# Getting started with CSS
An external CSS stylesheet can be applied to any number of HTML documents by placing a <link> element in each HTML document.
The attribute rel of the <link> tag has to be set to "stylesheet" , and the href attribute to the relative or absolute path to the stylesheet. While using relative URL paths is generally considered good practice, absolute paths can be used, too. In HTML5 the type attribute can be omitted
It is recommended that the <link> tag be placed in the HTML file’s <head> tag so that the styles are loaded before the elements they style. Otherwise, users will see a flash of unstyled content
# Example
hello-world.html
style.css
Make sure you include the correct path to your CSS file in the href. If the CSS file is in the same folder as your HTML file then no path is required (like the example above) but if it’s saved in a folder, then specify it like this href="foldername/style.css" .
External stylesheets are considered the best way to handle your CSS. There’s a very simple reason for this: when you’re managing a site of, say, 100 pages, all controlled by a single stylesheet, and you want to change your link colors from blue to green, it’s a lot easier to make the change in your CSS file and let the changes "cascade" throughout all 100 pages than it is to go into 100 separate pages and make the same change 100 times. Again, if you want to completely change the look of your website, you only need to update this one file.
You can load as many CSS files in your HTML page as needed.
CSS rules are applied with some basic rules, and order does matter. For example, if you have a main.css file with some code in it:
All your paragraphs with the ‘green’ class will be written in light green, but you can override this with another .css file just by including it after main.css. You can have override.css with the following code follow main.css, for example:
Now all your paragraphs with the ‘green’ class will be written in darker green rather than light green.
Other principles apply, such as the ‘!important’ rule, specificity, and inheritance.
When someone first visits your website, their browser downloads the HTML of the current page plus the linked CSS file. Then when they navigate to another page, their browser only needs to download the HTML of that page; the CSS file is cached, so it does not need to be downloaded again. Since browsers cache the external stylesheet, your pages load faster.
# Internal Styles
CSS enclosed in <style></style> tags within an HTML document functions like an external stylesheet, except that it lives in the HTML document it styles instead of in a separate file, and therefore can only be applied to the document in which it lives. Note that this element must be inside the <head> element for HTML validation (though it will work in all current browsers if placed in body ).
# CSS @import rule (one of CSS at-rule)
The @import CSS at-rule is used to import style rules from other style sheets. These rules must precede all other types of rules, except @charset rules; as it is not a nested statement, @import cannot be used inside conditional group at-rules. @import
# How to use @import
You can use @import rule in following ways:
A. With internal style tag
B. With external stylesheet
The following line imports a CSS file named additional-styles.css in the root directory into the CSS file in which it appears:
Importing external CSS is also possible. A common use case are font files.
An optional second argument to @import rule is a list of media queries:
# Inline Styles
Use inline styles to apply styling to a specific element. Note that this is not optimal. Placing style rules in a <style> tag or external CSS file is encouraged in order to maintain a distinction between content and presentation.
Inline styles override any CSS in a <style> tag or external style sheet. While this can be useful in some circumstances, this fact more often than not reduces a project’s maintainability.
The styles in the following example apply directly to the elements to which they are attached.
Inline styles are generally the safest way to ensure rendering compatibility across various email clients, programs and devices, but can be time-consuming to write and a bit challenging to manage.
# Changing CSS with JavaScript
# Pure JavaScript
It’s possible to add, remove or change CSS property values with JavaScript through an element’s style property.
Note that style properties are named in lower camel case style. In the example you see that the css property font-family becomes fontFamily in javascript.
As an alternative to working directly on elements, you can create a <style> or <link> element in JavaScript and append it to the <body> or <head> of the HTML document.
# jQuery
Modifying CSS properties with jQuery is even simpler.
If you need to change more than one style rule:
jQuery includes two ways to change css rules that have hyphens in them (i.e. font-size ). You can put them in quotes or camel-case the style rule name.
# See also
# Styling Lists with CSS
There are three different properties for styling list-items: list-style-type , list-style-image , and list-style-position , which should be declared in that order. The default values are disc, outside, and none, respectively. Each property can be declared separately, or using the list-style shorthand property.
list-style-type defines the shape or type of bullet point used for each list-item.
Some of the acceptable values for list-style-type :
- disc
- circle
- square
- decimal
- lower-roman
- upper-roman
- none
(For an exhaustive list, see the W3C specification wiki
To use square bullet points for each list-item, for example, you would use the following property-value pair:
The list-style-image property determines whether the list-item icon is set with an image, and accepts a value of none or a URL that points to an image.
The list-style-position property defines where to position the list-item marker, and it accepts one of two values: "inside" or "outside".
# Remarks
Styles can be authored in several ways, allowing for varying degrees of reuse and scope when they are specified in a source HTML document. External stylesheets can be reused across HTML documents. Embedded stylesheets apply to the entire document in which they are specified. Inline styles apply only to the individual HTML element on which they are specified.
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
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November 18 2020
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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 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.
Тег <link> HTML подключение внешнего файла, ресурса
Тег <link> в HTML используется для связи текущего документа (страницы) с внешним ресурсом.
Чаще всего HTML тег <link> используют для подключения каскадных таблиц стилей CSS.
Тег <link> должен быть расположен внутри тега <head> . Можно использовать неограниченное количество элементов link HTML на одной странице.
Синтаксис
Основные вариации тега link
Ниже представлены распространенные случаи использования тега <link> .
Подключение внешнего файла таблиц стилей CSS
Наиболее употребляемый вариант тега link — подключение к HTML документу файла стилей CSS. Для этого используются атрибуты rel=»stylesheet» и type=»text/css» .
Подробнее о способах подключения таблиц стилей CSS читайте в статье: Подключение стилей CSS к HTML документу. Как подключить CSS файл.
Подключение иконки документа favicon
С помощью конструкции ниже, подключается иконка (favicon, фавикон), которая будет выведена в заголовке вкладки возле названия документа (страницы).
Указание альтернативной версии HTML документа
Часто используется для указания иноязычной версии документа (версии страницы на другом языке). Для этого используется атрибут тега <link> rel=»alternate» и hreflang=»код_языка» .
Пример использования тега <link> в HTML коде
Поддержка браузерами
| Тег | |||||
| <link> | Да | Да | Да | Да | Да |
Атрибуты тега <link>
Определяет как будут обрабатываться запросы, использующие CORS .
- anonymous — без отправки учетных данных;
- use-credentials — с отправкой учетных данных.
Обязательный атрибут. Определяет отношение текущего ресурса к прикрепленному (чем является прикрепленный ресурс для текущего).
- alternate — альтернативная версия документа. Например, страница на другом языке, версия страницы для печати, зеркало;
- author — ссылка на автора страницы;
- dns-prefetch — предварительная конвертация домена связанного файла в IP через DNS (ускоряет дальнейшую загрузку подключаемого файла);
- help — ссылка на справку;
- icon — подключение иконки документа. Иконка обычно выводится возле названия страницы в списке вкладок;
- license — ссылка на документ, содержащий правовую информацию о текущем документе;
- next — следующий документ (для документов, объединенных в последовательность);
- pingback — адрес ресурса, отвечающего за обработку pingback текущего документа;
- preconnect — предварительная установка TCP, TLS связи со связанным файлом (ускоряет дальнейшую загрузку подключаемого файла);
- prefetch — предварительная загрузка файла с дальнейшим кешированием с низким приоритетом. Позволяет не ждать загрузки файла в момент первого использования;
- preload — предварительная загрузка файла. Позволяет не ждать загрузки файла в момент первого использования файла;
- prerender — предварительная загрузка и рендер. Браузер предварительно загрузит страницу по ссылке и подключенные к ней файлы, построит DOM дерево. При дальнейшем переходе на эту страницу, она загрузится (будет доступна) моментально;
- prev — предыдущий документ (для документов, объединенных в последовательность);
- search — ссылка на ресурс, способный выполнить поиск по текущему документу;
- stylesheet — подключение каскадных таблиц стилей CSS.
Указывает размер прикрепляемых иконок.
Формат: значение ширины в пикселях, латинская буква «x» (большая или маленькая), значение высоты в пикселях. Можно указывать несколько размеров через пробел.
Для масштабируемых иконок используется значение «any».
Определяет тип содержимого тега.
Для подключения таблиц стилей используется значение: «text/css».
Устаревшие атрибуты
alternate
author
dns-prefetch
help
icon
license
next
pingback
preconnect
prefetch
preload
prerender
prev
search
stylesheet
Определяет отношение прикрепленного ресурса к текущему (чем является текущий ресурс для прикрепленного).