CSS Formatting Resources
The following resources are optional recommendations for you to go deeper into the concepts that we covered in this module. You are not required to read them, but I do encourage you to check them out to level up your skills even further for future courses.
The Cascade
CSS Cascading and Inheritance Specification
Did you know that there are official guidelines that define how CSS works and should be implemented by browsers? Well, there is! In this section, the guidelines cover the behavior of the Cascade and how specificity is calculated. Don’t worry if it doesn’t make a lot of sense — a lot of it flies over my head, too. But it’s still interesting to see how these guidelines are written and to have a reference.
The “C” in CSS
Thomas Yip, CSS-Tricks
This is another explanation of the cascade. It’s never a bad idea to read how other people explain the way the cascade works. It’s a complicated concept! This article complements this lesson nicely for another take on how it works.
Specificity
Specifics on Specificity
Chris Coyier, CSS-Tricks
The cascade is a confusing concept and this article breaks down the concept of specificity, which is a method for how to manage it.
The latest ways to deal with the cascade, inheritance and specificity
Ollie Williams, CSS-Tricks
That’s a lot of words, but the this article provides pro tips on how to manage the cascade, including some ideas that may be possible in the future.
Override Inline Styles with CSS
Chris Coyier, CSS-Tricks
This is an oldie, but goodie. While the technique is probably not best practice today, it’s a good illustration of how to override those inline styles we covered earlier.
When Using !important is The Right Choice
Chris Coyier, CSS-Tricks
This article is a perfect call-and-response to the previous article about why that method may not be best practice for overriding styles.
Formatting CSS
Want to know how some big companies and admired developers write CSS? Here are some style guides that have been published online:
- Google HTML/CSS Style Guide
- Nicolas Gallagher’s Idiomatic Style Guide
- Harry Roberts’ CSS Style Guide
- Smashing Magazine CSS Style Tips
- WordPress CSS Coding Standards
- Jonathan Snook’s SMACSS Format