CSS Pseudo-elements

CSS pseudo-elements are used to add special effects to some selectors.

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Syntax

The syntax of pseudo-elements:

selector:pseudo-element {property:value;}

CSS classes can also be used with pseudo-elements:

selector.class:pseudo-element {property:value;}

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The :first-line Pseudo-element

The "first-line" pseudo-element is used to add a special style to the first line of a text.

In the following example the browser formats the first line of text in a p element according to the style in the "first-line" pseudo-element (where the browser breaks the line, depends on the size of the browser window):

Example

p:first-line
{
color:#ff0000;
font-variant:small-caps;
}

Try it yourself »

Note: The "first-line" pseudo-element can only be used with block-level elements.

Note: The following properties apply to the "first-line" pseudo-element:

• font properties
• color properties 
• background properties
• word-spacing
• letter-spacing
• text-decoration
• vertical-align
• text-transform
• line-height
• clear

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The :first-letter Pseudo-element

The "first-letter" pseudo-element is used to add a special style to the first letter of a text:

Example

p:first-letter
{
color:#ff0000;
font-size:xx-large;
}

Try it yourself »

Note: The "first-letter" pseudo-element can only be used with block-level elements.

Note: The following properties apply to the "first-letter" pseudo- element:

• font properties
• color properties 
• background properties
• margin properties
• padding properties
• border properties
• text-decoration
• vertical-align (only if "float" is "none")
• text-transform
• line-height
• float
• clear

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Pseudo-elements and CSS Classes

Pseudo-elements can be combined with CSS classes:

p.article:first-letter {color:#ff0000;}
<p class="article">A paragraph in an article</p>

The example above will display the first letter of all paragraphs with class="article", in red.

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Multiple Pseudo-elements

Several pseudo-elements can also be combined.

In the following example, the first letter of a paragraph will be red, in an xx-large font size. The rest of the first line will be blue, and in small-caps. The rest of the paragraph will be the default font size and color:

Example

p:first-letter
{
color:#ff0000;
font-size:xx-large;
}
p:first-line
{
color:#0000ff;
font-variant:small-caps;
}

Try it yourself »

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CSS – The :before Pseudo-element

The ":before" pseudo-element can be used to insert some content before the content of an element.

The following example inserts an image before each <h1> element:

Example

h1:before
{
content:url(smiley.gif);
}

Try it yourself »

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CSS – The :after Pseudo-element

The ":after" pseudo-element can be used to insert some content after the content of an element.

The following example inserts an image after each <h1> element:

Example

h1:after
{
content:url(smiley.gif);
}

Try it yourself »

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Pseudo-elements

The "CSS" column indicates in which CSS version the property is defined (CSS1 or CSS2).

Pseudo name
Description
CSS

:after
Adds content after an element
2

:before
Adds content before an element
2

:first-letter
Adds a style to the first character of a text
1

:first-line
Adds a style to the first line of a text
1