Background property
The CSS background shorthand property sets multiple background-related properties for an element in a single declaration.
Tiny CSS Projects
The CSS background property is a shorthand property for setting an element's background layers and related background properties.
- How it is used
- Combines an image, position, size, and fallback color when styling both sides of a credit card.
- How deep it goes
- Breaks down one shorthand declaration and explains image sizing and color fallback, without developing a full property reference.
- Examples
- Shows a photographic credit card, a radial-gradient profile card, a dark page background, and buttons with their default background removed.
- What you can do after
- Operate/configure it to position and size a card image over a fallback color, or remove a button’s default background.
CSS in Depth, Second Edition
The CSS background shorthand property sets multiple background-related properties.
- How it is used
- Combines multiple background settings and supports solid colors, images, and gradients in CSS declarations.
- How deep it goes
- Defines eight constituent properties and reset behavior, then demonstrates gradients without detailing every constituent property.
- Examples
- Demonstrates a white-to-blue linear gradient on a fixed-size element using directional and degree notation.
- What you can do after
- Apply it via CSS while choosing between concise shorthand and safer individual declarations for complex backgrounds.
Read how CSS in Depth, Second Edition explains background property →
Related concepts
- shorthand propertykind of · A CSS shorthand property sets multiple related longhand properties in a single declaration, resetting omitted properties to their initial values.
- background-repeat propertyequivalent to · The CSS background-repeat property specifies whether and how a background image repeats within an element’s background area.
- background colorconfigures · A background color is the color rendered behind the content or other visual elements of a page, component, or region.
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