HTML and CSS Reference
In-Depth Information
IN OTHER WORDS:
1.
Specified value
The user agent determines whether the value of the property comes
from a style sheet, is inherited or should take its initial value.
2.
Computed value
The specified value is resolved to a computed value and exists even
when a property doesn't apply. The document doesn't have to be laid
out for the computed value to be determined.
3.
Used value
The used value takes the computed value and resolves any
dependencies that can only be calculated after the document has been
laid out (like percentages).
4.
Actual value
This is the value used for the final rendering, after any approximations
have been applied (for example, converting a decimal to an integer).
If you look at any CSS property's specification, you will see that it defines its
initial (or default) value, the elements it applies to, its inheritance status and
its computed value (among others). For example, the
background-color
specification states the following:
Name: background-color
Value: <color>
Initial: transparent
Applies to: all elements
Inherited: no
Percentages: N/A
