Pseudo-elements in CSS and why they are called "pseudo"?

Why Pseudo-elements are there in CSS?

Pseudo-elements provide a powerful mechanism for creating visually rich and interactive user interfaces while maintaining clean and semantic HTML markup.


Why they are called "pseudo"?

Pseudo-elements in CSS are called "pseudo" because they are not real HTML elements that exist in the document tree. Instead, they are virtual elements created by CSS that allow you to style specific parts of an element's content or generate additional content before or after an element.


The term "pseudo" means "false" or "not genuine," and in the context of CSS, it indicates that these elements are not actual elements in the HTML document structure. 


They are used to style or modify the appearance of elements based on certain conditions or criteria without altering the underlying HTML.


Pseudo-elements vs Pseudo-classes

Pseudo-elements are identified in CSS by using double colons `::` to distinguish them from pseudo-classes, which use a single colon `:`. 


Examples:

- Pseudo-elements: `::before`, `::after`, `::first-line`, `::first-letter`, etc.

- Pseudo-classes: `:hover`, `:active`, `:focus`, `:nth-child()`, etc.



Commonly used pseudo-elements in CSS:

::before: Inserts content before the content of the selected element.

::after: Inserts content after the content of the selected element.

::first-line: Selects the first line of text within a block-level element.

::first-letter: Selects the first letter of the first line of text within a block-level element.

::selection: Applies styles to the portion of text that is selected by the user.

::placeholder: Styles the placeholder text of an input or textarea element.

::backdrop: Styles the backdrop behind a modal or dialog.

::marker: Styles the marker of a list item.

::file-selector-button: Styles the button of a file input element.

::spelling-error: Styles the misspelled portion of text in an element.

::grammar-error: Styles the grammatically incorrect portion of text in an element.


These are some of the commonly used pseudo-elements in CSS. Each one serves a specific purpose and allows for fine-grained control over the styling of elements and their content.


Why use pseudo-elements?

By using pseudo-elements, we can achieve a wide range of styling effects and enhancements to our web pages without needing to modify the HTML structure itself.


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