HTML and CSS Reference
In-Depth Information
The a element and its multiple personalities
Have you noticed that links act a little differently when it comes
to style? Links are chameleons of the element world because,
depending on the circumstance, they can change their style at a
moment's notice. Let's take a closer look:
A
nd here'
s a link
you
h
ave click
ed on be
fore.
W
e call t
hese “vis
ited
li
nks.” Us
ually, vis
ited
li
nks are
displayed
in
a diffe
rent co
lor
t
han unvi
sited lin
ks so
t
hat you
can tell
the
d
ifferenc
e. In mo
st
b
rowsers
, visited
links
a
re purpl
e by def
ault.
Unlike other elements, the style of an
<a>
element changes depending
on its
state
. If the link has never been clicked on, it has one style, and
if it has been clicked on, another. And if you hover over a link, it can
have yet another style. Perhaps there's more to styling
<a>
elements
than meets the eye? You betcha…let's take a look.
