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CSS Pseudo-classes and Pseudo-elements

CSS Pseudo-classes and Pseudo-elements

This article explains CSS pseudo-classes and pseudo-elements.

You can learn about pseudo-classes like :hover and pseudo-elements like ::before.

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css-pseudo.html 
  1<!DOCTYPE html>
  2<html lang="en">
  3<head>
  4    <meta charset="UTF-8">
  5    <meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1.0">
  6    <title>CSS Pseudo Class/Element</title>
  7    <link rel="stylesheet" href="css-base.css">
  8    <link rel="stylesheet" href="css-pseudo-class.css">
  9</head>
 10<body>
 11    <!-- Header -->
 12    <header>
 13        <h1>CSS Pseudo Class/Element</h1>
 14    </header>
 15
 16    <!-- Main content -->
 17    <main>
 18        <header><h2>Pseudo Class</h2></header>
 19        <article>
 20            <h3>:hover</h3>
 21            <section>
 22                <header><h4>CSS</h4></header>
 23<pre class="sample">
 24a:hover {
 25    color: red;
 26}
 27</pre>
 28                <header><h4>HTML</h4></header>
 29                <pre>&lt;a href="#"&gt;Example of hover&lt;/a&gt;</pre>
 30                <header><h4>HTML+CSS</h4></header>
 31                <section class="sample-view">
 32                    <a href="#">Example of hover</a><br>
 33                </section>
 34            </section>
 35        </article>
 36        <article>
 37            <h3>:focus</h3>
 38            <section>
 39                <header><h4>CSS</h4></header>
 40<pre class="sample">
 41input:focus {
 42    outline: 2px solid blue;
 43}
 44</pre>
 45                <header><h4>HTML</h4></header>
 46                <pre>&lt;input type="text" placeholder="Example of focus"&gt;</pre>
 47                <header><h4>HTML+CSS</h4></header>
 48                <section class="sample-view">
 49                    <input type="text" placeholder="Example of focus">
 50                </section>
 51            </section>
 52        </article>
 53        <article>
 54            <h3>:active</h3>
 55            <section>
 56                <header><h4>CSS</h4></header>
 57<pre class="sample">
 58button:active {
 59    background-color: green;
 60}
 61</pre>
 62                <header><h4>HTML</h4></header>
 63                <pre>&lt;button type="button"&gt;Example of active&lt;/button&gt;</pre>
 64                <header><h4>HTML+CSS</h4></header>
 65                <section class="sample-view">
 66                    <button type="button">Example of active</button>
 67                </section>
 68            </section>
 69        </article>
 70        <article>
 71            <h3>:empty</h3>
 72            <section>
 73                <header><h4>CSS</h4></header>
 74<pre class="sample">
 75.box:empty {
 76    background-color: lightgray;
 77    border: 1px dashed black;
 78    height: 50px;
 79    width: 50px;
 80}
 81</pre>
 82                <header><h4>HTML</h4></header>
 83<pre>
 84&lt;p class="box"&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
 85&lt;p class="box"&gt; &lt;/p&gt;
 86</pre>
 87                <header><h4>HTML+CSS</h4></header>
 88                <section class="sample-view">
 89                    <p class="box"></p>
 90                    <p class="box"> </p>
 91                </section>
 92            </section>
 93        </article>
 94        <article>
 95            <h3>:valid / :invalid</h3>
 96            <section>
 97                <header><h4>CSS</h4></header>
 98<pre class="sample">
 99input:valid {
100    border: 2px solid green;
101    background-color: #eaffea;
102}
103
104input:invalid {
105    border: 2px solid red;
106    background-color: #ffeaea;
107}
108</pre>
109                <header><h4>HTML</h4></header>
110<pre>
111&lt;form&gt;
112    &lt;label&gt;Username (min. 5 characters):&lt;/label&gt;
113    &lt;input type="text" pattern=".{5,}" required&gt;
114    &lt;button type="submit"&gt;Submit&lt;/button&gt;
115&lt;/form&gt;
116</pre>
117                <header><h4>HTML+CSS</h4></header>
118                <section class="sample-view">
119                    <form>
120                        <label>Username (min. 5 characters):</label>
121                        <input type="text" pattern=".{5,}" required>
122                        <button type="submit">Submit</button>
123                    </form>
124                </section>
125            </section>
126        </article>
127        <article>
128            <h3>:in-range / :out-of-range</h3>
129            <section>
130                <header><h4>CSS</h4></header>
131<pre class="sample">
132input[type="number"]:in-range {
133    border: 2px solid blue;
134    background-color: #eaf4ff;
135}
136
137input[type="number"]:out-of-range {
138    border: 2px solid orange;
139    background-color: #fff4e6;
140}
141</pre>
142                <header><h4>HTML</h4></header>
143<pre>
144&lt;form&gt;
145    &lt;label&gt;Age (between 18 and 99):&lt;/label&gt;
146    &lt;input type="number" min="18" max="99" required&gt;
147    &lt;button type="submit"&gt;Submit&lt;/button&gt;
148&lt;/form&gt;
149</pre>
150                <header><h4>HTML+CSS</h4></header>
151                <section class="sample-view">
152                    <form>
153                        <label>Age (between 18 and 99):</label>
154                        <input type="number" min="18" max="99" required>
155                        <button type="submit">Submit</button>
156                    </form>
157                </section>
158            </section>
159        </article>
160        <article>
161            <h3>:nth-child(n)</h3>
162            <section>
163                <header><h4>CSS</h4></header>
164<pre class="sample">
165li:nth-child(2) {
166    color: blue;
167    font-weight: bold;
168}
169
170li:nth-child(odd) {
171    background-color: lightblue;
172}
173
174li:nth-child(even) {
175    background-color: steelblue;
176}
177</pre>
178                <header><h4>HTML</h4></header>
179<pre>
180&lt;ul&gt;
181    &lt;li&gt;First Item&lt;/li&gt;
182    &lt;li&gt;Second Item&lt;/li&gt;
183    &lt;li&gt;Third Item&lt;/li&gt;
184    &lt;li&gt;Fourth Item&lt;/li&gt;
185&lt;/ul&gt;
186</pre>
187                <header><h4>HTML+CSS</h4></header>
188                <section class="sample-view">
189                    <ul>
190                        <li>First Item</li>
191                        <li>Second Item</li>
192                        <li>Third Item</li>
193                        <li>Fourth Item</li>
194                    </ul>
195                </section>
196            </section>
197        </article>
198        <article>
199            <h3>:first-child</h3>
200            <section>
201                <header><h4>CSS</h4></header>
202<pre class="sample">
203small:first-child {
204    font-weight: bold;
205    color: steelblue;
206}
207</pre>
208                <header><h4>HTML</h4></header>
209<pre>
210    &lt;small&gt;First Small Text&lt;/small&gt;&lt;br&gt;
211    &lt;small&gt;Second Small Text&lt;/small&gt;&lt;br&gt;
212    &lt;small&gt;Third Small Text&lt;/small&gt;
213</pre>
214                <header><h4>HTML+CSS</h4></header>
215                <section class="sample-view">
216                    <small>First Small Text</small><br>
217                    <small>Second Small Text</small><br>
218                    <small>Third Small Text</small>
219                </section>
220            </section>
221        </article>
222        <article>
223            <h3>:last-child</h3>
224            <section>
225                <header><h4>CSS</h4></header>
226<pre class="sample">
227small:last-child {
228    font-weight: bold;
229    color: seagreen;
230}
231</pre>
232                <header><h4>HTML</h4></header>
233<pre>
234    &lt;small&gt;First Small Text&lt;/small&gt;&lt;br&gt;
235    &lt;small&gt;Second Small Text&lt;/small&gt;&lt;br&gt;
236    &lt;small&gt;Third Small Text&lt;/small&gt;
237</pre>
238                <header><h4>HTML+CSS</h4></header>
239                <section class="sample-view">
240                    <small>First Small Text</small><br>
241                    <small>Second Small Text</small><br>
242                    <small>Third Small Text</small>
243                </section>
244            </section>
245        </article>
246        <article>
247            <h3>:has()</h3>
248            <section>
249                <header><h4>CSS</h4></header>
250<pre class="sample">
251p:has(span.child) {
252    border: 2px solid black;
253}
254</pre>
255                <header><h4>HTML</h4></header>
256<pre>
257&lt;p&gt;Paragraph with &lt;span class="child"&gt;span element&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
258&lt;p&gt;Paragraph without span element&lt;/p&gt;
259</pre>
260                <header><h4>HTML+CSS</h4></header>
261                <section class="sample-view">
262                    <p>Paragraph with <span class="child">span element</span></p>
263                    <p>Paragraph without span element</p>
264                </section>
265            </section>
266        </article>
267        <article>
268            <h3>:not()</h3>
269            <section>
270                <header><h4>CSS</h4></header>
271<pre class="sample">
272q:not(.quote2) {
273    font-weight: bold;
274    color: steelblue;
275}
276</pre>
277                <header><h4>HTML</h4></header>
278<pre>
279    &lt;q class="quote1"&gt;First Quote&lt;/q&gt;&lt;br&gt;
280    &lt;q class="quote2"&gt;Second Quote&lt;/q&gt;&lt;br&gt;
281    &lt;q class="quote3"&gt;Third Quote&lt;/q&gt;
282</pre>
283                <header><h4>HTML+CSS</h4></header>
284                <section class="sample-view">
285                    <q class="quote1">First Quote</q><br>
286                    <q class="quote2">Second Quote</q><br>
287                    <q class="quote3">Third Small Text</q>
288                </section>
289            </section>
290        </article>
291        <article>
292            <h3>:where() / :is()</h3>
293            <section>
294                <header><h4>CSS</h4></header>
295<pre class="sample">
296:where(p, .detail) span {
297    color: darkcyan;
298    text-decoration: line-through;
299}
300:is(p, .detail) span {
301    font-style: italic;
302}
303p span {
304    text-decoration: none; /* Applied */
305    font-style: normal; /* Not Applied */
306}
307</pre>
308                <header><h4>HTML</h4></header>
309<pre>
310&lt;p class="detail"&gt;This is a &lt;span&gt;paragraph&lt;/span&gt; with the "detail" class.&lt;/p&gt;
311&lt;p&gt;This is a &lt;span&gt;paragraph&lt;/span&gt; without the "detail" class.&lt;/p&gt;
312</pre>
313                <header><h4>HTML+CSS</h4></header>
314                <section class="sample-view">
315                    <p class="detail">This is a <span>paragraph</span> with the "detail" class.</p>
316                    <p>This is a <span>paragraph</span> without the "detail" class.</p>
317                </section>
318            </section>
319        </article>
320        <article>
321            <h3>:checked</h3>
322            <section>
323                <header><h4>CSS</h4></header>
324<pre class="sample">
325input:checked {
326    outline: 4px solid red;
327}
328</pre>
329                <header><h4>HTML</h4></header>
330<pre>
331    &lt;label&gt;&lt;input type="checkbox"&gt;First Checkbox&lt;/label&gt;
332    &lt;label&gt;&lt;input type="checkbox"&gt;Second Checkbox&lt;/label&gt;
333</pre>
334                <header><h4>HTML+CSS</h4></header>
335                <section class="sample-view">
336                    <label><input type="checkbox">First Checkbox</label>
337                    <label><input type="checkbox">Second Checkbox</label>
338                </section>
339            </section>
340        </article>
341        <article>
342            <h3>:disabled</h3>
343            <section>
344                <header><h4>CSS</h4></header>
345<pre class="sample">
346button:disabled {
347    background-color: gray;
348    cursor: not-allowed;
349}
350</pre>
351                <header><h4>HTML</h4></header>
352                <pre>&lt;button type="button" disabled&gt;Example of active&lt;/button&gt;</pre>
353                <header><h4>HTML+CSS</h4></header>
354                <section class="sample-view">
355                    <button type="button" disabled>Example of active</button>
356                </section>
357            </section>
358        </article>
359        <article>
360            <h3>:visited</h3>
361            <section>
362                <header><h4>CSS</h4></header>
363<pre class="sample">
364.link:visited {
365    color: purple;
366}
367</pre>
368                <header><h4>HTML</h4></header>
369                <pre>&lt;a href="https://example.com" class="link"&gt;Example&lt;/a&gt;</pre>
370                <header><h4>HTML+CSS</h4></header>
371                <section class="sample-view">
372                    <a href="https://example.com" class="link">Example</a>
373                </section>
374            </section>
375        </article>
376        <article>
377            <h3>:first-of-type</h3>
378            <section>
379                <header><h4>CSS</h4></header>
380<pre class="sample">
381.first-example :first-of-type {
382    font-weight: bold;
383    color: steelblue;
384}
385</pre>
386                <header><h4>HTML</h4></header>
387<pre>
388&lt;p class="first-example"&gt;
389    &lt;var&gt;First Variable&lt;/var&gt;, &lt;code&gt;First Code Snippet&lt;/code&gt;&lt;br&gt;
390    &lt;var&gt;Second Variable&lt;/var&gt;, &lt;code&gt;Second Code Snippet&lt;/code&gt;&lt;br&gt;
391    &lt;var&gt;Third Variable&lt;/var&gt;, &lt;code&gt;Third Code Snippet&lt;/code&gt;
392&lt;/p&gt;
393</pre>
394                <header><h4>HTML+CSS</h4></header>
395                <section class="sample-view">
396                    <p class="first-example">
397                        <var>First Variable</var>, <code>First Code Snippet</code><br>
398                        <var>Second Variable</var>, <code>Second Code Snippet</code><br>
399                        <var>Third Variable</var>, <code>Third Code Snippet</code>
400                    </p>
401                </section>
402            </section>
403        </article>
404        <article>
405            <h3>:last-of-type</h3>
406            <section>
407                <header><h4>CSS</h4></header>
408<pre class="sample">
409.last-example :last-of-type {
410    font-weight: bold;
411    color: seagreen;
412}
413</pre>
414                <header><h4>HTML</h4></header>
415<pre>
416&lt;p class="last-example"&gt;
417    &lt;var&gt;First Variable&lt;/var&gt;, &lt;code&gt;First Code Snippet&lt;/code&gt;&lt;br&gt;
418    &lt;var&gt;Second Variable&lt;/var&gt;, &lt;code&gt;Second Code Snippet&lt;/code&gt;&lt;br&gt;
419    &lt;var&gt;Third Variable&lt;/var&gt;, &lt;code&gt;Third Code Snippet&lt;/code&gt;
420&lt;/p&gt;
421</pre>
422                <header><h4>HTML+CSS</h4></header>
423                <section class="sample-view">
424                    <p class="last-example">
425                        <var>First Variable</var>, <code>First Code Snippet</code><br>
426                        <var>Second Variable</var>, <code>Second Code Snippet</code><br>
427                        <var>Third Variable</var>, <code>Third Code Snippet</code>
428                    </p>
429                </section>
430            </section>
431        </article>
432        <article>
433            <h3>:nth-of-type(n)</h3>
434            <section>
435                <header><h4>CSS</h4></header>
436<pre class="sample">
437.nth-example :nth-of-type(2) {
438    font-weight: bold;
439    color: lightsalmon;
440}
441</pre>
442                <header><h4>HTML</h4></header>
443<pre>
444&lt;p class="nth-example"&gt;
445    &lt;var&gt;First Variable&lt;/var&gt;, &lt;code&gt;First Code Snippet&lt;/code&gt;&lt;br&gt;
446    &lt;var&gt;Second Variable&lt;/var&gt;, &lt;code&gt;Second Code Snippet&lt;/code&gt;&lt;br&gt;
447    &lt;var&gt;Third Variable&lt;/var&gt;, &lt;code&gt;Third Code Snippet&lt;/code&gt;
448&lt;/p&gt;
449</pre>
450                <header><h4>HTML+CSS</h4></header>
451                <section class="sample-view">
452                    <p class="nth-example">
453                        <var>First Variable</var>, <code>First Code Snippet</code><br>
454                        <var>Second Variable</var>, <code>Second Code Snippet</code><br>
455                        <var>Third Variable</var>, <code>Third Code Snippet</code>
456                    </p>
457                </section>
458            </section>
459        </article>
460
461        <header><h2>Pseudo Element</h2></header>
462        <article>
463            <h3>::before</h3>
464            <section>
465                <header><h4>CSS</h4></header>
466<pre class="sample">
467span.note::before {
468    content: "Note: ";
469    color: red;
470}
471</pre>
472                <header><h4>HTML</h4></header>
473                <pre>&lt;span class="note"&gt;Example Text&lt;/span&gt;</pre>
474                <header><h4>HTML+CSS</h4></header>
475                <section class="sample-view">
476                    <span class="note">Example Text</a><br>
477                </section>
478            </section>
479        </article>
480        <article>
481            <h3>::after</h3>
482            <section>
483                <header><h4>CSS</h4></header>
484<pre class="sample">
485span.five-stars::after {
486    content: "*****";
487    color: gold;
488}
489</pre>
490                <header><h4>HTML</h4></header>
491                <pre>&lt;span class="five-stars"&gt;Example Text&lt;/span&gt;</pre>
492                <header><h4>HTML+CSS</h4></header>
493                <section class="sample-view">
494                    <span class="five-stars">Example Text</a>
495                </section>
496            </section>
497        </article>
498        <article>
499            <h3>::placeholder</h3>
500            <section>
501                <header><h4>CSS</h4></header>
502<pre class="sample">
503input::placeholder {
504    color: rgba(0, 150, 150, 0.7);
505    font-size: 14px;
506    font-style: italic;
507}
508</pre>
509                <header><h4>HTML</h4></header>
510                <pre>&lt;input type="text" placeholder="Enter your name"&gt;</pre>
511                <header><h4>HTML+CSS</h4></header>
512                <section class="sample-view">
513                    <input type="text" placeholder="Enter your name">
514                </section>
515            </section>
516        </article>
517        <article>
518            <h3>::first-letter</h3>
519            <section>
520                <header><h4>CSS</h4></header>
521<pre class="sample">
522p.first::first-letter {
523    font-size: 2em;
524    color: blue;
525}
526</pre>
527                <header><h4>HTML</h4></header>
528<pre>
529&lt;p class="first"&gt;
530    &lt;span&gt;First Text&lt;/span&gt;&lt;br&gt;
531    &lt;span&gt;Second Text&lt;/span&gt;&lt;br&gt;
532    &lt;span&gt;Third Text&lt;/span&gt;
533&lt;/p&gt;
534</pre>
535                <header><h4>HTML+CSS</h4></header>
536                <section class="sample-view">
537                    <p class="first">
538                        <span>First Text</span><br>
539                        <span>Second Text</span><br>
540                        <span>Third Text</span>
541                    </p>
542                </section>
543<pre class="sample-error">
544/* Not Valid: `::first-letter` can only be applied to
545              block-level elements */
546span::first-letter {
547    font-size: 2em;
548    color: red;
549}
550</pre>
551            </section>
552        </article>
553        <article>
554            <h3>::first-line</h3>
555            <section>
556                <header><h4>CSS</h4></header>
557<pre class="sample">
558p.second::first-line {
559    font-weight: bold;
560    color: green;
561}
562</pre>
563                <header><h4>HTML</h4></header>
564<pre>
565&lt;p class="second"&gt;
566    First Text&lt;br&gt;
567    Second Text&lt;br&gt;
568    Third Text
569&lt;/p&gt;
570</pre>
571                <header><h4>HTML+CSS</h4></header>
572                <section class="sample-view">
573                    <p class="second">
574                        First Text<br>
575                        Second Text<br>
576                        Third Text
577                    </p>
578                </section>
579<pre class="sample-error">
580/* Not Valid: `::first-line` can only be applied to block-level elements */
581span::first-line {
582    font-size: 2em;
583    color: red;
584}
585</pre>
586            </section>
587        </article>
588        <article>
589            <h3>::selection</h3>
590            <section>
591                <header><h4>CSS</h4></header>
592<pre class="sample">
593span::selection {
594    background-color: yellow;
595    color: black;
596}
597</pre>
598                <header><h4>HTML</h4></header>
599<pre>
600&lt;p&gt;
601    &lt;span&gt;First Text&lt;/span&gt;&lt;br&gt;
602    &lt;span&gt;Second Text&lt;/span&gt;&lt;br&gt;
603    &lt;span&gt;Third Text&lt;/span&gt;
604&lt;/p&gt;
605</pre>
606                <header><h4>HTML+CSS</h4></header>
607                <section class="sample-view">
608                    <p>
609                        <span>First Text</span><br>
610                        <span>Second Text</span><br>
611                        <span>Third Text</span>
612                    </p>
613                </section>
614            </section>
615        </article>
616    </main>
617</body>
618</html>

Pseudo-classes

CSS pseudo-classes are functions that apply styles to elements based on specific conditions such as element states or hierarchy. They allow you to add special styles based on element states or positions, making it useful for representing dynamic situations that can't be specified by regular classes or IDs. Pseudo-classes make it easy to implement dynamic UIs and styling based on specific conditions, enabling design that responds to user interaction or content structure.

Basic Syntax of Pseudo-classes

The basic syntax of pseudo-classes is as follows.

1selector:pseudo-class {
2    /* Styles */
3}
  • selector is the target element.
  • The pseudo-class part represents a pseudo-class that indicates a specific state or condition.
  • : is used to select pseudo-classes.

Commonly Used Pseudo-classes

:hover 

1a:hover {
2    color: red;
3}
  • :hover applies styles when the mouse cursor hovers over an element.
  • In this example, when the mouse hovers over a link, the text color changes to red.

:focus 

1input:focus {
2    outline: 2px solid blue;
3}
  • :focus applies styles when an element receives focus. It is mainly used for form elements and links.
  • In this example, a blue outline appears when an input element is focused.

:active 

1button:active {
2    background-color: green;
3}
  • :active applies styles to an element when it is active (while it is being clicked).
  • In this example, while the button is being clicked, the background color changes to green.

:empty 

1.box:empty {
2    background-color: lightgray;
3    border: 1px dashed black;
4    height: 50px;
5    width: 50px;
6}
  • The :empty pseudo-class is used to apply styles to elements that have no children. The target element must not contain text nodes, whitespace, or comments.
  • In this example, if an element with the box class contains nothing, a gray background and a black dashed border are applied to that element. If whitespace is present, the style is not applied.

:valid / :invalid 

1input:valid {
2    border: 2px solid green;
3    background-color: #eaffea;
4}
5
6input:invalid {
7    border: 2px solid red;
8    background-color: #ffeaea;
9}

  • :valid is a style applied to form elements with valid input values. The :valid style is applied when conditions specified by HTML attributes like pattern or type (e.g., email) are met.

  • :invalid is a style applied to form elements with invalid input values. The :invalid style is applied when a form element does not meet HTML validation rules (e.g., type="email").

  • In this example, a green border is displayed if the entered text is 5 or more characters long, as specified by the pattern attribute. If the entered text is less than 5 characters, a red border is displayed.

:in-range / :out-of-range 

1input[type="number"]:in-range {
2    border: 2px solid blue;
3    background-color: #eaf4ff;
4}
5
6input[type="number"]:out-of-range {
7    border: 2px solid orange;
8    background-color: #fff4e6;
9}

  • :in-range is a style applied when a numeric input element holds a value within a specified range. The :in-range style is applied when the conditions specified by the min and max attributes in HTML are met.

  • :out-of-range is a style applied when a numeric input element holds a value outside the specified range. The :out-of-range style is applied when the value exceeds the range specified by the min or max attributes.

  • In this example, when a value within the range specified by the min="18" and max="99" attributes (18 to 99 inclusive) is entered, a blue border is displayed. When a value outside the range is entered, an orange border is displayed.

:nth-child() 

1li:nth-child(2) {
2    color: blue;
3    font-weight: bold;
4}
  • :nth-child() applies styles based on the position of a child element within its parent. You can specify a number or an expression for n.
  • In this example, the text of the second list item becomes blue.
Applying to Odd and Even Elements 
1li:nth-child(odd) {
2    background-color: lightblue;
3}
4
5li:nth-child(even) {
6    background-color: steelblue;
7}
  • By specifying even or odd, you can apply styles to odd or even elements.
  • In this example, different background colors are applied to even and odd rows. This can be used for striped table designs, for instance.

:first-child 

1small:first-child {
2    font-weight: bold;
3    color: steelblue;
4}
  • :first-child applies styles to the first child element of a parent.
  • In this example, the text of the first small element is styled as bold with a shade of blue.

:last-child 

1small:last-child {
2    font-weight: bold;
3    color: seagreen;
4}
  • :last-child applies styles to the last child element of a parent.
  • In this example, the text of the last small element is styled as bold with a shade of green.

:has() 

1p:has(span.child) {
2    border: 2px solid black;
3}
  • The :has() pseudo-class in CSS functions as a parent selector. Using this pseudo-class, you can select a parent element based on the presence of child elements.
  • In this example, the border is applied to p elements containing span elements with the .child class.

:not() 

1q:not(.quote2) {
2    font-weight: bold;
3    color: steelblue;
4}
  • :not() applies styles to elements that do not meet specific conditions.
  • In this example, the text of q elements, except those with the quote2 class, is styled as bold with a shade of blue.

:where() / :is() 

 1:where(p, .detail) span {
 2    color: darkcyan;
 3    text-decoration: line-through;
 4}
 5:is(p, .detail) span {
 6    font-style: italic;
 7}
 8p span {
 9    text-decoration: none; /* Applied */
10    font-style: normal; /* Not Applied */
11}
  • The :where() pseudo-class is a special CSS selector that sets the specificity to zero. This is useful when you want to handle multiple selectors collectively and apply styles without affecting the specificity of the selected elements.
  • The :is() pseudo-class groups multiple selectors and selects elements that match any of the conditions. The :is() pseudo-class itself carries the same specificity as normal selectors, but it applies styles based on the highest specificity among its internal selectors.
  • In this example, :where() and :is() are used to apply styles to <p> elements and <span> elements within the detail class. The text-decoration style set by :where() is overridden by subsequent CSS. However, the style set by :is() has a higher specificity and is not overridden by subsequent CSS.

:checked 

1input:checked {
2    outline: 4px solid red;
3}
  • :checked applies styles when a checkbox or radio button is selected.
  • In this example, a red border is displayed on the checked input element.

:disabled 

1button:disabled {
2    background-color: gray;
3    cursor: not-allowed;
4}
  • :disabled applies styles to disabled form elements.
  • In this example, a gray background and 'not-allowed' cursor are applied to the disabled button.

:visited 

1.link:visited {
2    color: purple;
3}
  • :visited is used to apply styles to visited links.
  • In this example, after clicking and visiting a link, the text color of the <a> element changes to purple.
Privacy and Style Limitations

:visited has some style restrictions for privacy protection reasons. This prevents external sites from inferring the user's visit history. The properties that can be changed with :visited are limited to the following:.

color
background-color
border-color
outline-color
column-rule-color
text-decoration-color
fill
stroke

On the other hand, properties other than these (e.g., display, visibility, position, etc.) cannot be changed with :visited. This prevents user privacy from being leaked through visit history.

:first-of-type 

1.first-example :first-of-type {
2    font-weight: bold;
3    color: steelblue;
4}
  • :first-of-type selects the first element of its type (with the same tag name) within its parent element.
  • In this example, the text of the first <var> element and <code> element in the first-example class is styled in bold blue.

:last-of-type 

1.last-example :last-of-type {
2    font-weight: bold;
3    color: seagreen;
4}
  • :last-of-type selects the last element of its type within its parent element.
  • In this example, the text of the last <var> element and <code> element in the last-example class is styled in bold green.

:nth-of-type() 

1.nth-example :nth-of-type(2) {
2    font-weight: bold;
3    color: lightsalmon;
4}
  • :nth-of-type() applies styles to the nth occurrence of elements of the same type.
  • In this example, the text of the second <var> element and <code> element in the nth-example class is styled in bold orange.

Pseudo-elements

Pseudo-elements in CSS are used to apply styles to specific parts of the selected element. Unlike pseudo-classes, pseudo-elements focus on specific parts of an element rather than the whole element. For example, they are used to add content before or after an element or apply styles to specific characters or lines.

Basic Syntax of Pseudo-elements

Pseudo-elements are usually written with :: (double colon) after the selector. This is to distinguish them from pseudo-classes.

1selector::pseudo-element {
2    /* Styles */
3}
  • selector is the target element.
  • The pseudo-element part represents a pseudo-element that refers to a specific part or aspect of an element.
  • You can specify a pseudo-element by using ::.

Commonly Used Pseudo-elements

::before 

1span.note::before {
2    content: "Note: ";
3    color: red;
4}

  • ::before inserts virtual content before an element's content and applies styles to that part. It is useful for inserting icons or labels, for example.

  • In this example, the text "Note:" is inserted before <span> elements with the class note. The content specified here does not exist in the actual HTML; it is added virtually through CSS. This means that you cannot directly manipulate content added via JavaScript, etc.

::after 

1span.five-stars::after {
2    content: "*****";
3    color: gold;
4}
  • ::after inserts virtual content after an element's content. It is typically used to add supplementary or decorative content after an element.
  • In this example, a golden star icon is added after the <span> element with the five-stars class.

::placeholder 

1input::placeholder {
2    color: rgba(0, 150, 150, 0.7);
3    font-size: 14px;
4    font-style: italic;
5}
  • The ::placeholder pseudo-element is used to style the placeholder text in form elements. By default, it is usually displayed in light gray text, but with the ::placeholder pseudo-element, you can change the style to match your design.
  • In this example, the placeholder text color for the input element is set to a 70% transparent blue, font size to 14px, and italicized.

::first-letter 

1p.first::first-letter {
2    font-size: 2em;
3    color: blue;
4}
  • ::first-letter applies style to the first letter of a block-level element. It is used for typographic effects like those seen in magazines or newspapers, where the first letter is emphasized. Note that this pseudo-element is only effective on block-level elements and cannot be directly applied to inline elements like <span>.
  • In this example, the first letter of the paragraph will be twice the size, bold, and blue.

::first-line 

1p.second::first-line {
2    font-weight: bold;
3    color: green;
4}
  • ::first-line applies style to the first line of a block element. It is particularly used for text paragraphs, allowing you to apply different styles to the first line.
  • In this example, the first line of the paragraph will be bold and green.

::selection 

1span::selection {
2    background-color: yellow;
3    color: black;
4}
  • ::selection applies styles to the part of the text selected (highlighted) by the user. With this, you can change the background color and text color when the text is selected.
  • In this example, when the text of a <span> element is selected, the background becomes yellow and the text turns black.

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