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CSS Border Shorthand

CSS Border Shorthand

The border property in CSS allows you to define the appearance of the borders surrounding an element. This property can be used with individual border properties (like border-top, border-right, border-bottom, and border-left) to style each side separately. However, CSS also provides a more efficient way to define borders for all sides using the border shorthand property. The border shorthand allows you to specify the width, style, and color of the borders in one concise line of code, making your CSS more readable and easier to manage.

01. What Is CSS Border Shorthand?

CSS border shorthand allows you to set all four borders (top, right, bottom, and left) of an element at once, using a single property. Instead of specifying the width, style, and color for each side individually, you can define all these properties in one line. The shorthand simplifies the code, making it shorter and more manageable, especially when you are working with elements that have the same border properties on all sides.

The syntax for the border shorthand is:


border: <border-width> <border-style> <border-color>;

Where:

  • border-width: Specifies the width of the border. It can be set using keywords (e.g., thin, medium, thick) or length values (e.g., px, em, etc.).
  • border-style: Specifies the style of the border. Common values are solid, dashed, dotted, double, etc.
  • border-color: Specifies the color of the border. You can use color names (e.g., red, blue), HEX values (e.g., #FF5733), RGB values (e.g., rgb(255, 0, 0)), or HSL values (e.g., hsl(0, 100%, 50%)).

When you use the border shorthand, CSS will apply the same values to all four sides unless you specify different values for each side (in the case of more advanced shorthand).

02. Border Shorthand with All Properties

When you want to set the border width, style, and color for all four sides at once, you can use the complete border shorthand. Here’s an example:


/* Shorthand border property */
element {
  border: 3px solid #2196F3; /* 3px solid blue border */
}

In this example, the border is:

  • Width: 3px
  • Style: solid
  • Color: #2196F3 (blue)

This shorthand applies the same border style (3px solid blue) to all four sides of the element. If you want to set different styles for each side, you will need to use more specific properties (e.g., border-top, border-right, etc.).

03. Border Shorthand with Two Values

In some cases, you may want to define the border-width and border-style for all sides but leave the border-color to be set later or to inherit from the default color. You can achieve this by providing only two values in the shorthand property:


/* Shorthand with two values: border-width and border-style */
element {
  border: 4px dotted; /* 4px dotted border */
}

This shorthand will apply:

  • Width: 4px
  • Style: dotted
  • Color: Inherited or default (black)

If the color is not explicitly defined, CSS will apply the default border color, which is typically black, or the color inherited from the parent element.

04. Border Shorthand with Three Values

You can also use the border shorthand with three values: border-width, border-style, and border-color. This can be useful if you want to set the width and style for all sides while specifying a color:


/* Shorthand with three values: border-width, border-style, and border-color */
element {
  border: 2px dashed #FF5722; /* 2px dashed orange border */
}

This shorthand applies:

  • Width: 2px
  • Style: dashed
  • Color: #FF5722 (orange)

In this case, the color is explicitly set to orange (#FF5722), and both the width and style are defined.

05. Advanced Border Shorthand

In CSS, you can use the border shorthand with multiple values to define different properties for different sides. This is done by using the border-width, border-style, and border-color properties together in a more advanced shorthand form:


/* Shorthand with four values: top, right, bottom, and left */
element {
  border: 5px solid #FF5733; /* All sides 5px solid red */
}

When using four values for the border shorthand, they correspond to:

  • Top border width, style, and color.
  • Right border width, style, and color.
  • Bottom border width, style, and color.
  • Left border width, style, and color.

If you only want to specify the width for each side, for example, use:


element {
  border: 5px 10px 15px 20px; /* top, right, bottom, left widths */
}

In this example, the borders are:

  • Top: 5px
  • Right: 10px
  • Bottom: 15px
  • Left: 20px

If you need to apply different styles or colors to the borders, it’s best to use the individual border properties (border-top, border-right, etc.) instead of the shorthand property.

06. Practical Examples of Border Shorthand

06.1. Creating a Simple Button with Border Shorthand

Here’s how you can use the border shorthand to style a simple button with a border:


button {
  border: 3px solid #4CAF50; /* 3px solid green border */
  background-color: #4CAF50;
  color: white;
  padding: 10px 20px;
  cursor: pointer;
}

This creates a button with a green border and a matching background color. The shorthand border: 3px solid #4CAF50; makes the code concise and easy to understand.

06.2. Creating a Card with Different Border Styles

Another practical use is creating a card with a dashed top border and a solid bottom border:


.card {
  width: 300px;
  padding: 20px;
  border-top: 3px dashed #FF5722;
  border-bottom: 5px solid #2196F3;
}

This example demonstrates how to apply different styles to different sides of an element while still keeping the code clean.

Conclusion

The border shorthand property in CSS is a powerful tool that allows you to define the width, style, and color of the borders in one line. Whether you’re working with simple elements like buttons or more complex layouts like cards, understanding how to use the border shorthand can streamline your CSS and improve the efficiency of your code. Remember, when the same style is applied to all sides, using shorthand will save you time and reduce redundancy in your CSS.

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