position:relative This example demonstrates how to position an element relative to its normal position. Position:absolute This example demonstrates how to position an element using an absolute value. How to make an element invisible This example demonstrates how to make an element invisible. Do you want the element to show or not? How to make a table element collapse This example demonstrates how to make a table element collapse. Change the cursor This example demonstrates how to change the cursor. Clear the sides of an element This example demonstrates how clear the sides of other floating elements.
cursor
crosshair default pointer move e-resize ne-resize nw-resize n-resize se-resize sw-resize s-resize w-resize text wait help display Sets how/if an element is displayed none inline block list-item run-in compact marker table inline-table table-row-group table-header-group table-footer-group table-row table-column-group table-column table-cell table-caption left right none static relative absolute fixed visible hidden collapse 1
float
Sets where an image or a text will appear in another element Places an element in a static, relative, absolute or fixed position
position
visibility
CSS Positioning
The CSS positioning properties allow you to specify the left, right, top, and bottom position of an element. It also allows you to set the shape of an element, place an element behind another, and to specify what should happen when an element's content is too big to fit in a specified area.
Examples
Position:relative This example demonstrates how to position an element relative to its normal position. Position:absolute This example demonstrates how to position an element using an absolute value.
Position:fixed This example demonstrates how to position an element with relative to the browser window. Set the shape of an element This example demonstrates how to set the shape of an element. The element is clipped into this shape, and displayed. How to handle overflow in an element This example demonstrates how to set the overflow property when an element's content is too big to fit in a specified area. Z-index Z-index can be used to place an element "behind" another element. Z-index The elements in the example above have now changed their Z-index. Set the top edge of an image using a pixel value This example demonstrates how to set the top edge of an element using a pixel value. Set the left edge of an image using a percent value This example demonstrates how to set the left edge of an element using a percent value.
clip
left
Sets the left margin edge for a positioned auto box length % inherit Specifies what happens if content overflows an element's box auto hidden scroll visible inherit absolute fixed relative static inherit auto length % inherit
overflow
position
right
top
Sets the top margin edge for a positioned auto box length % inherit
z-index
CSS Pseudo-classes
CSS pseudo-classes are used to add special effects to some selectors.
Examples
Hyperlink This example demonstrates how to add different colors to a hyperlink in a document. Hyperlink 2 This example demonstrates how to add other styles to hyperlinks. Hyperlink: use of :focus (does not work in IE) This example demonstrates how to use the :focus pseudo-class on a hyperlink. :first-child - change first child <p> This example sets any <p> element that is the first child of any element to blue. :first-child - change first child <i> in all <p> elements This example sets the first <i> element in all <p> elements to blue. :first-child - change all <i> elements in first child <p> This example sets any <i> elements in first child <p> elements to blue. :lang (does not work in IE) This example demonstrates the use of the :lang pseudo-class.
Syntax
The syntax of pseudo-classes:
selector:pseudo-class {property:value}
CSS classes can also be used with pseudo-classes:
selector.class:pseudo-class {property:value}
Anchor Pseudo-classes
Links can be displayed in different ways in a CSS-supporting browser:
a:link {color:#FF0000} /* unvisited link */ a:visited {color:#00FF00} /* visited link */ a:hover {color:#FF00FF} /* mouse over link */ a:active {color:#0000FF} /* selected link */
Note: a:hover MUST come after a:link and a:visited in the CSS definition in order to be effective!!
Note: a:active MUST come after a:hover in the CSS definition in order to be effective!! Note: Pseudo-class names are not case-sensitive.
Example
<html> <head> <style type="text/css"> p:first-child { color:blue } </style> </head> <body> <p>I am a strong man.</p> <p>I am a strong man.</p> </body> </html>
Example
<html> <head> <style type="text/css"> p > i:first-child { font-weight:bold } </style> </head> <body> <p>I am a <i>strong</i> man. I am a <i>strong</i> man.</p> <p>I am a <i>strong</i> man. I am a <i>strong</i> man.</p> </body> </html>
Example
<html> <head> <style type="text/css"> p:first-child i { color:blue } </style> </head> <body> <p>I am a <i>strong</i> man. I am a <i>strong</i> man.</p> <p>I am a <i>strong</i> man. I am a <i>strong</i> man.</p> </body> </html>
<html> <head> <style type="text/css"> q:lang(no) { quotes:"~" "~" } </style> </head> <body>
<p>Some text <q lang="no">A quote in a paragraph</q> Some text.</p> </body> </html>
Pseudo-classes
Browser support: IE: Internet Explorer, F: Firefox, N: Netscape. W3C: The number in the "W3C" column indicates in which CSS recommendation the property is defined (CSS1 or CSS2). Pseudo-class :active :focus :hover :link :visited :first-child :lang Purpose Adds special style to an activated element Adds special style to an element while the element has focus Adds special style to an element when you mouse over it Adds special style to an unvisited link Adds special style to a visited link IE 4 4 3 3 F 1 N 8 W3C 1 2 1 1 1 2 2
1.5 8 1 1 1 1 1 7 4 4 7 8
Adds special style to an element that is the first child 7 of some other element Allows the author to specify a language to use in a specified element -
CSS Pseudo-elements
CSS pseudo-elements are used to add special effects to some selectors.
Examples
Make the first letter special This example demonstrates how to add a special effect to the first letter of a text. Make the first line special This example demonstrates how to add a special effect to the first line of a text. Make the first letter and first line special This example demonstrates how to add a special effect to the first letter and the first line of a text. Use :before to insert some content before the content of an element (Does not work in IE) This example demonstrates how to use the :before pseudo-element to insert an image before an element. Use :after to insert some content after the content of an element (Does not work in IE) This example demonstrates how to use the :after pseudo-element to insert an image after an element.
Syntax
selector:pseudo-element {property:value}
CSS classes can also be used with pseudo-elements:
selector.class:pseudo-element {property:value}
font properties color properties background properties word-spacing letter-spacing text-decoration vertical-align text-transform line-height clear
Note: The "first-letter" pseudo-element can only be used with block-level elements. Note: The following properties apply to the "first-letter" pseudo- element:
font properties color properties background properties margin properties padding properties border properties text-decoration vertical-align (only if "float" is "none") text-transform line-height float clear
Multiple Pseudo-elements
Several pseudo-elements can be combined:
h1:before
{ content:url(beep.wav) }
h1:after { content:url(beep.wav) }
Pseudo-elements
Browser support: IE: Internet Explorer, F: Firefox, N: Netscape. W3C: The number in the "W3C" column indicates in which CSS recommendation the property is defined (CSS1 or CSS2). Pseudo-element :first-letter :first-line :before :after Purpose Adds special style to the first letter of a text Adds special style to the first line of a text Inserts some content before the content of an element Inserts some content after the content of an element IE 5 5 F 1 1 N 8 8 W3C 1 1 2 2
1.5 8 1.5 8
Image Gallery
The following image gallery is created with CSS: Image gallery The source code looks like this:
<html> <head> <style type="text/css"> div.img { margin:2px; border:1px solid #0000ff; height:auto; width:auto; float:left;
text-align:center; } div.img img { display:inline; margin:3px; border:1px solid #ffffff; } div.img a:hover img { border:1px solid #0000ff; } div.desc { text-align:center; font-weight:normal; width:120px; margin:2px; } </style> </head> <body> <div class="img"> <a target="_blank" href="klematis_big.htm"> <img src="klematis_small.jpg" alt="Klematis" width="110" height="90" /> </a> <div class="desc">Add a description of the image here</div> </div> <div class="img"> <a target="_blank" href="klematis2_big.htm"> <img src="klematis2_small.jpg" alt="Klematis" width="110" height="90" /> </a> <div class="desc">Add a description of the image here</div> </div> <div class="img"> <a target="_blank" href="klematis3_big.htm"> <img src="klematis3_small.jpg" alt="Klematis" width="110" height="90" /> </a> <div class="desc">Add a description of the image here</div> </div> <div class="img"> <a target="_blank" href="klematis4_big.htm"> <img src="klematis4_small.jpg" alt="Klematis" width="110" height="90" /> </a> <div class="desc">Add a description of the image here</div> </div> </body> </html>
Examples
Creating transparent images - mouseover effect Creating a transparent box with text on a background image
Note: This is not yet a CSS standard. However, it works in all modern browsers, and is a part of the W3C CSS 3 recommendation.
<img src="klematis.jpg" style="opacity:0.4;filter:alpha(opacity=40)" onmouseover="this.style.opacity=1;this.filters.alpha.opacity=100" onmouseout="this.style.opacity=0.4;this.filters.alpha.opacity=40" /> <img src="klematis2.jpg" style="opacity:0.4;filter:alpha(opacity=40)" onmouseover="this.style.opacity=1;this.filters.alpha.opacity=100" onmouseout="this.style.opacity=0.4;this.filters.alpha.opacity=40" />
We see that the first line of the source code is similar to the source code in Example 1. In addition, we have added an onmouseover attribute and an onmouseout attribute. The onmouseover attribute defines what will happen when the mouse pointer moves over the image. In this case we want the image to NOT be transparent when we move the mouse pointer over it. The syntax for this in Firefox is: this.style.opacity=1 and the syntax in IE is: this.filters.alpha.opacity=100. When the mouse pointer moves away from the image, we want the image to be transparent again. This is done in the onmouseout attribute.
<html> <head> <style type="text/css"> div.background { width:500px; height:250px; background:url(klematis.jpg) repeat; border:2px solid black; } div.transbox { width:400px; height:180px; margin:30px 50px; background-color:#ffffff; border:1px solid black; /* for IE */ filter:alpha(opacity=60); /* CSS3 standard */
opacity:0.6; } div.transbox p { margin:30px 40px; font-weight:bold; color:#000000; } </style> </head> <body> <div class="background"> <div class="transbox"> <p>This is some text that This is some text that is This is some text that is This is some text that is This is some text that is </p> </div> </div> </body> </html>
First, we create a div element (class="background") with a fixed height and width, a background image, and a border. Then we create a smaller div (class="transbox") inside the first div element. This div also have a fixed width, a background image, and a border. In addition we make this div transparent. Inside the transparent div, we add some text inside a p element.
in the transparent box. the transparent box. the transparent box. the transparent box. the transparent box.
Media Types
Some CSS properties are only designed for a certain media. For example the "voice-family" property is designed for aural user agents. Some other properties can be used for different media types. For example, the "font-size" property can be used for both screen and print media, but perhaps with different values. A document usually needs a larger font-size on a screen than on paper, and sans-serif fonts are easier to read on the screen, while serif fonts are easier to read on paper.
<html> <head> <style> @media screen { p.test {font-family:verdana,sans-serif;font-size:14px} } @media print { p.test {font-family:times,serif;font-size:10px} } @media screen,print { p.test {font-weight:bold} } </style> </head> <body> .... </body> </html>
See it yourself ! If you are using Mozilla/Firefox or IE 5+ and print this page, you will see that the paragraph under "Media Types" will be displayed in another font, and have a smaller font size than the rest of the text.
CSS Don't
Here are some technologies you should try to avoid when using CSS.
Why avoid it? The behavior attribute is only supported by Internet Explorer. What to use instead? Use JavaScript and the HTML DOM instead.
<html> <head> <style type="text/css"> h1 { behavior:url(behave.htc) } </style> </head> <body> <h1>Mouse over me!!!</h1> </body> </html>
The XML document "behave.htc" is shown below:
<attach for="element" event="onmouseover" handler="hig_lite" /> <attach for="element" event="onmouseout" handler="low_lite" /> <script type="text/javascript"> function hig_lite() { element.style.color='red'; } function low_lite() { element.style.color='blue'; } </script>
<html> <head> <style type="text/css"> #typing { behavior:url(behave_typing.htc); font-family:"courier new"; } </style> </head>
<body> <span id="typing" speed="100">IE5 introduced DHTML behaviors. Behaviors are a way to add DHTML functionality to HTML elements with the ease of CSS.<br /><br />How do behaviors work?<br /> By using XML we can link behaviors to any element in a web page and manipulate that element.</p> </span> </body> </html>
The XML document "typing.htc" is shown below:
For more information on CSS, please take a look at our CSS examples and our CSS reference.