CSS Tutorial

Specificity in CSS

Specificity refers to the priority level of CSS rules when multiple rules apply to the same element.

Practical Steps to Enhance Specificity:

  • Inline Styles: Styles applied directly to an HTML element using the style attribute have the highest specificity.
  • ID Selectors: Styles applied using an element's unique ID have a higher specificity than class selectors.
  • Class Selectors: Styles applied using a class name have a higher specificity than element selectors.
  • Element Selectors: Styles applied to general HTML elements have the lowest specificity.

CSS Example Demonstrating Specificity:

body {
  color: black; /* Element Selector */
}

#content {
  color: red; /* ID Selector */
}

.important {
  color: blue; /* Class Selector */
}

#content.important {
  color: green; /* Inline Style */
}

In this example, the inline style will override all other rules because it has the highest specificity. The ID selector has higher specificity than the class selector, so the content element will be red unless it has the important class, in which case it will be blue.

Tips for Enhanced Accessibility and Ease of Use:

  • Use specific selectors to target elements more precisely.
  • Avoid inline styles as they can make your code harder to manage.
  • Use ID selectors sparingly, as they can be difficult to maintain.
  • Favor class selectors for reusable styles.