1
2001-2003 Marty Hall, Larry Brown [Link]
core
programming
Cascading
Style Sheets
Cascading Style Sheets 2
[Link]
Agenda
Specifying style sheet rules
External and inline style specifications
Creating new HTML elements through style
sheet classes
Specifying font and text properties
Controlling foreground and background
properties
Netscape LAYERs
Creating layers through style sheets
Cascading Style Sheets 3
[Link]
Benefits of Cascading Style
Sheets
Powerful and flexible way to specify the
formatting of HTML elements
Can define font, size, background color, background
image, margins, etc.
Share style sheets across multiple
documents or entire Web site
Can specify a class definition for a style,
effectively defining new HTML elements
Rules are applied in a hierarchical manner
(precedence rules)
Cascading Style Sheets 4
[Link]
Cascading Style Sheets
CSS, Level 1 (1996)
Concerned with applying simple styles to HTML elements
[Link]
CSS, Level 2 (1998)
Supports media-specific style sheets (visual browsers, aural devices,
printers, braille devices)
[Link]
CSS, Level 3 (draft 2001)
Focused on modularization of the CSS specification
[Link]
Note:
CSS1 is supported by Netscape and Internet Explorer 4.x and above
See [Link]
for a summary of browser compatibility
Cascading Style Sheets 5
[Link]
Specifying Style Rules
General form of rule
selector { property: value }
or
selector { property1: value1;
property2: value2;
...
propertyN: valueN }
Example
H1 { text-align: center;
color: blue }
Cascading Style Sheets 6
[Link]
[Link], Example
(no style sheet)
<!DOCTYPE HTML PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.0 Transitional//EN">
<HTML>
<HEAD>
<TITLE>New Advances in Physics</TITLE>
</HEAD>
<BODY>
<H1>New Advances in Physics</H1>
<H2>Turning Gold into Lead</H2>
In a startling breakthrough, scientist B.O. "Gus" Fizzics
has invented a <STRONG>practical</STRONG> technique for
transmutation! For more details, please see
<A HREF="[Link]">our transmutation thesis</A>.
...
</BODY>
</HTML>
Cascading Style Sheets 7
[Link]
[Link], Result
(no style sheet)
Cascading Style Sheets 8
[Link]
[Link], Example
(with style sheet)
Style information
<HEAD>
<TITLE>Document Title</TITLE>
<STYLE TYPE="text/css">
<!--
BODY { background: URL(images/[Link]) }
H1 { text-align: center;
font-family: Blackout }
H2 { font-family: MeppDisplayShadow }
STRONG { text-decoration: underline }
-->
</STYLE>
</HEAD>
Cascading Style Sheets 9
[Link]
[Link], Result
(with style sheet)
Cascading Style Sheets 10
[Link]
External Style Sheets
Specify link to external style sheet in the HEAD
section of the HTML document
<LINK REL=STYLESHEET
HREF="[Link]" // Absolute or relative link
TYPE="text/css">
[Link]
/* Example of an external style sheet */
H1 { text-align: center;
font-family: Arial
}
H2 { color: #440000;
text-align: center;
font-family: Arial Black, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif
}
...
Cascading Style Sheets 11
[Link]
Inline Style Specification
Use the STYLE attribute defined for each
HTML element to directly specify the style
Example
...
<H1>New Advances in Physics</H1>
<P STYLE="margin-left: 0.5in;
margin-right: 0.5in;
font-style: italic">
This paper gives the solution to three
previously unsolved problems: turning lead into gold,
antigravity, and a practical perpetual motion machine.
...
Cascading Style Sheets 12
[Link]
Defining Style Classes
To define an element style class proceed
the HTML element by a period and class
name
// Define an "abstract" paragraph type
[Link] { margin-left: 0.5in;
margin-right: 0.5in;
font-style: italic }
To use, supply the name of the style class in
the CLASS attribute of the HTML element
<H1>New Advances in Physics</H1>
<P CLASS="abstract">
This paper gives the solution to three previously
unsolved problems: turning lead into gold,
antigravity, and a practical perpetual motion machine.
Cascading Style Sheets 13
[Link]
Defining Style Classes
To define a global style class, omit the
element name
// Style available to all elements
.blue { color: blue; font-weight: bold }
To use, simple specify the style class in the
CLASS attribute of the HTML element
<H2 CLASS="blue">A Blue Heading</H2>
<!-- Apply to a section of text -->
This text is in the default color, but
<SPAN CLASS="blue">this text is blue.</SPAN>
Cascading Style Sheets 14
[Link]
Defining Styles through
User-Defined IDs
An ID is like a class but can be applied only
once in a document
<HEAD>
<TITLE>...</TITLE>
<STYLE TYPE="text/css">
<!--
#foo { color: red }
-->
</STYLE>
</HEAD>
<BODY>
...
<P ID="foo">
...
</BODY>
Cascading Style Sheets 15
[Link]
Style Sheet Precedence Rules
1. Rules marked important have the highest
priority (rarely used)
H1 { color: black !important;
font-family: sans-serif }
2. Author rules have precedence over reader
rules
Style sheet rules override browser preferences
Cascading Style Sheets 16
[Link]
Style Sheet Precedence Rules,
cont.
3. More specific rules have precedence over
less specific rules
#foo { ... } // ID selector highest priority
[Link] H1 { ... } // Class higher over element
P STRONG { ... } // Two tags higher than single tag
STRONG { ... }
4. In case of tie, the last rule has priority
Cascading Style Sheets 17
[Link]
Useful Font Properties
font-weight
Relative weight (boldness) of font
normal | lighter | bold | bolder | 100 | 200 | ... | 900
H1 { font-weight : 200 }
H2 { font-weight : bolder }
font-style
Font face type within a family
normal | italic | oblique
P { font-style : normal }
TH { font-sytle : italic }
Cascading Style Sheets 18
[Link]
Useful Font Properties, cont.
font-size
Either relative or absolute size of font
pt, pc, in, cm, mm | em, ex, px, % |
xx-large | x-large | large | medium | small | x-small |
xx-small | smaller | larger
STRONG { font-size: 150% }
P { font-size: 14pt }
P { font-size: xx-large }
font-family
Typeface family for the font
H1 { font-family: Arial }
Cascading Style Sheets 19
[Link]
[Link], Example
<!DOCTYPE HTML PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.0 Transitional//EN">
<HTML>
<HEAD>
<TITLE>Camp Bear Claw</TITLE>
<LINK REL=STYLESHEET HREF="[Link]" TYPE="text/css">
</HEAD>
<BODY>
<H1>Camp Bear Claw</H1>
We have the following activities:
<H2 CLASS="archery">Archery</H2>
<H2 CLASS="arts">Arts and Crafts</H2>
<H2 CLASS="horseback">Horseback Riding</H2>
<H2 CLASS="hiking">Hiking</H2>
<H2 CLASS="campfire">Campfire Song Times</H2>
<H2 CLASS="java">Java Programming</H2>
</BODY>
</HTML>
Cascading Style Sheets 20
[Link]
[Link]
H1 { text-align: center;
font-family: Funstuff }
[Link] { font-family: ArcheryDisplay }
[Link] { font-family: ClampettsDisplay }
[Link] { font-family: Rodeo }
[Link] { font-family: SnowtopCaps }
[Link] { font-family: Music Hall }
[Link] { font-family: Digiface }
Cascading Style Sheets 21
[Link]
[Link], Result
Cascading Style Sheets 22
[Link]
Useful Text Properties
text-decoration
Describes text additions or decorations that are added
to the text of an element
none | underline | overline | line-through | blink
P { text-decoration: underline }
vertical-align
Determines how elements are positioned vertically
top | bottom | baseline | middle | sub | super | text-top |
text-bottom | %
text-align
Determines how paragraphs are positioned horizontally
left | right | center | justify
Cascading Style Sheets 23
[Link]
Useful Text Properties, cont.
text-indent
Specifies the indentation of the first line of the paragraph
+/ pt, pc, in, cm, mm | +/ em, ex, px, %
P { text-indent: -25px } /* Hanging indent */
line-height
Specifies the distance between two consecutive baselines
in a paragraph
normal | number | pt, pc, in, cm, mm | em, ex, px, %
.double { line-height: 200% }
.triple { line-height: 3 } /* 3x the font size */
DIV { line-height: 1.5em }
Cascading Style Sheets 24
[Link]
[Link]
<!DOCTYPE HTML PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.0 Transitional//EN">
<HTML>
<HEAD>
<TITLE>An Open Letter to the IRS</TITLE>
<LINK REL=STYLESHEET HREF="[Link]" TYPE="text/css">
</HEAD>
<BODY BACKGROUND="images/[Link]">
<P CLASS="rhead">
April 1, 2001
<HR>
<P CLASS="rhead">
William A. Bates<BR>
Macrosoft Corporation<BR>
Blumond, WA 12345
<P CLASS="lhead">
Internal Revenue Service<BR>
Philadelphia, PA 67890
<P>
<BR>
Dear Sirs,
<P CLASS="body">
I am writing to inform you that, due to financial difficulties,
...
Cascading Style Sheets 25
[Link]
[Link]
P { margin-top: 5px }
[Link] { text-align: right;
margin-right: 0.5in;
font-family: sans-serif }
[Link] { font-family: sans-serif }
[Link] { text-align: justify;
text-indent: 0.5in }
[Link] { margin-left: 60%;
line-height: 300% }
Cascading Style Sheets 26
[Link]
[Link]
Cascading Style Sheets 27
[Link]
Useful Foreground and
Background Properties
color
Color of the text or foreground color
color-name | #RRGGBB | #RGB | rgb(rrr, ggg, bbb) |
rgb(rrr%, ggg%, bbb%)
P { color : blue }
H1 { color : #00AABB }
H3 { color : rgb(255, 0, 0 ) } /* red */
background-image
none | url(filename)
Specifies an image to use as the background of region
H2 { background-image: url([Link]);}
Cascading Style Sheets 28
[Link]
Useful Foreground and
Background Properties, cont.
background-repeat
Specifies how to tile the image in the region
repeat | repeat-x | repeat-y | norepeat
BODY {
background-image: url([Link]);
background-repeat: repeat-x;
}
background
Lets you combine properties in a single entry
P { background: url([Link]) repeat-x }
Cascading Style Sheets 29
[Link]
[Link], Example
<!DOCTYPE HTML PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.0 Transitional//EN">
<HTML>
<HEAD>
<TITLE>Joe's Cabinets</TITLE>
<LINK REL=STYLESHEET HREF="[Link]" TYPE="text/css">
</HEAD>
<BODY>
<CENTER>
<TABLE WIDTH=360 HEIGHT=199>
<TR><TD ALIGN="CENTER" CLASS="banner">Joe's Cabinets
</TABLE>
</CENTER>
<P>
Welcome to Joe's Cabinets. We specialize in
<UL>
<LI>Custom Cabinets
<LI>Kitchen Remodeling
<!-- Etc -->
</UL>
<!-- Etc -->
</BODY>
</HTML>
Cascading Style Sheets 30
[Link]
[Link]
.banner { background: url(images/[Link]) repeat-x;
font-size: 50pt;
font-family: Arial Rounded MT Bold }
Cascading Style Sheets 31
[Link]
[Link], Result
Cascading Style Sheets 32
[Link]
Properties of the Bounding Box
CSS assume that all elements result in one
or more rectangular regions (bounding box)
Styles can specify the margins, borders,
and padding of the bounding box
P { margin: 0.25in;
border: 0.25in solid black;
padding: 0.25in;
background: URL(images/[Link]) }
Cascading Style Sheets 33
[Link]
The Bounding Box
Cascading Style Sheets 34
[Link]
Images and Floating Elements
width, height
Specify a fixed size for an element (usually an image)
auto | pt, pc, in, cm, mm | em, ex, px
[Link] { width: 50px; height: 50px }
float
This property lets elements float into the left or right
margins where the text wrapping arounds
none | left | right
Cascading Style Sheets 35
[Link]
[Link]
<!DOCTYPE HTML PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.0 Transitional//EN">
<HTML>
<HEAD>
<TITLE>The 23rd Psalm</TITLE>
<STYLE>
<!--
SPAN { float: left;
font-family: "Cushing Book";
font-size: 75pt }
-->
</STYLE>
</HEAD>
<BODY>
<H2 ALIGN="CENTER">
The 23rd Psalm (King James Version)</H2>
<SPAN>T</SPAN>he LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want.
He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me
beside the still waters. He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me
in the paths of righteousness for his name's sake. Yea,
Cascading Style Sheets 36
[Link]
[Link], Result
The float property can be used
to implement drop caps
Cascading Style Sheets 37
[Link]
Effect of Paragraph Breaks,
Example, cont.
Adding a <P> element simply
continues the flow
Adding <P STYLE="clear: left">
forces the next paragraph to start after
the floating element
Cascading Style Sheets 38
[Link]
Netscape Layers
Layers (LAYER and ILAYER elements) allow
you to:
Place HTML markup in separate regions
Position each region on the page
LAYER and ILAYER are only supported in
Netscape 4
Layers are not supported in Internet Explorer or
Netscape 6
Cascading Style Sheets 39
[Link]
LAYER and ILAYER
LAYER element
The LAYER element creates regions that have an
absolute position with respect to the window or parent
layer
ILAYER
The ILAYER element creates inline layers (regions that
are embedded in the flow of the text)
Cascading Style Sheets 40
[Link]
LAYER, Example
<!DOCTYPE HTML PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.0 Transitional//EN">
<HTML>
<HEAD>
<TITLE>Using ABOVE and BELOW</TITLE>
</HEAD>
<BODY>
<H1>Using <CODE>ABOVE</CODE> and <CODE>BELOW</CODE></H1>
<LAYER ID="Top" LEFT=60 TOP=120
WIDTH=500 HEIGHT=100 BGCOLOR="#F5DEB3">
This layer is on top, even though it appears
first in the HTML document.
</LAYER>
<LAYER ID="Bottom" ABOVE="Top" LEFT=10 TOP=70
WIDTH=500 HEIGHT=100 BGCOLOR="gray">
This layer is on the bottom, even though it appears
second in the HTML document.
</LAYER>
</BODY>
</HTML>
Cascading Style Sheets 41
[Link]
LAYER, Result
Netscape 4 layers can specify the relative order of the layers.
Cascading Style Sheets 42
[Link]
ILAYER, Example
<!DOCTYPE HTML PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.0 Transitional//EN">
<HTML>
<HEAD>
<TITLE>Row, Row, Row Your Boat</TITLE>
</HEAD>
<BODY>
<IMG SRC="images/[Link]" ALIGN="RIGHT">
<HR>
<B>Row, Row, Row Your Boat</B><BR>
Row, row, row your boat<BR>
Gently
<ILAYER TOP=10>down</ILAYER>
<ILAYER TOP=20>the</ILAYER>
<ILAYER TOP=30>stream<BR>
Merrily, merrily, merrily, merrily<BR>
Life is but a dream<BR>
<HR>
</ILAYER>
</BODY>
</HTML>
Cascading Style Sheets 43
[Link]
ILAYER, Result
Using TOP in ILAYER can move text up or down in the
current paragraph.
Cascading Style Sheets 44
[Link]
Specifying Layers with Style
Sheets
Style sheets provide an alternative to
LAYER and ILAYER elements
Style sheet layers are supported by both Netscape and
Internet Explorer
However, Netscape layers are more complete
No equivalent style for PAGEX and PAGEY for
positioning
Problem
Netscape and IE use a different object model to refer to
layers
See [Link] for
creating cross-browser layers
Cascading Style Sheets 45
[Link]
Creating a Style Sheet Layer
Use an ID tag format to define a style
#layer1 { position: absolute;
left: 50px; top: 75px;
... }
Define the layer through a DIV or SPAN
element
<SPAN ID="layer1">
...
</SPAN>
<DIV ID="layer2">
...
</DIV>
Cascading Style Sheets 46
[Link]
Useful Layer Properties
left, top
Specifies the left and top sides of the layer relative to the
parent window
position
Describes how the position is defined to the parent
window
absolute, relative, static
visibility
Determines whether a layer is visible or hidden
visible, hidden, inherit
Cascading Style Sheets 47
[Link]
Dynamically Changing a
Layers Visibility, Example
<!DOCTYPE HTML PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.0 Transitional//EN">
<HTML>
<HEAD>
<TITLE>Changing Visibility Dynamically</TITLE>
<STYLE>
<!--
#layer1 { position: absolute; left: 0.25in; top: 1.5in;
color: black; background-color: #F5DEB3;
visibility: hidden }
#layer2 { position: absolute; left: 0.25in; top: 1.5in;
color: #F5DEB3; background-color: black;
visibility: hidden }
H1 { text-align: center;
font-family: Arial }
FORM { text-align: center }
-->
</STYLE>
...
Cascading Style Sheets 48
[Link]
Dynamically Changing a
Layers Visibility, Example
<SCRIPT TYPE="text/javascript">
<!--
function display(value1, value2){
if([Link]) { // Test for Netscape.
[Link] = value1;
[Link] = value2;
} else {
[Link] = value1;
[Link] = value2;
}
}
//-->
</SCRIPT>
</HEAD>
<BODY BGCOLOR="WHITE">
<H1>Changing Visibility Dynamically</H1>
<FORM>
<INPUT TYPE="BUTTON" VALUE="Show Layer1"
onClick="display('visible', 'hidden')">
<INPUT TYPE="BUTTON" VALUE="Show Layer2"
onClick="display('hidden', 'visible')">
</FORM>
...
Cascading Style Sheets 49
[Link]
Dynamically Changing a
Layers Visibility, Example
...
<DIV ID="layer1">
<H1>This is layer1.</H1>
</DIV>
<DIV ID="layer2">
<H1>This is layer2.</H1>
</DIV>
</BODY>
</HTML>
Cascading Style Sheets 50
[Link]
Dynamically Changing a
Layers Visibility, Result
Selecting a button displays a hidden layer.
Cascading Style Sheets 51
[Link]
Appendix, Length Units
Unit Description
cm Centimeters (absolute unit)
em The height of the current font (relative unit)
ex The height of the letter x in the current font (relative unit)
in Inches (absolute unit)
mm Millimeters (absolute unit)
pc Picas; 6 picas per inch; 12 points per pica (absolute unit)
pt Points; 72 points per inch (absolute unit)
px Pixels (relative unit)
Cascading Style Sheets 52
[Link]
Summary
Through style sheets you can specify the
general formatting of HTML elements
Use external style sheets to share styles
across all documents in the Web site
Class definitions allow you to define
multiple styles for an HTML element
LAYERs are only supported by Netscape 5;
however, a viable alternative are style sheet
layers
53
2001-2003 Marty Hall, Larry Brown [Link]
core
programming
Questions?
