CSS Tutorial: What You Should Already Know

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.
Introduction to CSS
What You Should Already Know
Before you continue you should have some basic understanding of the following:
• HTML / XHTML
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 you a lot of work
• External Style Sheets are stored in CSS files
• Multiple style definitions will cascade into one
CSS Demo
With CSS, your HTML documents can be displayed using different output styles:
Styles Solve a Common Problem

HTML tags were originally designed to define the content of a document. They were
supposed to say "This is a header", "This is a paragraph", "This is a table", by using
tags like <h1>, <p>, <table>, and so on. The layout of the document was supposed to
be taken care of by the browser, without using any formatting tags.
As the two major browsers - Netscape and Internet Explorer - continued to add new
HTML tags and attributes (like the <font> tag and the color attribute) to the original
HTML specification, it became more and more difficult to create Web sites where the
content of HTML documents was clearly separated from the document's presentation
layout.
To solve this problem, the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) - the non profit,
standard setting consortium, responsible for standardizing HTML - created STYLES
in addition to HTML 4.0. All major browsers support Cascading Style Sheets.
Style Sheets Can Save a Lot of Work
Styles sheets define HOW HTML elements are to be displayed, just like the font tag
and the color attribute in HTML 3.2. Styles are normally saved in external .css files.
External style sheets enable you to change the appearance and layout of all the pages
in your Web, just by editing one single CSS document!
CSS is a breakthrough in Web design because it allows developers to control the style
and layout of multiple Web pages all at once. As a Web developer you can define a
style for each HTML element and apply it to as many Web pages as you want. To
make a global change, simply change the style, and all elements in the Web are
updated automatically.
Multiple Styles Will Cascade Into One

Style sheets allow style information to be specified in many ways. Styles can be
specified inside a single HTML element, inside the <head> element of an HTML
page, or in an external CSS file. 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. Browser default
2. External style sheet
3. Internal style sheet (inside the <head> tag)
4. 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 declared inside the <head> tag, in an external style sheet,
or in a browser (a default value).
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 wish 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:
p
{
text-align: center;
color: black;
font-family: arial
}
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
}
The class Selector
With the class selector you can define different styles for the same type of HTML
element.
Say that you would like to have two types of paragraphs in your document: one right-
aligned paragraph, and one center-aligned paragraph. Here is how you can do it with
styles:
p.right {text-align: right}

p.center {text-align: center}
You have to use the class attribute in your HTML document:
<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:
<p class="center bold">

This is a paragraph.
</p>
The paragraph above will be styled by the class "center" AND the class "bold".
You can also omit the tag name in the selector to define a style that will be used by all
HTML elements that have a certain class. In the example below, all HTML elements
with class="center" will be center-aligned:
.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.
Add Styles to Elements with Particular Attributes
You can also apply styles to HTML elements with particular attributes.
The style rule below will match all input elements that have a type attribute with a
value of "text":
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":
p#para1
{
text-align: center;
color: red
}
Do NOT start an ID name with a number! It will not work in Mozilla/Firefox.
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:
/* This is a comment */
p
{
text-align: center;
/* This is another comment */
color: black;
font-family: arial
}
CSS How To...
How to Insert a Style Sheet
When a browser reads a style sheet, it will format the document according to it. There
are three ways of inserting a style sheet:
External Style Sheet
An external style sheet is ideal when the style is applied to many pages. With an
external style sheet, you can change the look of an entire Web site by changing one
file. Each page must link to the style sheet using the <link> tag. The <link> tag goes
inside the head section:
<head>
<link rel="stylesheet" type="text/css"
href="mystyle.css" />
</head>
The browser will read the style definitions from the file mystyle.css, and format the
document according to it.
An external style sheet can be written in any text editor. The file should not contain
any html tags. Your style sheet should be saved with a .css extension. An example of a
style sheet file is shown below:
hr {color: sienna}
p {margin-left: 20px}
body {background-image: url("images/back40.gif")}
Do NOT leave spaces between the property value and the units! If you use "margin-
left: 20 px" instead of "margin-left: 20px" it will only work properly in IE6 but it will
not work in Mozilla/Firefox or Netscape.
Internal Style Sheet
An internal style sheet should be used when a single document has a unique style. You
define internal styles in the head section by using the <style> tag, like this:
<head>
<style type="text/css">
hr {color: sienna}
</style>
</head>
The browser will now read the style definitions, and format the document according
to it.
Note: A browser normally ignores unknown tags. This means that an old browser that
does not support styles, will ignore the <style> tag, but the content of the <style> tag
will be displayed 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>
</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:
<p style="color: sienna; margin-left: 20px">

This is a paragraph
</p>
Multiple Style Sheets

If some properties have been set for the same selector in different style sheets, the
values will be inherited from the more specific style sheet.
For example, an external style sheet has these properties for the h3 selector:
h3
{
color: red;
text-align: left;
font-size: 8pt
}
And an internal style sheet has these properties for the h3 selector:
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:
color: red;
text-align: right;
font-size: 20pt
The color is inherited from the external style sheet and the text-alignment and the
font-size is replaced by the internal style sheet.
CSS Background
The CSS background properties define the background effects of an element.
CSS Background Properties

The CSS background properties allow you to control the background color of an
element, set an image as the background, repeat a background image vertically or
horizontally, and position an image on a page.
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).
Property Description Values IE F N W3C

background A shorthand property for background-color 4 1 6 1
setting all background background-image
properties in one background-repeat
declaration background-
attachment
background-
position
background- Sets whether a scroll 4 1 6 1
attachment background image is fixed
fixed or scrolls with the
rest of the page
background-color Sets the background color-rgb 4 1 4 1
color of an element color-hex
color-name
transparent
background-image Sets an image as the url(URL) 4 1 4 1
background none
background-position Sets the starting position top left 4 1 6 1
of a background image top center
top right
center left
center center
center right
bottom left
bottom center
bottom right
x% y%
xpos ypos
background-repeat Sets if/how a repeat
background image will repeat-x
be repeated repeat-y
no-repeat
CSS Text
The CSS text properties define the appearance of text.
CSS Text Properties

The CSS text properties allow you to control the appearance of text. It is possible to
change the color of a text, increase or decrease the space between characters in a text,
align a text, decorate a text, indent the first line in a text, and more.

color Sets the color of a text color 3 1 4 1
direction Sets the text direction ltr 6 1 6 2
rtl
line-height Sets the distance normal 4 1 4 1
between lines number
length
%
letter-spacing Increase or decrease the normal 4 1 6 1
space between characters length
text-align Aligns the text in an left 4 1 4 1
element right
center
justify
text-decoration Adds decoration to text none 4 1 4 1
underline
overline
line-through
blink
text-indent Indents the first line of length 4 1 4 1
text in an element %
text-shadow none
color
length
text-transform Controls the letters in an none 4 1 4 1
element capitalize
uppercase
lowercase
unicode-bidi normal 5 2
embed
bidi-override
white-space Sets how white space normal 5 1 4 1
inside an element is pre
handled nowrap
word-spacing Increase or decrease the normal 6 1 6 1
space between words length
CSS Font
The CSS font properties define the font in text.
CSS Font Properties

The CSS font properties allow you to change the font family, boldness, size, and the
style of a text.
Note: In CSS1 fonts are identified by a font name. If a browser does not support the
specified font, it will use a default font.

font A shorthand property for font-style 4 1 4 1
setting all of the font-variant
properties for a font in font-weight
one declaration font-size/line-height
font-family
caption
icon
menu
message-box
small-caption
status-bar
font-family A prioritized list of font family-name 3 1 4 1
family names and/or generic-family
generic family names for
an element
font-size Sets the size of a font xx-small 3 1 4 1
x-small
small
medium
large
x-large
xx-large
smaller
larger
length
%
font-size-adjust Specifies an aspect value none - - - 2
for an element that will number
preserve the x-height of
the first-choice font
font-stretch Condenses or expands normal - - - 2
the current font-family wider
narrower
ultra-condensed
extra-condensed
condensed
semi-condensed
semi-expanded
expanded
extra-expanded
ultra-expanded
font-style Sets the style of the font normal 4 1 4 1
italic
oblique
font-variant Displays text in a small- normal 4 1 6 1
caps font or a normal small-caps
font
font-weight Sets the weight of a font normal 4 1 4 1
bold
bolder
lighter
100
200
300
400
500
600
700
800
900
CSS Border
The CSS border properties define the borders around an element.
CSS Border Properties

The CSS border properties allow you to specify the style and color of an element's
border. In HTML we use tables to create borders around a text, but with the CSS
border properties we can create borders with nice effects, and it can be applied to any
element.

border A shorthand property for border-width 4 1 4 1
setting all of the border-style
properties for the four border-color
borders in one
declaration
border-bottom A shorthand property for border-bottom- 4 1 6 1
setting all of the width
properties for the bottom border-style
border in one declaration border-color
border-bottom-color Sets the color of the border-color 4 1 6 2
bottom border
border-bottom-style Sets the style of the border-style 4 1 6 2
bottom border
border-bottom- Sets the width of the thin 4 1 4 1
width bottom border medium
thick
length
border-color Sets the color of the four color 4 1 6 1
borders, can have from
one to four colors
border-left A shorthand property for border-left-width 4 1 6 1
properties for the left border-color
border in one declaration
border-left-color Sets the color of the left border-color 4 1 6 2
border
border-left-style Sets the style of the left border-style 4 1 6 2
border
border-left-width Sets the width of the left thin 4 1 4 1
border medium
thick
length
border-right A shorthand property for border-right-width 4 1 6 1
properties for the right border-color
border-right-color Sets the color of the border-color 4 1 6 2
right border
border-right-style Sets the style of the right border-style 4 1 6 2
border
border-right-width Sets the width of the thin 4 1 4 1
right border medium
thick
length
border-style Sets the style of the four none 4 1 6 1
borders, can have from hidden
one to four styles dotted
dashed
solid
double
groove
ridge
inset
outset
border-top A shorthand property for border-top-width 4 1 6 1
properties for the top border-color
border-top-color Sets the color of the top border-color 4 1 6 2
border
border-top-style Sets the style of the top border-style 4 1 6 2
border
border-top-width Sets the width of the top thin 4 1 4 1
border medium
thick
length
border-width A shorthand property for thin 4 1 4 1
setting the width of the medium
four borders in one thick
declaration, can have length
from one to four values
CSS Outlines
The CSS outline properties is used to draw a line around an element, outside the
border edge.
CSS Outline Properties

An outline is a line that is drawn around elements, outside the border edge, to make
the element "stand out".
The CSS outline properties sets the outlines around elements. You can specify the
style, color, and width of the outline.
Note: Outlines do not take up space, and they do not have to be rectangular.

outline A shorthand property for outline-color - 1.5 - 2
setting all the outline outline-style
properties in one outline-width
declaration
outline-color Sets the color of the color - 1.5 - 2
outline around an invert
element
outline-style Sets the style of the none - 1.5 - 2
outline around an dotted
element dashed
solid
double
groove
ridge
inset
outset
outline-width Sets the width of the thin - 1.5 - 2
outline around an medium
element thick
length
CSS Margin
The CSS margin properties define the space around elements.
CSS Margin Properties

The CSS margin properties define the space around elements. It is possible to use
negative values to overlap content. 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 of the margins at once.
Note: Netscape and IE give the body tag a default margin of 8px. Opera does not!
Instead, Opera applies a default padding of 8px, so if one wants to adjust the margin
for an entire page and have it display correctly in Opera, the body padding must be set
as well!

margin A shorthand property for margin-top 4 1 4 1
setting the margin margin-right
properties in one margin-bottom
declaration margin-left
margin-bottom Sets the bottom margin auto 4 1 4 1
of an element length
%
margin-left Sets the left margin of an auto 3 1 4 1
element length
%
margin-right Sets the right margin of auto 3 1 4 1
an element length
%
margin-top Sets the top margin of an auto 3 1 4 1
element length
%
CSS Padding
The CSS padding properties define the space between the element border and the
element content.
CSS Padding Properties

The CSS padding properties define the space between the element border and the
element content. Negative values are not allowed. The top, right, bottom, and left
padding can be changed independently using separate properties. A shorthand padding
property is also created to control multiple sides at once.

padding A shorthand property for padding-top 4 1 4 1
setting all of the padding-right
padding properties in padding-bottom
one declaration padding-left
padding-bottom Sets the bottom padding length 4 1 4 1
of an element %
padding-left Sets the left padding of length 4 1 4 1
an element %
padding-right Sets the right padding of length 4 1 4 1
an element %
padding-top Sets the top padding of length 4 1 4 1
an element %
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.
CSS List Properties

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-style A shorthand property for list-style-type 4 1 6 1
setting all of the list-style-position
properties for a list in list-style-image
one declaration
list-style-image Sets an image as the list- none 4 1 6 1
item marker url
list-style-position Sets where the list-item inside 4 1 6 1
marker is placed in the outside
list
list-style-type Sets the type of the list- none 4 1 4 1
item marker disc
circle
square
decimal
decimal-leading-
zero
lower-roman
upper-roman
lower-alpha
upper-alpha
lower-greek
lower-latin
upper-latin
hebrew
armenian
georgian
cjk-ideographic
hiragana
katakana
hiragana-iroha
katakana-iroha
marker-offset auto 1 7 2
length
CSS Table
The CSS table properties allow you to set the layout of a table.
CSS Table Properties

The CSS table properties allow you to set the layout of a table.
Browser support: IE: Internet Explorer, M: Mac IE only, F: Firefox, N: Netscape.

border-collapse Sets whether the table collapse 5 1 7 2
borders are collapsed separate
into a single border or
detached as in standard
HTML
border-spacing Sets the distance that length length 5M 1 6 2
separates cell borders
(only for the "separated
borders" model)
caption-side Sets the position of the top 5M 1 6 2
table caption bottom
left
right
empty-cells Sets whether or not to show 5M 1 6 2
show empty cells in a hide
table (only for the
"separated borders"
model)
table-layout Sets the algorithm used auto 5 1 6 2
to display the table cells, fixed
rows, and columns
CSS Dimension
The CSS dimension properties allow you to control the height and width of an
element. It also allows you to increase the space between two lines.
CSS Dimension Properties

The CSS dimension properties allow you to control the height and width of an
element. It also allows you to increase the space between two lines.

height Sets the height of an auto 4 1 6 1
element length
%
line-height Sets the distance normal 4 1 4 1
between lines number
length
%
max-height Sets the maximum none - 1 6 2
height of an element length
%
max-width Sets the maximum width none - 1 6 2
of an element length
%
min-height Sets the minimum height length - 1 6 2
of an element %
min-width Sets the minimum width length - 1 6 2
of an element %
width Sets the width of an auto 4 1 4 1
element %
length
CSS Classification
The CSS classification properties allow you to specify how and where to display an
element.
CSS Classification Properties

The CSS classification properties allow you to control how to display an element, set
where an image will appear in another element, position an element relative to its
normal position, position an element using an absolute value, and how to control the
visibility of an element.

clear Sets the sides of an left 4 1 4 1
element where other right
floating elements are not both
allowed none
cursor Specifies the type of url 4 1 6 2
cursor to be displayed auto
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 none 4 1 4 1
displayed 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
float Sets where an image or a left 4 1 4 1
text will appear in right
another element none
position Places an element in a static 4 1 4 2
static, relative, absolute relative
or fixed position absolute
fixed
visibility Sets if an element should visible 4 1 6 2
be visible or invisible hidden
collapse
CSS Positioning
The CSS positioning properties allows you to position an element.
CSS Positioning Properties

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.
bottom Sets how far the bottom auto 5 1 6 2
edge of an element is %
above/below the bottom length
edge of the parent
element
clip Sets the shape of an shape 4 1 6 2
element. The element is auto
clipped into this shape,
and displayed
left Sets how far the left auto 4 1 4 2
edge of an element is to %
the right/left of the left length
edge of the parent
element
overflow Sets what happens if the visible 4 1 6 2
content of an element hidden
overflow its area scroll
auto
position Places an element in a static 4 1 4 2
static, relative, absolute relative
or fixed position absolute
fixed
right Sets how far the right auto 5 1 6 2
edge of an element is to %
the left/right of the right length
edge of the parent
element
top Sets how far the top auto 4 1 4 2
edge of an element is %
above/below the top length
edge of the parent
element
vertical-align Sets the vertical baseline 4 1 4 1
alignment of an element sub
super
top
text-top
middle
bottom
text-bottom
length
%
z-index Sets the stack order of an auto 4 1 6 2
element number
CSS Pseudo-classes
CSS pseudo-classes are used to add special effects to some selectors.
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
A link that is active, visited, unvisited, or when you mouse over a link can all 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.
Pseudo-classes and CSS Classes

Pseudo-classes can be combined with CSS classes:
a.red:visited {color: #FF0000}

<a class="red" href="css_syntax.asp">CSS Syntax</a>
If the link in the example above has been visited, it will be displayed in red.
CSS2 - The :first-child Pseudo-class
The :first-child pseudo-class matches a specified element that is the first child of
another element.
Note: For :first-child to work in IE. A <!DOCTYPE> must be declared.
Match the first <p> element

In the following example, the selector matches any <p> element that is the first child
of any element:
<html>
<head>
p:first-child
{
font-weight:bold
}
</style>
</head>
<body>
<p>I am a <em>strong</em> man. I am a <em>strong</em> man.</p>
</body>
</html>
Match the first <em> element in all <p> elements

In the following example, the selector matches any <em> element that is the first
child of a <p> element:
<html>
<head>
p > em:first-child
{
font-weight:bold
}
</style>
</head>
<body>
</body>
</html>
Match all <em> elements in all first child <p>

elements
In the following example, the selector matches any <em> elements in <p> elements
that are the first child of another element:
<html>
<head>
p:first-child em
{
font-weight:bold
}
</style>
</head>
<body>
</body>
</html>
CSS2 - The :lang Pseudo-class

The :lang pseudo-class allows you to define special rules for different languages. In
the example below, the :lang class defines the type of quotation marks for q elements
with a lang attribute with a value of "no":
<html>
<head>
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
Pseudo-class Purpose IE F N W3C

:active Adds special style to an activated element 4 1 8 1
:focus Adds special style to an element while the - 1.5 8 2
element has focus
:hover Adds special style to an element when you 4 1 7 1
mouse over it
:link Adds special style to an unvisited link 3 1 4 1
:visited Adds special style to a visited link 3 1 4 1
:first-child Adds special style to an element that is the 7 1 7 2
first child of some other element
:lang Allows the author to specify a language to use - 1 8 2
in a specified element
CSS Pseudo-elements
CSS pseudo-elements are used to add special effects to some selectors.
Syntax
The syntax of pseudo-elements:
selector:pseudo-element {property: value}
CSS classes can also be used with pseudo-elements:
selector.class:pseudo-element {property: value}
The :first-line Pseudo-element

The "first-line" pseudo-element is used to add special styles to the first line of the text
in a selector:
p:first-line {color:#0000ff;font-variant:small-caps}
<p>Some text that ends up on two or more lines</p>
The output could be something like this:
Some text that ends

up on two or more lines
In the example above the browser displays the first line formatted according to the
"first-line" pseudo element. Where the browser breaks the line depends on the size of
the browser window.
Note: The "first-line" pseudo-element can only be used with block-level elements.
Note: The following properties apply to the "first-line" pseudo-element:

• font properties
• color properties
• background properties
• word-spacing
• letter-spacing
• text-decoration
• vertical-align
• text-transform
• line-height
• clear
The :first-letter Pseudo-element

The "first-letter" pseudo-element is used to add special style to the first letter of the
text in a selector:
p:first-letter {color:#ff0000;font-size:xx-large}
<p>The first words of an article...</p>
The first words of an article...
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
Pseudo-elements and CSS Classes

Pseudo-elements can be combined with CSS classes:
p.article:first-letter {color:#ff0000}
<p class="article">A paragraph in an article</p>
The example above will make the first letter of all paragraphs with class="article" red.
Multiple Pseudo-elements
Several pseudo-elements can be combined:
p:first-letter {color:#ff0000;font-size:xx-large}
p:first-line {color:#0000ff}
<p>The first words of an article...</p>
The first
words of an
article...
In the example above the first letter of the paragraph will be red with a font size of
24pt. The rest of the first line would be blue while the rest of the paragraph would be
the default color.
CSS2 - The :before Pseudo-element

The ":before" pseudo-element can be used to insert some content before the content of
an element.
The style below will play a sound before each occurrence of an <h1> element:
h1:before
{
content: url(beep.wav)
}
CSS2 - The :after Pseudo-element

The ":after" pseudo-element can be used to insert some content after the content of an
element.
The style below will play a sound after each occurrence of an <h1> element:
h1:after
{
content: url(beep.wav)
}
Pseudo-elements
Pseudo-element Purpose IE F N W3C

:first-letter Adds special style to the first letter of a text 5 1 8 1
:first-line Adds special style to the first line of a text 5 1 8 1
:before Inserts some content before the content of an 1.5 8 2
element
:after Inserts some content after the content of an 1.5 8 2
element
CSS Image Gallery

CSS can be used to create an image gallery.
Image Gallery
The following image gallery is created with CSS:
The source code looks like this:
<html>
<head>
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>
<div class="img">
height="90" />
</a>
</div>
<div class="img">
height="90" />
</a>
</div>
</body>
</html>
CSS Image Opacity / Transparency

Creating transparent images with CSS is easy.
Example 1 - Creating a Transparent Image

First we will show you how to create a transparent image with CSS.
Regular image:
The same image with transparency:
Look at the following source code:
<img src="klematis.jpg" width="150" height="113" alt="klematis"

style="opacity:0.4;filter:alpha(opacity=40)" />
Firefox uses the property opacity:x for transparency, while IE uses

filter:alpha(opacity=x).
Tip: The CSS3 syntax for transparency is opacity:x.
In Firefox (opacity:x) x can be a value from 0.0 - 1.0. A lower value makes the
element more transparent.
In IE (filter:alpha(opacity=x)) x can be a value from 0 - 100. A lower value makes the

element more transparent.
Example 2 - Image Transparency - Mouseover Effect

Mouse over the images:
<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.
Example 3 - Text in Transparent Box

This is some text that is placed in the transparent box. This is some text that is placed
in the transparent box. This is some text that is placed in the transparent box. This is
some text that is placed in the transparent box. This is some text that is placed in the
transparent box.

<html>
<head>
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 is placed in the transparent box.
This is some text that is placed in the transparent box.
</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.
CSS2 Media Types

Media Types allow you to specify how documents will be presented in different
media. The document can be displayed differently on the screen, on the paper, with an
aural browser, etc.
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.
The @media Rule

The @media rule allows different style rules for different media in the same style
sheet.
The style in the example below tells the browser to display a 14 pixels Verdana font
on the screen. But if the page is printed, it will be in a 10 pixels Times font. Notice
that the font-weight is set to bold, both on screen and 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.
Different Media Types

Note: The media type names are not case-sensitive.
Media Type Description

all Used for all media type devices
aural Used for speech and sound synthesizers
braille Used for braille tactile feedback devices
embossed Used for paged braille printers
handheld Used for small or handheld devices
print Used for printers
projection Used for projected presentations, like slides
screen Used for computer screens
tty Used for media using a fixed-pitch character grid, like teletypes and
terminals
tv Used for television-type devices
CSS Don't
Here are some technologies you should try to avoid when using CSS.
Internet Explorer Behaviors

What is it? Internet Explorer 5 introduced behaviors. Behaviors are a way to add
behaviors to HTML elements with the use of CSS styles.
Why avoid it? The behavior attribute is only supported by Internet Explorer.
What to use instead? Use JavaScript and HTML DOM instead.
Example 1 - Mouseover Highlight

The following HTML file has a <style> element that defines a behavior for the <h1>
element:
<html>
<head>
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>
The behavior file contains a JavaScript and event handlers for the elements.
If you use Internet Explorer, try it yourself (mouse over the text in the example).
Example 2 - Typewriter Simulation

The following HTML file has a <style> element that defines a behavior for elements
with an id of "typing":
<html>
<head>
#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:
<attach for="window" event="onload" handler="beginTyping" />

<method name="type" />
<script type="text/javascript">
var i,text1,text2,textLength,t;
function beginTyping()
{
i=0;
text1=element.innerText;
textLength=text1.length;
element.innerText="";
text2="";
t=window.setInterval(element.id+".type()",speed);
}
function type()
{
text2=text2+text1.substring(i,i+1);
element.innerText=text2;
i=i+1;
if (i==textLength)
{
clearInterval(t);
}
}
</script>
You Have Learned CSS, Now What?

CSS Summary
This tutorial has taught you how to create style sheets to control the style and layout
of multiple web sites at once.
You have learned how to use CSS to add backgrounds, format text, add and format
borders, and specify padding and margins of elements.
You have also learned how to position an element, control the visibility and size of an
element, set the shape of an element, place an element behind another, and to add
special effects to some selectors, like links.
Now You Know CSS, What's Next?

The next step is to learn XHTML and JavaScript.
XHTML
XHTML is the "new" HTML. The latest HTML recommendation is HTML 4.01. This
is the last and final HTML version.
HTML will be replaced by XHTML, which is a stricter and cleaner version of HTML.
JavaScript
JavaScript can make your web site more dynamic.
A static web site is nice when you just want to show flat content, but a dynamic web
site can react to events and allow user interaction.
JavaScript is the most popular scripting language on the internet and it works with all
major browsers.

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Save a lot of work with CSS!

Styles Solve a Common Problem

Multiple Styles Will Cascade Into One

selector {property: value}

body {color: black}

p {font-family: "sans serif"}

p.right {text-align: right}

You have to use the class attribute in your HTML document:

<p class="center bold">

.center {text-align: center}

input[type="text"] {background-color: blue}

#green {color: green}

Do NOT start an ID name with a number! It will not work in Mozilla/Firefox.

External Style Sheet

Internal Style Sheet

<p style="color: sienna; margin-left: 20px">

Multiple Style Sheets

CSS Background Properties

Browser support: IE: Internet Explorer, F: Firefox, N: Netscape.

Property Description Values IE F N W3C

CSS Text Properties

Browser support: IE: Internet Explorer, F: Firefox, N: Netscape.

Property Description Values IE F N W3C

CSS Font Properties

Browser support: IE: Internet Explorer, F: Firefox, N: Netscape.

Property Description Values IE F N W3C

CSS Border Properties

Browser support: IE: Internet Explorer, F: Firefox, N: Netscape.

Property Description Values IE F N W3C

CSS Outline Properties

Browser support: IE: Internet Explorer, F: Firefox, N: Netscape.

Property Description Values IE F N W3C

CSS Margin Properties

Browser support: IE: Internet Explorer, F: Firefox, N: Netscape.

Property Description Values IE F N W3C

CSS Padding Properties

Browser support: IE: Internet Explorer, F: Firefox, N: Netscape.

Property Description Values IE F N W3C

CSS List Properties

Browser support: IE: Internet Explorer, F: Firefox, N: Netscape.

Property Description Values IE F N W3C

CSS Table Properties

Browser support: IE: Internet Explorer, M: Mac IE only, F: Firefox, N: Netscape.

Property Description Values IE F N W3C

CSS Dimension Properties

Browser support: IE: Internet Explorer, F: Firefox, N: Netscape.

Property Description Values IE F N W3C

CSS Classification Properties

Browser support: IE: Internet Explorer, F: Firefox, N: Netscape.

Property Description Values IE F N W3C

CSS Positioning Properties

Browser support: IE: Internet Explorer, F: Firefox, N: Netscape.

selector:pseudo-class {property: value}

CSS classes can also be used with pseudo-classes:

selector.class:pseudo-class {property: value}

a:link {color: #FF0000} /* unvisited link */

Note: Pseudo-class names are not case-sensitive.