CSS Properties and Values

Article Summary

Understand how CSS properties and values work together to style HTML. Learn proper syntax, units, and value types.

In CSS, properties define what you want to style, and values define how you want it styled.

Basic Syntax:

property: value;

Example:

color: red;
font-size: 18px;

Each declaration ends with a semicolon ;, and lives inside a selector block:

p {
  color: red;
  font-size: 18px;
}

🔧 Common Properties

PropertyWhat it ControlsExample Value
colorText colorblue, #333
backgroundBackground color or image#f0f0f0
font-sizeText size16px, 1.2em
marginSpace outside the element20px, auto
paddingSpace inside the element10px 20px
borderBorder around element1px solid black
widthElement width100%, 200px
heightElement heightauto, 300px

🔢 Types of CSS Values

  1. Keywords – predefined values
    auto, inherit, none, block, inline
  2. Color values
    Named (red), HEX (#ff0000), RGB (rgb(255, 0, 0)), HSL
  3. Length units
    px, em, rem, %, vh, vw
  4. URLs
    For images or fonts
    url('image.jpg')
  5. Functions
    calc(), rgba(), var()

✅ Example: Putting It All Together

.box {
  width: 300px;
  height: 200px;
  background-color: #fefefe;
  border: 1px solid #ccc;
  padding: 20px;
  color: #333;
}

🧠 Tips

  • Don’t forget the semicolon ; at the end of each line.
  • Use a code editor with IntelliSense to explore available properties.
  • Not all properties work with all elements—check documentation if unsure.
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