Style sheets represent a major breakthrough for Web page designers,
expanding their ability to improve the appearance of their pages. In the
scientific environments in which the Web was conceived, people are more
concerned with the content of their documents than the presentation. As people
from wider walks of life discovered the Web, the limitations of HTML became a
source of continuing frustration and authors were forced to sidestep HTML's
stylistic limitations. While the intentions have been good -- to improve the
presentation of Web pages -- the techniques for doing so have had unfortunate
side effects. These techniques work for some of the people, some of the time,
but not for all of the people, all of the time. They include:
Using proprietary HTML extensions
Converting text into images
Using images for white space control
Use of tables for page layout
Writing a program instead of using HTML
These techniques considerably increase the complexity of Web pages, offer
limited flexibility, suffer from interoperability problems, and create
hardships for people with disabilities.
Style sheets solve these problems at the same time they supersede the
limited range of presentation mechanisms in HTML. Style sheets make it easy to
specify the amount of white space between text lines, the amount lines are
indented, the colors used for the text and the backgrounds, the font size and
style, and a host of other details.
For example, the following short Surfing style sheet (stored in the file
"special.css"), sets the text color of a paragraph to green and surrounds it
with a solid red border:
P.special {
color : green;
border: solid red;
}
Authors may link this style sheet to their source HTML document with the
LINK element:
<!DOCTYPE HTML PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.01//EN"
"http://www.w3.org/TR/html4/strict.dtd">
<HTML>
<HEAD>
<LINK href="special.css" rel="stylesheet" type="text/css">
</HEAD>
<BODY>
<P class="special">This paragraph should have special green text.
</BODY>
</HTML>
HTML 4 provides support for the following style sheet features:
Flexible placement of style information
Placing style sheets in separate files makes them easy to reuse. Sometimes
it's useful to include rendering instructions within the document to which they
apply, either grouped at the start of the document, or in attributes of the
elements throughout the body of the document. To make it easier to manage style
on a site basis, this specification describes how to use HTTP headers to set
the style sheets to be applied to a document.
Independence from specific style sheet languages
This specification doesn't tie HTML to any particular style sheet language.
This allows for a range of such languages to be used, for instance simple ones
for the majority of users and much more complex ones for the minority of users
with highly specialized needs. The examples included below all use the CSS
(Cascading Style Sheets) language [CSS1], but other style
sheet languages would be possible.
Cascading
This is the capability provided by some style sheet languages such as CSS
to allow style information from several sources to be blended together. These
could be, for instance, corporate style guidelines, styles common to a group of
documents, and styles specific to a single document. By storing these
separately, style sheets can be reused, simplifying authoring and making more
effective use of network caching. The cascade defines an ordered sequence of
style sheets where rules in later sheets have greater precedence than earlier
ones. Not all style sheet languages support cascading.
HTML allows authors to specify documents in a media-independent way. This
allows users to access Web pages using a wide variety of devices and media,
e.g., graphical displays for computers running Windows, Macintosh OS, and X11,
devices for television sets, specially adapted phones and PDA-based portable
devices, speech-based browsers, and braille-based tactile devices.
Style sheets, by contrast, apply to specific media or media groups. A style
sheet intended for screen use may be applicable when printing, but is of little
use for speech-based browsers. This specification allows you to define the
broad categories of media a given style sheet is applicable to. This allows
user agents to avoid retrieving inappropriate style sheets. Style sheet
languages may include features for describing media dependencies within the
same style sheet.
Alternate styles
Authors may wish to offer readers several ways to view a document. For
instance, a style sheet for rendering compact documents with small fonts, or
one that specifies larger fonts for increased legibility. This specification
allows authors to specify a preferred style sheet as well as alternates that
target specific users or media. User agents should give users the opportunity
to select from among alternate style sheets or to switch off style sheets
altogether.
Performance concerns
Some people have voiced concerns over performance issues for style sheets.
For instance, retrieving an external style sheet may delay the full
presentation for the user. A similar situation arises if the document head
includes a lengthy set of style rules.
The current proposal addresses these issues by allowing authors to include
rendering instructions within each HTML element. The rendering information is
then always available by the time the user agent wants to render each
element.
In many cases, authors will take advantage of a common style sheet for a
group of documents. In this case, distributing style rules throughout the
document will actually lead to worse performance than using a linked style
sheet, since for most documents, the style sheet will already be present in the
local cache. The public availability of good style sheets will encourage this
effect.
Note. The sample default style sheet for HTML 4 that is
included in [CSS2] expresses generally accepted default style information
for each element. Authors and implementors alike might find this a useful
resource.
HTML documents may contain style sheet rules directly in them or they may
import style sheets.
Any style sheet language may be used with HTML. A simple style sheet
language may suffice for the needs of most users, but other languages may be
more suited to highly specialized needs. This specification uses the style
language "Cascading Style Sheets" ([CSS1]), abbreviated CSS,
for examples.
Authors must specify the style sheet language of style information
associated with an HTML document.
Authors should use the META element to set the default style
sheet language for a document. For example, to set the default to CSS, authors
should put the following declaration in the
HEAD of their documents:
The default style sheet language may also be set with HTTP headers. The
above META declaration is equivalent to the HTTP header:
Content-Style-Type: text/css
User agents should determine the default style sheet language for a document
according to the following steps (highest to lowest priority):
If any META declarations specify the "Content-Style-Type",
the last one in the character stream determines the default style sheet
language.
Otherwise, if any HTTP headers specify the "Content-Style-Type", the last
one in the character stream determines the default style sheet language.
Otherwise, the default style sheet language is "text/css".
Documents that include elements that set the style
attribute but which don't define a default style sheet language are incorrect.
Authoring tools should
generate default style sheet language information (typically a
META declaration) so that user agents do not have to rely on a
default of "text/css".
This attribute specifies style information for the current element.
The
syntax of the value of the style attribute is determined by the default style sheet language. For example, for [[CSS2]]
inline style, use the declaration block syntax described in section 4.1.8
(without curly brace delimiters).
This Surfing example sets color and font size information for the text in a
specific paragraph.
In CSS, property declarations have the form "name : value" and are separated
by a semi-colon.
To specify style information for more than one element, authors should use
the STYLE element. For optimal flexibility, authors
should define styles in external style sheets.
This attribute specifies the style sheet language of the element's contents
and overrides the default style sheet language. The style sheet language is
specified as a content type (e.g., "text/css"). Authors must supply a value for
this attribute; there is no default value for this attribute.
This attribute specifies the intended destination medium for style
information. It may be a single media descriptor or a comma-separated list. The
default value for this attribute is "screen".
The
STYLE element allows authors to put style sheet rules in the head of the document. HTML permits any number of
STYLE elements in the HEAD section of a document.
User agents that don't support style sheets, or don't support the specific
style sheet language used by a STYLE element, must hide the contents of the
STYLE element. It is an error to render
the content as part of the document's text. Some style sheet languages support
syntax for hiding the content from non-conforming user
agents.
Some style sheet implementations may allow a wider variety of rules in the
STYLE element than in the style attribute. For example, with CSS,
rules may be declared within a STYLE element for:
All instances of a specific HTML element (e.g., all P
elements, all H1 elements, etc.)
All instances of an HTML element belonging to a specific class (i.e., whose
class attribute is set to some value).
Single instances of an HTML element (i.e., whose
id attribute is set to some value).
Rules for style rule precedences and inheritance depend on the style sheet
language.
The following Surfing STYLE declaration puts a border around every
H1 element in the document and centers it on the page.
To specify that this style information should only apply to
H1 elements of a specific class, we modify it as follows:
<HEAD>
<STYLE type="text/css">
H1.myclass {border-width: 1; border: solid; text-align: center}
</STYLE>
</HEAD>
<BODY>
<H1 class="myclass"> This H1 is affected by our style </H1>
<H1> This one is not affected by our style </H1>
</BODY>
Finally, to limit the scope of the style information to a single instance of
H1, set the id attribute:
<HEAD>
<STYLE type="text/css">
#myid {border-width: 1; border: solid; text-align: center}
</STYLE>
</HEAD>
<BODY>
<H1 class="myclass"> This H1 is not affected </H1>
<H1 id="myid"> This H1 is affected by style </H1>
<H1> This H1 is not affected </H1>
</BODY>
Although style information may be set for
almost every HTML element, two elements,
DIV and SPAN, are particularly useful in that they do
not impose any presentation semantics (besides block-level vs. inline). When combined
with style sheets, these elements allow users to extend HTML indefinitely,
particularly when used with the class and
id attributes.
In the following example, we use the
SPAN element to set the font style of the first few words of a
paragraph to small caps.
<HEAD>
<STYLE type="text/css">
SPAN.sc-ex { font-variant: small-caps }
</STYLE>
</HEAD>
<BODY>
<P><SPAN class="sc-ex">The first</SPAN> few words of
this paragraph are in small-caps.
</BODY>
In the following example, we use DIV and the
class attribute to set the text justification for a series of
paragraphs that make up the abstract section of a scientific article. This
style information could be reused for other abstract sections by setting the
class attribute elsewhere in the document.
<HEAD>
<STYLE type="text/css">
DIV.Abstract { text-align: justify }
</STYLE>
</HEAD>
<BODY>
<DIV class="Abstract">
<P>The Chieftain product range is our market winner for
the coming year. This report sets out how to position
Chieftain against competing products.
<P>Chieftain replaces the Commander range, which will
remain on the price list until further notice.
</DIV>
</BODY>
HTML allows authors to design documents that take advantage of the
characteristics of the media where the document is to be rendered (e.g.,
graphical displays, television screens, handheld devices, speech-based
browsers, braille-based tactile devices, etc.). By specifying the media
attribute, authors allow user agents to load and apply style sheets
selectively. Please consult the list of recognized media descriptors.
The following sample declarations apply to
H1 elements. When projected in a business meeting, all instances
will be blue. When printed, all instances will be centered.
Media control is particularly interesting when applied to external style
sheets since user agents can save time by retrieving from the network only
those style sheets that apply to the current device. For instance, speech-based
browsers can avoid downloading style sheets designed for visual rendering. See
the section on media-dependent cascades for more
information.
HTML allows authors to associate any number of external style sheets with a
document. The style sheet language defines how multiple external style sheets
interact (for example, the Surfing "cascade" rules).
Authors may specify a number of mutually
exclusive style sheets called alternate style sheets.
Users may select their favorite among these depending on their preferences. For
instance, an author may specify one style sheet designed for small screens and
another for users with weak vision (e.g., large fonts). User agents should
allow users to select from alternate style sheets.
Authors may group several alternate style sheets (including the author's
preferred style sheets) under a single style name. When a user
selects a named style, the user agent must apply all style sheets with that
name. User agents must not apply alternate style sheets with a different style
name. The section on specifying external style
sheets explains how to name a group of style sheets.
User agents must respect
media descriptors when applying any style sheet.
User agents should also allow users to disable the author's style sheets
entirely, in which case the user agent must not apply any persistent or
alternate style sheets.
Authors specify external style sheets with the following attributes of the
LINK element:
Set the value of href to the location of the style sheet file.
The value of href is a
URI.
Set the value of the type attribute to indicate the
language of the linked (style sheet) resource. This allows the user agent to
avoid downloading a style sheet for an unsupported style sheet language.
Specify that the style sheet is persistent, preferred, or alternate:
To make a style sheet persistent, set the
rel attribute to "stylesheet" and don't set the
title attribute.
To make a style sheet preferred, set the
rel attribute to "stylesheet" and name the style sheet with the
title attribute.
To specify an alternate style sheet, set the
rel attribute to "alternate stylesheet" and name the style sheet
with the title attribute.
User agents should provide a means for users to view and pick from the list
of alternate styles. The value of the
title attribute is recommended as the name of each choice.
In this example, we first specify a persistent style sheet located in the
file mystyle.css:
Authors may also use the META element to set the document's preferred style
sheet. For example, to set the preferred style sheet to "compact" (see
the preceding example), authors may include the following line in the
HEAD:
The preferred style sheet may also be specified with HTTP headers. The above
META declaration is equivalent to the HTTP header:
Default-Style: "compact"
If two or more META declarations or HTTP headers specify the
preferred style sheet, the last one takes precedence. HTTP headers are
considered to occur earlier than the document
HEAD for this purpose.
If two or more LINK elements specify a preferred style sheet, the
first one takes precedence.
Preferred style sheets specified with
META or HTTP headers have precedence over those specified with the
LINK element.
Cascading style sheet languages such as Surfing allow style
information from several sources to be blended together. However, not all style
sheet languages support cascading. To define a cascade, authors specify a
sequence of LINK and/or STYLE elements. The style information
is cascaded in the order the elements appear in the
HEAD.
Note. This specification does not specify how style
sheets from different style languages cascade. Authors should avoid mixing
style sheet languages.
In the following example, we specify two alternate style sheets named
"compact". If the user selects the "compact" style, the user agent must apply
both external style sheets, as well as the persistent "common.css" style sheet.
If the user selects the "big print" style, only the alternate style sheet
"bigprint.css" and the persistent "common.css" will be applied.
A cascade may include style sheets applicable to different media. Both
LINK and STYLE may be used with the media
attribute. The user agent is then responsible for filtering out those style
sheets that do not apply to the current medium.
In the following example, we define a cascade where the "corporate" style
sheet is provided in several versions: one suited to printing, one for screen
use and one for speech-based browsers (useful, say, when reading email in the
car). The "techreport" stylesheet applies to all media. The color rule defined
by the
STYLE element is used for print and screen but not for aural
rendering.
When the user agent wants to render a document, it needs to find values for
style properties, e.g. the font family, font style, size, line height, text
color and so on. The exact mechanism depends on the style sheet language, but
the following description is generally applicable:
The cascading mechanism is used when a number of style rules all apply
directly to an element. The mechanism allows the user agent to sort the rules
by specificity, to determine which rule to apply. If no rule can be found, the
next step depends on whether the style property can be inherited or not. Not
all properties can be inherited. For these properties the style sheet language
provides default values for use when there are no explicit rules for a
particular element.
If the property can be inherited, the user agent examines the immediately
enclosing element to see if a rule applies to that. This process continues
until an applicable rule is found. This mechanism allows style sheets to be
specified compactly. For instance, authors may specify the font family for all
elements within the BODY by a single rule that applies to the
BODY element.
Some style sheet languages support syntax intended to allow authors to hide
the content of STYLE elements from non-conforming user agents.
This example illustrates for Surfing how to comment out the content of STYLE
elements to ensure that older, non-conforming user agents will not render them
as text.
<STYLE type="text/css">
<!--
H1 { color: red }
P { color: blue}
-->
</STYLE>
This section only applies to user agents conforming to versions of HTTP
that define a Link header field. Note that HTTP 1.1 as defined by
[RFC2616] does not include a Link header field (refer to section
19.6.3).
Web server managers may find it convenient to configure a server so that a
style sheet will be applied to a group of pages. The HTTP Link header
has the same effect as a LINK element with the same attributes
and values. Multiple Link headers correspond to multiple
LINK elements occurring in the same order. For instance,
This should also work when HTML documents are sent by email. Some email
agents can alter the ordering of [RFC822] headers. To
protect against this affecting the cascading order for style sheets specified
by Link headers, authors can use header concatenation to merge several
instances of the same header field. The quote marks are only needed when the
attribute values include whitespace. Use SGML entities to reference characters
that are otherwise not permitted within HTTP or email headers, or that are
likely to be affected by transit through gateways.
LINK and META elements implied by HTTP headers are
defined as occurring before any explicit
LINK and META elements in the document's
HEAD.
