Introduction to CSS and how it works with HTML
CSS (Cascading Style Sheets), is a stylesheet language used to describe the presentation of a document written in a markup language such as HTML. CSS is used to provide a visual layout for web pages and user interfaces, and it can be used to control the layout and appearance of multiple web pages at once. In this article we are going to introduce you to CSS and how it works with HTML.
CSS AND HTML
CSS works with HTML by providing a set of rules that determine how the elements on a web page should be styled and laid out. These rules are specified using CSS selectors, which match the HTML elements on the page, and then apply the specified styles to those elements.
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For example, a CSS rule might look like this:
p {
font-size: 16px;
color: green;
font-weight: bold;
}
This rule uses a selector (in this case, the “p” selector) to match all <p> elements on the page, and then it applies the specified styles (a font size of 16px and a color of blue and a font weight of bold) to those elements.
There are three ways to use CSS with HTML, they are as follows:
- Inline Styling
- Internal Styling
- External Styling
Inline Styling
CSS inline styling is the practice of applying CSS styles directly to an HTML element using the ‘style’ attribute. This allows you to apply styles to a specific element on a web page, rather than defining the styles in a separate stylesheet and applying them using a selector.
For example, the following HTML code applies inline styles to a <p> element using the ‘style’ attribute:
<p style="font-size: 16px; color: green; font-weight: bold;">This is some text.</p>In this case, the style attribute includes the CSS rules for font size and color, which are applied directly to the <p> element. This means that the text inside the <p> element will be displayed with a font size of 16px and a color of green and a bold font weight.
Inline styles are useful when you want to apply styles to a specific element on a web page, rather than defining the styles in a stylesheet and applying them to multiple elements. However, they can make your HTML code more difficult to read and maintain, and they can also make it harder to reuse styles across multiple elements or pages.
In general, it is considered best practice to use a separate stylesheet to define your CSS styles, and then apply those styles using selectors in the HTML code. This separates the content and presentation of your web page, making it easier to maintain and update your website.
Internal Styling
CSS internal styling refers to the practice of defining CSS styles within an HTML document, rather than in a separate stylesheet. This is done using the <style> element, which is placed inside the <head> section of the HTML document.
For example, the following HTML code defines some internal CSS styles using the <style> element:
<html>
<head>
<style>
p {
font-size: 16px;
color: green;
font-weight: bold;
}
</style>
</head>
<body>
<p>This is some text.</p>
</body>
</html>
In this case, the <style> element contains the CSS rules for font size, color and weight, which are applied to all <p> elements on the page. This means that any <p> elements in the <body> section of the HTML document will be displayed with a font size of 16px, a color of blue and a font weight of bold.
CSS internal styling can be useful when you want to define styles for a specific HTML document, and you don’t need to reuse the styles in any other documents. However, it can make your HTML code more difficult to read and maintain, and it can also make it harder to reuse styles across multiple documents or pages.
External Styling
CSS external styling refers to the practice of defining CSS styles in a separate stylesheet file, and then applying those styles to an HTML document using the <link> element. This allows you to keep the content and presentation of your web page separate, making it easier to maintain and update your website.
For example, the following HTML code includes a link to a stylesheet called “styles.css” using the <link> element:
<html>
<head>
<link rel="stylesheet" type="text/css" href="styles.css">
</head>
<body>
...
</body>
</html>
In this case, the <link> element tells the web browser to load the styles from the “styles.css” file, and apply those styles to the elements on the page. The “styles.css” file might contain CSS rules like this:
p {
font-size: 16px;
color: green;
font-weight: bold;
}These rules would apply a font size of 16px, a color of green and a weight of bold to all <p> elements on the page.
CSS external styling is considered the best practice for defining and applying CSS styles, as it separates the content and presentation of your web page, making it easier to maintain and update your website. It also allows you to reuse styles across multiple documents or pages, and it can help to keep your HTML code clean and organized.
When the HTML page is loaded by a web browser, the browser will use the styles specified in the stylesheet to render the page. This allows you to control the layout and appearance of your web pages without having to modify the HTML code directly.
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CSS is a powerful tool for web developers, and it provides a wide range of features and capabilities for styling and laying out web pages. Some of the key features of CSS include the ability to control text and font styles, colors and backgrounds, margins and padding, and the positioning of elements on the page. CSS also provides support for responsive design, allowing web pages to adapt to different screen sizes and devices.
Lastly, CSS is an essential part of the modern web development landscape, and it provides a flexible and powerful way to control the appearance and layout of your web pages. Whether you’re a beginner or an experienced web developer, learning how to use CSS effectively is a crucial skill that will help you create engaging and user-friendly web experiences. Shallout!!!
