Element Selector in CSS

  • In CSS (Cascading Style Sheets), the element selector is a fundamental selector used to target and style specific HTML elements on a web page. It allows you to apply styles to all occurrences of a particular element type or tag.
  • The syntax for the element selector is straightforward. You simply use the name of the HTML element as the selector. For example, if you want to style all `<p>` elements (paragraphs) on your page, you would use the following CSS rule:


    p {
        /* CSS properties and values */
    }

Now, let's dive into the details of how the element selector works:

  • Targeting Element Types: The element selector targets all instances of a specific HTML element on the page. For example, if you use `h1` as the selector, it will select all `<h1>` (heading level 1) elements.


    h1 {
        /* CSS properties and values */
    }

  • Selecting Nested Elements: You can use the element selector in combination with other selectors to target specific elements that are nested inside other elements. This allows you to apply styles to specific elements within a particular context. For example, to target only the paragraphs within a `<div>` element, you can use:

    div p {
        /* CSS properties and values */
    }

  • This rule will apply styles to all `<p>` elements that are descendants of a `<div>` element.
  • Grouping Element Selectors: The element selector also allows you to group multiple element types together to apply the same styles to each of them. You can separate the element names with commas. For example, to apply styles to both `<h2>` and `<h3>` elements, you can use:

    h2, h3 {
        /* CSS properties and values */
    }

  • Specificity and Inheritance: The element selector has a lower specificity compared to other selectors like class selectors or ID selectors. This means that if you have conflicting styles applied to an element using different selectors, the more specific selector will take precedence. Additionally, styles applied to parent elements using other selectors (e.g., class or ID selectors) can be inherited by the nested elements, overriding the element selector styles.
  • Global Styling: The element selector can also be used to apply global styles to all instances of an element throughout the entire web page. For example, if you want to set a default font size for all paragraphs, you can use:


    p {
        font-size: 14px;
    }

  • Overall, the element selector is a powerful tool in CSS that allows you to target and style specific HTML elements or groups of elements. By understanding its usage and combining it with other selectors, you can create more specific and customized styles for your web pages.

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