Selected CSS Attributes

Part of the HTML, XHTML, and CSS All-in-One For Dummies Cheat Sheet

CSS (Cascading Style Sheets) helps you create dynamic Web pages and gives you more control over how a Web page looks and acts. Knowing CSS attributes and how to use them is key to making your Web page designing life a little easier. The table here shows commonly used attributes and their functions:

Attribute	Function
margin	Defines space between element border and parent (left, right, top, bottom variations)
padding	Defines space between contents and border (with variants)
border: size color style	Defines a border. Styles: none, dotted, dashed, solid, double, groove, ridge, inset, and outset.
color	Foreground color: color name or hex value
background-color	Background color: color name or hex value
background-image: url(filename)	Sets image indicated by filename as background image
background-repeat	Indicates how background image will repeat: repeat, repeat-x, repeat-y, and no-repeat
font-family	Font name: sans-serif, serif, monospace, cursive, and fantasy
font-size	Font size (best specified in ems or percent)
font-style	Set italics: none, italic, and oblique
font-weight	Set boldness: lighter, normal, bold, and bolder (100–900)
text-align	Alignment: left, right, center, and justify. Works on content, not a block
text-decoration	Adds decoration to text: none, underline, overline, line-through, and blink
display	Defines how element is displayed: none, block, and inline
position	Describes positioning scheme: absolute and relative
left, top, right, bottom	Indicates position of element (must set position absolute or relative first)
float	Removes element from normal layout and floats it in a direction: left and right
height, width	Specifies the height and width of an element. Important for floated elements.
clear	Force this floated element to position: left, right, and both