Working with CSS Comments

CSS comments can be a useful tool when working with CSS files or in the <style> tag in the page header. They allow you to add descriptive text or notes within your code without affecting the rendering of your web page. In this article, we will explore how to use comments effectively in CSS.

Syntax of CSS Comments

CSS comments follow the C-style (or JavaScript-style) syntax, using the /* */ tokens. Here is an example of a single-line comment:

/* This is a comment */

Multiline comments are also supported in CSS:

/*
This is a multiline comment.
Until you add the closing */
token, all lines within the comment are considered commented out.
*/

It’s important to note that CSS does not support inline comments like some programming languages do, such as C or JavaScript, which use the // syntax. If you try to use // in a CSS file, it will be treated as an invalid syntax and the rest of the line will be ignored.

Writing Inline Comments

Although inline comments are not officially supported in CSS, you can intentionally create “pseudo” inline comments by using a trick. If you add // before a CSS rule, the rule will appear to be commented out. However, this is actually due to a syntax error, and the line with the error will be ignored.

Here is an example:

// This rule will not be applied
#name { display: block; }

In this case, the #name rule is inadvertently commented out because of the //. It’s important to exercise caution when using this method, as CSS will interpret it as a syntax error.

To avoid any confusion or potential issues, it is recommended to rely on block comments and avoid using inline comments in CSS.

For more details on this topic, you can refer to this article.

Conclusion

CSS comments provide a way to add descriptive or explanatory notes within your code without affecting the rendering of your web page. They can be helpful for documenting your CSS code and making it more readable. Remember to use block comments (/* */) and be cautious when attempting to create pseudo inline comments using //. By following these practices, you can effectively work with comments in CSS.