CSS Selectors and Properties: The Basics You Need to Know
Introduction CSS (Cascading Style Sheets) is the backbone of web design, allowing developers to control the look and feel of websites. To effectively style web pages, you need to understand CSS selectors and properties. In this guide, we’ll break down the basics and how they help define the appearance of HTML elements. What Are CSS Selectors? CSS selectors are patterns used to target specific HTML elements for styling. They tell the browser which elements to apply styles to. There are different types of selectors: 1. Universal Selector (*) Applies styles to all elements on a page. 2. Element Selector Targets specific HTML elements like <p>, <h1>, and <div>. 3. Class Selector (.) Selects elements with a specific class attribute. 4. ID Selector (#) Targets an element with a unique ID. 5. Grouping Selector (A, B) Applies styles to multiple elements at once. 6. Descendant Selector (A B) Targets elements inside a specific container. What Are CSS Properties? CSS properties define how elements look and behave. They are paired with values to control appearance. 1. Text Styling Properties Property Description Example color Sets text color color: blue; font-size Defines text size font-size: 20px; font-weight Adjusts text boldness font-weight: bold; text-align Aligns text text-align: center; 2. Box Model Properties Property Description Example margin Space outside an element margin: 10px; padding Space inside an element padding: 15px; border Adds a border border: 2px solid black; width Sets element width width: 100px; 3. Background and Layout Properties Property Description Example background-color Sets background color background-color: lightgray; display Defines element display type display: flex; position Positions elements position: absolute; flex-direction Controls flex container layout flex-direction: row; Conclusion CSS selectors and properties are essential for styling web pages. Mastering their basics helps you create visually appealing and user-friendly websites. By using the right selectors and properties, you can enhance the structure, readability, and performance of your web designs.
