CSS Pseudo-classes

What are Pseudo-classes?

A pseudo-class is used to define a special state of an element.

For example, it can be used to:

  • Style an element when a user mouses over it
  • Style visited and unvisited links differently
  • Style an element when it gets focus

Syntax

The syntax of pseudo-classes:

selector:pseudo-class {
    property:value;
}

Anchor Pseudo-classes

Links can be displayed in different ways:

Example

/* unvisited link */
a:link {
    color: #FF0000;
}

/* visited link */
a:visited {
    color: #00FF00;
}

/* mouse over link */
a:hover {
    color: #FF00FF;
}

/* selected link */
a:active {
    color: #0000FF;
}

Note: a:hover MUST come after a:link and a:visited in the CSS definition in order to be effective! a:active MUST come after a:hover in the CSS definition in order to be effective! Pseudo-class names are not case-sensitive.

Pseudo-classes and CSS Classes

Pseudo-classes can be combined with CSS classes:

When you hover over the link in the example, it will change color:

Example

a.highlight:hover {
    color: #ff0000;
}

Hover on <div>

An example of using the :hover pseudo-class on a <div> element:

Example

div:hover {
    background-color: blue;
}

Simple Tooltip Hover

Hover over a <div> element to show a <p> element (like a tooltip):

Hover over me to show the <p> element.

Example

p {
    display: none;
    background-color: yellow;
    padding: 20px;
}

div:hover p {
    display: block;
}

CSS – The :first-child Pseudo-class

The :first-child pseudo-class matches a specified element that is the first child of another element.

Match the first <p> element

In the following example, the selector matches any <p> element that is the first child of any element:

Example

p:first-child {
    color: blue;
}

Match the first <i> element in all <p> elements

In the following example, the selector matches the first <i> element in all <p> elements:

Example

p i:first-child {
    color: blue;
}

Match all <i> elements in all first child <p> elements

In the following example, the selector matches all <i> elements in <p> elements that are the first child of another element:

Example

p:first-child i {
    color: blue;
}

CSS – The :lang Pseudo-class

The :lang pseudo-class allows you to define special rules for different languages.

In the example below, :lang defines the quotation marks for <q> elements with lang=”no”:

Example

Some text A quote in a paragraph Some text.

 



All CSS Pseudo Classes






Selector
Example
Example description




:active
a:active
Selects the active link




:checked
input:checked
Selects every checked <input> element




:disabled
input:disabled
Selects every disabled <input> element




:empty
p:empty
Selects every <p> element that has no children




:enabled
input:enabled
Selects every enabled <input> element




:first-child
p:first-child
Selects every <p> elements that is the first child of its parent




:first-of-type
p:first-of-type
Selects every <p> element that is the first <p> element of its parent




:focus
input:focus
Selects the <input> element that has focus




:hover
a:hover
Selects links on mouse over




:in-range
input:in-range
Selects <input> elements with a value within a specified range




:invalid
input:invalid
Selects all <input> elements with an invalid value




:lang(language)
p:lang(it)
Selects every <p> element with a lang attribute value starting with “it”




:last-child
p:last-child
Selects every <p> elements that is the last child of its parent




:last-of-type
p:last-of-type
Selects every <p> element that is the last <p> element of its parent




:link
a:link
Selects all unvisited links




:not(selector)
:not(p)
Selects every element that is not a <p> element




:nth-child(n)
p:nth-child(2)
Selects every <p> element that is the second child of its parent




:nth-last-child(n)
p:nth-last-child(2)
Selects every <p> element that is the second child of its parent, counting from the last child




:nth-last-of-type(n)
p:nth-last-of-type(2)
Selects every <p> element that is the second <p> element of its parent, counting from the last child




:nth-of-type(n)
p:nth-of-type(2)
Selects every <p> element that is the second <p> element of its parent




:only-of-type
p:only-of-type
Selects every <p> element that is the only <p> element of its parent




:only-child
p:only-child
Selects every <p> element that is the only child of its parent




:optional
input:optional
Selects <input> elements with no “required” attribute




:out-of-range
input:out-of-range
Selects <input> elements with a value outside a specified range




:read-only
input:read-only
Selects <input> elements with a “readonly” attribute specified




:read-write
input:read-write
Selects <input> elements with no “readonly” attribute




:required
input:required
Selects <input> elements with a “required” attribute specified




:root
root
Selects the document’s root element




:target
#news:target
Selects the current active #news element (clicked on a URL containing that anchor name)




:valid
input:valid
Selects all <input> elements with a valid value




:visited
a:visited
Selects all visited links






All CSS Pseudo Elements






Selector
Example
Example description




::after
p::after
Insert content after every <p> element




::before
p::before
Insert content before every <p> element




::first-letter
p::first-letter
Selects the first letter of every <p> element




::first-line
p::first-line
Selects the first line of every <p> element




::selection
p::selection
Selects the portion of an element that is selected by a user