Understanding CSS Syntax

CSS (Cascading Style Sheets) is essential for styling web pages. To apply styles to HTML elements, it is important to know the structure and rules of CSS syntax. In this tutorial, we will break down the basic components of CSS syntax, which will help you style your web pages effectively.

1. The CSS Rule

Every CSS style rule consists of two main parts: a selector and adeclaration block.

- The selector defines which HTML element the rule applies to.
- The declaration block defines the style to be applied to the selected element. It contains one or more declarations, each consisting of a propertyand a value.

/* CSS Rule Example */
selector {
  property: value;
}

For example, in the rule p { color: blue; }, p is the selector,color is the property, and blue is the value.

2. The Declaration Block

The declaration block is wrapped in curly braces {}, and it contains one or more declarations. Each declaration is separated by a semicolon, and each declaration consists of aproperty and a value.

/* Multiple Declarations Example */
h1 {
  font-size: 32px;
  color: red;
  text-align: center;
}

In the above example, font-size, color, and text-alignare the properties, while 32px, red, and center are the values.

3. CSS Comments

You can add comments in your CSS code to explain what the code does or to make notes for future reference. Comments are not displayed on the web page and are purely for developers' understanding. To add a comment in CSS, you use

/* This is a CSS comment */
p {
  font-size: 16px;
  color: black;
}

Why Understanding CSS Syntax is Important

Knowing the correct syntax helps you write clean, maintainable code that other developers can easily understand. Proper syntax ensures that the styles you apply to your elements work as expected, making your website visually appealing and consistent.