CSS Selectors

CSS selectors are patterns used to select and target specific elements within an HTML or XML document. Selectors are an integral part of CSS as they determine which elements on a web page will be affected by the defined styles. Here are some commonly used CSS selectors:

1. Element Selector: Selects elements based on their HTML tag name. For example, to select all <h1> headings, you would use the selector h1.

2. Class Selector: Selects elements based on their class attribute. Classes are defined using the class attribute in HTML and are indicated in CSS with a dot (.) followed by the class name. For example, to select all elements with the class "example", you would use the selector .example.

3. ID Selector: Selects a single element based on its unique ID attribute. IDs are defined using the id attribute in HTML and are indicated in CSS with a hash (#) followed by the ID name. For example, to select an element with the ID "header", you would use the selector #header.

4. Descendant Selector: Selects elements that are descendants of another element. It is indicated by a space between two selectors. For example, ul li selects all <li> elements that are descendants of a <ul> element.

5. Child Selector: Selects elements that are direct children of another element. It is indicated by the greater-than symbol (>). For example, ul > li selects all <li> elements that are direct children of a <ul> element.

6. Adjacent Sibling Selector: Selects an element that immediately follows another element. It is indicated by a plus sign (+). For example, h2 + p selects the first <p> element that follows an <h2> element.

7. Attribute Selector: Selects elements based on their attribute values. It is indicated by square brackets ([]). For example, [type="text"] selects all elements with the attribute type set to "text".

8. Pseudo-classes: Selects elements based on a specific state or condition. Pseudo-classes are indicated by a colon (:) followed by the name of the pseudo-class. For example, a:hover selects an anchor element when it is being hovered over.

9. Pseudo-elements: Selects a specific part of an element or generates content before or after an element. Pseudo-elements are also indicated by a colon (:) followed by the name of the pseudo-element. For example, ::before inserts content before an element.

These are just a few examples of CSS selectors. There are many more selectors and combinations that can be used to target specific elements or groups of elements on a web page. CSS selectors provide a powerful way to apply styles selectively and precisely to create the desired visual presentation.