CSS Tutorial

Pseudo-Classes

Introduction

Pseudo-classes are a powerful feature in CSS (Cascading Style Sheets). They allow you to style elements based on their state.

Key Concepts

  • Hover: Styles an element when the mouse hovers over it.
  • Focus: Styles an element when it has focus (e.g., when typing into an input field).
  • Active: Styles an element when it is being clicked.
  • First-Child: Styles the first child element of a parent element.
  • Last-Child: Styles the last child element of a parent element.
  • Nth-Child: Styles elements based on their position within a parent element.

Practical Steps

  • Select the element: Use a CSS selector to select the element(s) you want to style.
  • Add the pseudo-class: Add the pseudo-class to the selector, using the syntax ":pseudo-class".

Example

a:hover {
  color: red;
}

This example styles all links (a elements) to turn red when the mouse hovers over them.

Tips

  • Use pseudo-classes to enhance the user experience (e.g., make buttons appear active when clicked).
  • Ensure your pseudo-class styles are specific and not applied to too many elements.
  • Test your pseudo-class styles in different browsers to ensure cross-browser compatibility.