CSS defines the second element
Defining the Second Element with CSS
In CSS, we often need to define styles for elements on a page. Sometimes, we need to define special styles for the second element, which requires using special CSS selectors. This article will detail how to use CSS to define the second element and provide some sample code for your reference.
1. Using the :nth-child() selector
The :nth-child() selector selects the nth child element of a specified parent element. We can use this selector to select the second element. Here is a sample code:
<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
<head>
<style>
div:nth-child(2) {
color: red;
}
</style>
</head>
<body>
<div>First element</div>
<div>Second element</div>
<div>Third element</div>
</body>
</html>
Output:
In the example code above, we use the :nth-child(2) selector to select the second div element and set its text color to red. After running the code, you can see that the text of the second element turns red.
2. Use the :nth-of-type() selector
The :nth-of-type() selector selects the nth child element of a specified type under a specified parent element. We can also use this selector to select the second element. Here is a sample code:
<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
<head>
<style>
div:nth-of-type(2) {
font-weight: bold;
}
</style>
</head>
<body>
<div>First element</div>
<p>Second element</p>
<div>Third element</div>
</body>
</html>
Output:
3. Use :first-child and :nth-child() together
Sometimes, we may need to select both the first and second elements for style definition. We can achieve this by combining the :first-child and :nth-child() selectors. Here is a sample code:
<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
<head>
<style>
div:first-child, div:nth-child(2) {
background-color: lightblue;
}
</style>
</head>
<body>
<div>first element</div>
<div>second element</div>
<div>third element</div>
</body>
</html>
Output:
In the above code example, we select both the first and second div elements and set their background colors to light blue. After running the code, you’ll see that the background colors of both the first and second div elements change to light blue.
4. Using the :nth-child(odd) and :nth-child(even) Selectors
In addition to selecting the second element, we can also style all elements in odd or even positions. We can use the :nth-child(odd) and :nth-child(even) selectors to achieve this. Here is a sample code:
<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
<head>
<style>
div:nth-child(odd) {
color: green;
}
div:nth-child(even) {
color: blue;
}
</style>
</head>
<body>
<div>first element</div>
<div>second element</div>
<div>third element</div>
<div>fourth element</div>
</body>
</html>
Output:
<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
<head>
<style>
div:nth-child(3n) {
font-style: italic;
}
</style>
</head>
<body>
<div>first element</div>
<div>second element</div>
<div>third element</div>
<div>fourth element</div>
<div>fifth element</div>
</body>
</html>
Output:
In the example code above, we use the :nth-child(3n) selector to select all div elements whose position is a multiple of 3 and set their text to italic. After running the code, you can see that the text of elements whose position is a multiple of 3 is italicized.
6. Using the :nth-last-child() Selector
In addition to selecting elements from the front to the back, we can also style elements from the back to the front. We can use the :nth-last-child() selector to select the nth-to-last element. Here is a sample code:
<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
<head>
<style>
div:nth-last-child(2) {
text-decoration: underline;
}
</style>
</head>
<body>
<div>first element</div>
<div>second element</div>
<div>third element</div>
</body>
</html>
Output:
In the above example code, we use the :nth-last-child(2) selector to select the second-to-last div element and underline its text. After running the code, you can see that the text of the second-to-last element is underlined.
7. Use the :nth-of-type(n) selector
In addition to selecting elements of all types, we can also select elements of a specific type for style definition. We can use the :nth-of-type(n) selector to select the nth element of a specified type. Here is a sample code:
<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
<head>
<style>
p:nth-of-type(2) {
color: purple;
}
</style>
</head>
<body>
<p>First paragraph</p>
<p>Second paragraph</p>
<p>Third paragraph</p>
</body>
</html>
Output:
In the above example code, we use the :nth-of-type(2) selector to select the second paragraph element and set its text color to purple. After running the code, you can see that the text color of the second paragraph element changes to purple.
8. Using the :nth-of-type(odd) and :nth-of-type(even) selectors
In addition to selecting the specific second element, we can also select all elements of a specified type in odd or even positions for style definition. We can use the :nth-of-type(odd) and :nth-of-type(even) selectors to achieve this goal. Here’s a sample code:
<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
<head>
<style>
p:nth-of-type(odd) {
font-weight: bold;
}
p:nth-of-type(even) {
font-style: italic;
}
</style>
</head>
<body>
<p>First paragraph</p>
<p>Second paragraph</p>
<p>Third paragraph</p>
<p>Fourth paragraph</p>
</body>
</html>
Output:
In the example code above, we use the :nth-of-type(odd) selector to select all paragraph elements in odd positions and set their text to bold; we use the :nth-of-type(even) selector to select all paragraph elements in even positions and set their text to italic. After running the code, you can see that the text in the paragraphs in odd positions is bold, and the text in the paragraphs in even positions is italic.
9. Combining the :nth-of-type(n) and :not() Selectors
Sometimes, we may need to select elements other than the second element for styling. We can use the :nth-of-type(n) and :not() selectors together to achieve this goal. Here is a sample code:
<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
<head>
<style>
p:nth-of-type(n):not(:nth-of-type(2)) {
color: orange;
}
</style>
</head>
<body>
<p>First paragraph</p>
<p>Second paragraph</p>
<p>Third paragraph</p>
<p>Fourth paragraph</p>
</body>
</html>
Output:
In the above example code, we use the :nth-of-type(n):not(:nth-of-type(2)) selector to select all paragraph elements except the second paragraph element and set their text color to orange. After running the code, you can see that the text color of all paragraph elements except the second paragraph element has changed to orange.
10. Use :nth-child() and :nth-of-type() together
We can also use the :nth-child() and :nth-of-type() selectors together to select elements of a specified position and type for style definition. Here is a sample code:
<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
<head>
<style>
div:nth-child(2):nth-of-type(odd) {
background-color: lightgreen;
}
</style>
</head>
<body>
<div>first element</div>
<div>second element</div>
<p>third element</p>
<div>fourth element</div>
</body>
</html>
Output:
In the example code above, we use the :nth-child(2):nth-of-type(odd) selector to select the second odd-numbered div element and set its background color to light green. After running the code, you can see that the background color of the second odd-numbered div element changes to light green.
Through the introduction of this article, I believe everyone has a deeper understanding of how to use CSS to define the second element.