Tags for this article: css, html, style sheets, tutorial, web design, website, xhtml
CSS was developed to make a way for Web developers to define their feel and look of their own WebPages in the year 1997. Its main intention was to separate design from content so that HTML performs more functions that was initially based on- the content mark up, without worrying much about layout and design.
Until 2000 CSS didn’t gain much fame, when Web Browsers started using more of color aspects and basic front of CSS. At present all modern browsers support all the levels of CSS like CSS level 1, CSS level 2 and CSS level 3. Web designers who weren’t using CSS for their development and design are becoming the matter of past and it pretty important to understand and learn CSS as it is known to HTML.
CSS- Cascading Style Sheet
Here style sheet directly refers to documents. For document designs, style sheets are in the use for many years. For a layout, these sheets are the technical specifications whether it may be online or print.
Cascading is one of the special parts. The intention of Web style sheets are to cascade through a number of style sheets. Each and every Webpage is affected by one style sheet at least, even if no styles are applied by the Web designer. These style sheets are the user agent sheets (default styles which are used to be displayed if no instructions are provided). If at all a designer gives the other instructions; here the browser should know which of the instructions are in precedence.
Why CSS used?
To style WebPages, CSS is used but there is more to CSS. CSS is also used to style XML and XHTML markup; this means to you that, if anywhere there is XHTML or XML mark up, CSS can be used to describe how it will appear. CSS is used in defining how WebPages should look like, when Webpage is viewed from other media than in a browser.
For example: you will be able to create a print sheet which is styled, which will describe how the WebPages will be printed out and another styled sheet where the Webpage will be displayed on a projector for the purpose of slide show.
Why is CSS vital?
It is one of the powerful tools available. A Web designer must or should learn CSS because as it affects the whole tone and mood of a particular Website. Well, a written style sheets can be quickly updated and allows the site to change what is preceded or without valuing the changes to the XHTML.
Challenge before the person who wants to learn CSS is, there is a lot to be learned but when you start learning it doesn’t seems to be bulky. In CSS level 1 there are 60 properties and in CSS level 2 there are 70 properties. Compared to attributes and HTML tags, learning CSS is a cake walk.
As CSS combines, cascades and the browsers here interpret the directives in a different way, CSS will be little tougher than what is Plain HTML is. Once the power of CSS is utilized you will come to what is CSS?