Have you ever visited a website and wondered how it looks so polished and organized? The magic behind these visually appealing web pages is Cascading Style Sheets (CSS). CSS is a styling language used to describe the look and formatting of a document written in HTML. In this tutorial, we’ll explore three main ways to apply CSS: Inline CSS, Internal CSS, and External CSS. By the end, you’ll have a clear understanding of each method, its advantages, and best use case
CSS, or Cascading Style Sheets, is a language used to style and layout web pages. It allows you to control the color, font, spacing, and overall visual appearance of your HTML documents. CSS can be applied to HTML in three different ways: inline, internal, and external.
CSS is crucial for web development as it separates the content from the design. This separation allows developers to make design changes across multiple pages by editing a single CSS file, rather than updating each HTML file individually. This modularity makes your code cleaner and more efficient.
Inline CSS is used to apply a unique style to a single HTML element. This method involves adding the CSS code directly within the HTML tag using the style
attribute.
Here’s a basic example of inline CSS:
<p style="color: blue; font-size: 20px;">You can find my full Academic achievements <a href="education.html">Here</a> </p>
In the above example, the paragraph text is styled with a blue color and a font size of 20 pixels directly within the HTML element.
Internal CSS, also known as embedded CSS, is used to define styles for an entire HTML document. The CSS code is placed within a <style>
tag in the <head>
section of the HTML document.
Here’s an example of internal CSS:
<style>
p {
color: red;
font-size: 18px;
}
</style>
In the above example, the paragraph text is styled with a red color and a font size of 18 pixels using internal CSS. The internal CSS is placed at the <head>…</head> section, just immediately after the website title code.
External CSS is used to apply styles to multiple HTML documents from a single CSS file. The CSS code is placed in a separate .css
file, which is then linked to the HTML documents.
Here’s an example of external CSS:
styles.css
). And type the following code inside the styles.css file.p {
color: red;
font-size: 16px;
}
<!DOCTYPE html>
<html lang="en" dir="ltr">
<head>
<meta charset="utf-8">
<title>John James Website</title>
<link rel="stylesheet" type="text/css" href="styles.css">
</head>
<body>
<table cellspacing="15">
<tr>
<td><img src="james_john.png" alt="James Profile picture" width="150" , height="150">
</td>
<td>
<h1>Mr. James John</h1>
<p>I am a web developer</p>
<p>Founder at James Inc and Learner at <a href="www.smartechmolabs.com">Smartech A.T. Limited</a></p>
</td>
</tr>
</table>
<hr>
<h2>Skills</h2>
<ul>
<li>Kick-Boxer, 3 times champion</li>
<li>Programmer fliud in HTML, CSS and JS</li>
</ul>
<hr>
<h2>Educational Background</h2>
<p>You can find my full Academic achievements <a href="education.html">Here</a> </p>
<hr>
<h2>Previous Works</h2>
<table cellspacing="10">
<tr>
<td>
<table>
<tr>
<td>HTML</td>
<td>⭐⭐</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>CSS</td>
<td>⭐</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>JS</td>
<td>⭐⭐</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>C++</td>
<td>⭐⭐⭐⭐</td>
</tr>
</table>
</td>
<td>
<table>
<tr>
<td>Assembly Language</td>
<td>⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Python Programming</td>
<td>⭐⭐</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>php</td>
<td>⭐⭐⭐⭐</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><b>Ruby on Rails</b></td>
<td>⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐</td>
</tr>
</table>
</td>
</tr>
</table>
<hr>
<h2>Contact Me</h2>
<form class="" action-xhr="#" method="">
<label for="name">Enter your name:</label>
<input type="text" id="name" name="name"> <br>
<label for="email">Enter your email:</label>
<input type="text" id="email" name="email"><br>
<button type="submit">Submit</button>
</form>
</body>
</html>
Each method of applying CSS has its strengths and weaknesses, and the best choice depends on your specific needs and project requirements.
Understanding CSS specificity is key to mastering CSS. Specificity determines which CSS rule is applied when multiple rules match the same element. Inline styles have the highest specificity, followed by internal CSS, and then external CSS. Use this knowledge to your advantage when troubleshooting style conflicts.
CSS variables, also known as custom properties, allow you to store values that you can reuse throughout your CSS. This makes your code more maintainable and easier to update
:root {
--primary-color: blue;
--font-size: 20px;
}
p {
color: var(--primary-color);
font-size: var(--font-size);
}
In some cases, you might need to combine different CSS methods to achieve the desired result. For instance, you can use external CSS for the overall design and internal or inline CSS for specific tweaks.
<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
<head>
<link rel="stylesheet" type="text/css" href="styles.css">
<style>
p.special {
color: purple;
}
</style>
</head>
<body>
<p>This is a paragraph with external CSS.</p>
<p class="special" style="font-size: 22px;">This is a paragraph with combined CSS methods.</p>
</body>
</html>
In this example, the first paragraph uses external CSS, while the second paragraph combines external, internal, and inline CSS for specific styles.
Understanding the differences between inline, internal, and external CSS is essential for effective web development. Each method has its unique advantages and drawbacks, and knowing when to use each one can significantly impact your workflow and the maintainability of your code. Whether you’re making quick changes, working on a small project, or managing a large website, mastering these CSS techniques will help you create more efficient and visually appealing web pages.
A: For large projects, external CSS is the best method as it allows for reusable styles across multiple pages and easier maintenance.
A: Yes, you can combine inline, internal, and external CSS in a single HTML document. However, be mindful of specificity and potential conflicts.
A: CSS variables allow you to store and reuse values throughout your CSS, making your code more maintainable and easier to update.
A: Inline CSS has higher specificity than external CSS, so it takes precedence when there is a conflict between the two.
A: To troubleshoot CSS conflicts, check the specificity of your CSS rules, use browser developer tools to inspect elements, and ensure that your CSS files are properly linked and loaded.
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