How to Link CSS to HTML Files in Web Development
HTML (HyperText Markup Language) and CSS (Cascading Style Sheet) are the fundamental web development languages. HTML defines a website’s content and structure, while CSS specifies the design and presentation. Together, both languages allow to create a website that is well-structured and functional.
CSS defines style declarations and applies them to HTML documents. There are three different ways to link CSS to HTML based on three different types of CSS styles:
- Inline – uses the style attribute inside an HTML element
- Internal – written in the <head> section of an HTML file
- External – links an HTML document to an external CSS file
This article will focus on external CSS to an HTML file linking as it changes the appearance of your entire website with just one file. We’ll also include a more detailed explanation of CSS and its benefits.
How to Link CSS to HTML File – Video Tutorial
Looking for visual guide? Check out this video.
How to link CSS to HTML FAQ
How Do I Link HTML to CSS in HTML?
In order to link HTML to CSS in your HTML file, you need to use link tags with the right attributes. Remember that, as a self-closing tag, the link tag should be included in the head section of your HTML file.
Why Is My CSS Not Linking to HTML?
Check that your files are in the same folder if you have trouble linking your CSS to HTML. Check that the file path is correct if the CSS file is in a different folder.
Jordana is a digital marketing and web development enthusiast. She loves spending her time in front of her laptop, working on new projects and learning new things. When she’s not busy with work, you can find her traveling the world in search of the best sushi!
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Comments
September 21 2020
is there away to let the user switch to a new style sheet will in the webpage
November 18 2020
Hey there Andrew. You can just change the stylesheet that your website uses in the code.
September 30 2020
How to specify screen size ?
November 18 2020
Hey there Prakul. You can check this link here.
October 23 2020
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February 02 2021
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December 19 2020
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February 09 2021
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I am taking a frontend course and today is the linking to CSS portion for me. I have come across a few methods of linking, but excelling is Merky M’s. I like the data used and so, from now on when I used the linking method I learned here today, I will call it the Merky M method of stylesheet linking. This is the first time I have ever seen it spelled out. It is usually style or styles, I like that it is spelled out, it seems professional to me. So, it’s the Merky M method of stylesheet linking for me, if they don’t like they can lump it. Oh, and I’ve never seen the media element used anywhere and that’s also professional. So, thanks Merky M great job showing a neophyte the right way to do things.
Thank you homie i appreciate the help. You saved me some time with having the code already pieced together. I still read your article though. God bless you.
How To Add CSS
When a browser reads a style sheet, it will format the HTML document according to the information in the style sheet.
Three Ways to Insert CSS
There are three ways of inserting a style sheet:
- External CSS
- Internal CSS
- Inline CSS
External CSS
With an external style sheet, you can change the look of an entire website by changing just one file!
Each HTML page must include a reference to the external style sheet file inside the <link> element, inside the head section.
Example
External styles are defined within the <link> element, inside the <head> section of an HTML page:
<h1>This is a heading</h1>
<p>This is a paragraph.</p>
An external style sheet can be written in any text editor, and must be saved with a .css extension.
The external .css file should not contain any HTML tags.
Here is how the "mystyle.css" file looks:
"mystyle.css"
body <
background-color: lightblue;
>
h1 <
color: navy;
margin-left: 20px;
>
Note: Do not add a space between the property value (20) and the unit (px):
Incorrect (space): margin-left: 20 px;
Correct (no space): margin-left: 20px;
Internal CSS
An internal style sheet may be used if one single HTML page has a unique style.
The internal style is defined inside the <style> element, inside the head section.
Example
Internal styles are defined within the <style> element, inside the <head> section of an HTML page:
<h1>This is a heading</h1>
<p>This is a paragraph.</p>
Inline CSS
An inline style may be used to apply a unique style for a single element.
To use inline styles, add the style attribute to the relevant element. The style attribute can contain any CSS property.
Example
Inline styles are defined within the "style" attribute of the relevant element:
<h1 style="color:blue;text-align:center;">This is a heading</h1>
<p style="color:red;">This is a paragraph.</p>
Tip: An inline style loses many of the advantages of a style sheet (by mixing content with presentation). Use this method sparingly.
Multiple Style Sheets
If some properties have been defined for the same selector (element) in different style sheets, the value from the last read style sheet will be used.
Assume that an external style sheet has the following style for the <h1> element:
Then, assume that an internal style sheet also has the following style for the <h1> element:
Example
If the internal style is defined after the link to the external style sheet, the <h1> elements will be "orange":
Example
However, if the internal style is defined before the link to the external style sheet, the <h1> elements will be "navy":
Cascading Order
What style will be used when there is more than one style specified for an HTML element?
All the styles in a page will "cascade" into a new "virtual" style sheet by the following rules, where number one has the highest priority:
- Inline style (inside an HTML element)
- External and internal style sheets (in the head section)
- Browser default
So, an inline style has the highest priority, and will override external and internal styles and browser defaults.
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How to Link CSS to HTML – Stylesheet File Linking
Kolade Chris
HTML is the markup language that helps you define the structure of a web page. CSS is the stylesheet language you use to make the structure presentable and nicely laid out.
To make the stylings you implement with CSS reflect in the HTML, you have to find a way to link the CSS to the HTML.
You can do the linking by writing inline CSS, internal CSS, or external CSS.
It is a best practice to keep your CSS separate from your HTML, so this article focuses on how you can link that external CSS to your HTML.
How to Link CSS to HTML
To link your CSS to your HTML, you have to use the link tag with some relevant attributes.
The link tag is a self-closing tag you should put at the head section of your HTML.
To link CSS to HTML with it, this is how you do it:
Place the link tag at the head section of your HTML as shown below:
Attributes of the Link Tag
The rel Attribute
rel is the relationship between the external file and the current file. For CSS, you use stylesheet . For example, rel=»stylesheet» .
The type Attribute
type is the type of the document you are linking to the HTML. For CSS, it is text/css . For example type=»text/css» .
The href Attribute
href stands for “hypertext reference”. You use it to specify the location of the CSS file and the file name. It is a clickable link, so you can also hold CTRL and click it to view the CSS file.
For example, href=»styles.css» if the CSS file is located in the same folder as the HTML file. Or href=»folder/styles.css» if the CSS file is located on another folder.
Final Thoughts
This article showed you how to properly link an external CSS file to HTML with the link tag and the necessary attributes.
We also took a look at what each of the attributes means, so you don’t just use them without knowing how they work.
Link to CSS and JavaScript in an HTML File
The purpose of this tutorial is to teach you how to link to CSS and JavaScript files within an HTML file. It is possible to write CSS and JavaScript directly inside an HTML document, but it is generally best to keep these three languages in their own separate files.
Contents
- Directory and File Structure
- HTML
- CSS
- JavaScript
1. Directory and File Structure
It is a good idea to keep your HTML, CSS, and JavaScript files in separate directories. Create a directory for your project called css-and-js . Inside this directory, create three additional directories. Call them html , css , and javascript .
Inside your html directory, create a file called css-and-js.html . Inside your css directory, create a file called styles.css . And inside your javascript directory, create a file called script.js .
2. HTML
In order to link to your CSS and JavaScript files, you will need an HTML document within which to work. Open css-and-js.html and enter the following HTML:
Be sure to save your work any time you add code to your files. In the next two sections, we will go over what you need to add to your HTML document in order to link to your CSS and JavaScript.
3. CSS
First, you will need to add something in the body of your HTML to apply styling to. On the next line after the opening <body> tag, indent and add the following:
As it stands, this text will appear in the color defined as the root color in the browser’s default stylesheet – usually black. In order to change the color of the text, open your styles.css file and add:
The final step in this section is to link to the CSS file inside your HTML document. Enter the following in the <head> section on the line after the closing </title> tag:
The <link> element must be placed in the <head> section of the document. Notice that the <link> element is an empty element, so it does not need a closing tag.
The rel attribute defines the relationship between the resource and the HTML document. The href attribute points to your CSS file.
Since the file is located in another directory, you must specify the path by going up one directory using two dots ( .. ), followed by a slash ( / ), the directory your CSS file is in ( css ), another slash, and then your CSS file name ( styles.css ): href=‘../css/styles.css’ .
This is what your HTML document should look like so far:
4. JavaScript
Next, you will need to add some code to your JavaScript file. Open script.js and add:
Save your work and navigate back to your HTML document. The final step is to link to the JavaScript file inside your HTML document. Enter the following in the <body> section on the line after the <h1> element:
It is considered the best practice to place the <script> element in the <body> section just before the closing </body> tag.
The src attribute points to your JavaScript file.
Since the JavaScript file is located in another directory, you must specify the path in the src attribute: src=’../javascript/script.js’ .
That’s the last bit of code you will need to enter. This is what your HTML document should look like:
Be sure to save your work in each of your three files. Now it’s time to see if the links work. Open your css-and-js.html file in the browser of your choice. When you open the file in your browser, you should first encounter an alert box with the message you wrote in your JavaScript file. After clicking OK, the text you entered in the <body> of your HTML should appear red.
If the alert box does not appear or if the <body> text is not red, go back through the steps in this tutorial to ensure everything is entered exactly as shown here.
Congratulations! You’ve now linked to CSS and JavaScript files within an HTML document.