forked from w3c/csswg-drafts
-
Notifications
You must be signed in to change notification settings - Fork 0
Expand file tree
/
Copy pathOverview.bs
More file actions
998 lines (853 loc) · 37.2 KB
/
Overview.bs
File metadata and controls
998 lines (853 loc) · 37.2 KB
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
29
30
31
32
33
34
35
36
37
38
39
40
41
42
43
44
45
46
47
48
49
50
51
52
53
54
55
56
57
58
59
60
61
62
63
64
65
66
67
68
69
70
71
72
73
74
75
76
77
78
79
80
81
82
83
84
85
86
87
88
89
90
91
92
93
94
95
96
97
98
99
100
101
102
103
104
105
106
107
108
109
110
111
112
113
114
115
116
117
118
119
120
121
122
123
124
125
126
127
128
129
130
131
132
133
134
135
136
137
138
139
140
141
142
143
144
145
146
147
148
149
150
151
152
153
154
155
156
157
158
159
160
161
162
163
164
165
166
167
168
169
170
171
172
173
174
175
176
177
178
179
180
181
182
183
184
185
186
187
188
189
190
191
192
193
194
195
196
197
198
199
200
201
202
203
204
205
206
207
208
209
210
211
212
213
214
215
216
217
218
219
220
221
222
223
224
225
226
227
228
229
230
231
232
233
234
235
236
237
238
239
240
241
242
243
244
245
246
247
248
249
250
251
252
253
254
255
256
257
258
259
260
261
262
263
264
265
266
267
268
269
270
271
272
273
274
275
276
277
278
279
280
281
282
283
284
285
286
287
288
289
290
291
292
293
294
295
296
297
298
299
300
301
302
303
304
305
306
307
308
309
310
311
312
313
314
315
316
317
318
319
320
321
322
323
324
325
326
327
328
329
330
331
332
333
334
335
336
337
338
339
340
341
342
343
344
345
346
347
348
349
350
351
352
353
354
355
356
357
358
359
360
361
362
363
364
365
366
367
368
369
370
371
372
373
374
375
376
377
378
379
380
381
382
383
384
385
386
387
388
389
390
391
392
393
394
395
396
397
398
399
400
401
402
403
404
405
406
407
408
409
410
411
412
413
414
415
416
417
418
419
420
421
422
423
424
425
426
427
428
429
430
431
432
433
434
435
436
437
438
439
440
441
442
443
444
445
446
447
448
449
450
451
452
453
454
455
456
457
458
459
460
461
462
463
464
465
466
467
468
469
470
471
472
473
474
475
476
477
478
479
480
481
482
483
484
485
486
487
488
489
490
491
492
493
494
495
496
497
498
499
500
501
502
503
504
505
506
507
508
509
510
511
512
513
514
515
516
517
518
519
520
521
522
523
524
525
526
527
528
529
530
531
532
533
534
535
536
537
538
539
540
541
542
543
544
545
546
547
548
549
550
551
552
553
554
555
556
557
558
559
560
561
562
563
564
565
566
567
568
569
570
571
572
573
574
575
576
577
578
579
580
581
582
583
584
585
586
587
588
589
590
591
592
593
594
595
596
597
598
599
600
601
602
603
604
605
606
607
608
609
610
611
612
613
614
615
616
617
618
619
620
621
622
623
624
625
626
627
628
629
630
631
632
633
634
635
636
637
638
639
640
641
642
643
644
645
646
647
648
649
650
651
652
653
654
655
656
657
658
659
660
661
662
663
664
665
666
667
668
669
670
671
672
673
674
675
676
677
678
679
680
681
682
683
684
685
686
687
688
689
690
691
692
693
694
695
696
697
698
699
700
701
702
703
704
705
706
707
708
709
710
711
712
713
714
715
716
717
718
719
720
721
722
723
724
725
726
727
728
729
730
731
732
733
734
735
736
737
738
739
740
741
742
743
744
745
746
747
748
749
750
751
752
753
754
755
756
757
758
759
760
761
762
763
764
765
766
767
768
769
770
771
772
773
774
775
776
777
778
779
780
781
782
783
784
785
786
787
788
789
790
791
792
793
794
795
796
797
798
799
800
801
802
803
804
805
806
807
808
809
810
811
812
813
814
815
816
817
818
819
820
821
822
823
824
825
826
827
828
829
830
831
832
833
834
835
836
837
838
839
840
841
842
843
844
845
846
847
848
849
850
851
852
853
854
855
856
857
858
859
860
861
862
863
864
865
866
867
868
869
870
871
872
873
874
875
876
877
878
879
880
881
882
883
884
885
886
887
888
889
890
891
892
893
894
895
896
897
898
899
900
901
902
903
904
905
906
907
908
909
910
911
912
913
914
915
916
917
918
919
920
921
922
923
924
925
926
927
928
929
930
931
932
933
934
935
936
937
938
939
940
941
942
943
944
945
946
947
948
949
950
951
952
953
954
955
956
957
958
959
960
961
962
963
964
965
966
967
968
969
970
971
972
973
974
975
976
977
978
979
980
981
982
983
984
985
986
987
988
989
990
991
992
993
994
995
996
997
998
<pre class='metadata'>
Title: CSS Snapshot 2020
Shortname: css-2020
Level: none
Status: WG-NOTE
Group: CSSWG
Date: 2020-12-21
Prepare for TR: yes
Work Status: revising
URL: https://drafts.csswg.org/css-2020/
TR: https://www.w3.org/TR/css-2020/
Previous Version: https://www.w3.org/TR/2019/NOTE-css-2018-20190122/
Editor: Tab Atkins Jr., Google, http://xanthir.com/, w3cid 42199
Editor: Elika J. Etemad / fantasai, Invited Expert, http://fantasai.inkedblade.net/contact, w3cid 35400
Editor: Florian Rivoal, Invited Expert, https://florian.rivoal.net, w3cid 43241
Abstract: This document collects together into one definition all the specs that
together form the current state of Cascading Style Sheets (CSS) as of 2020.
The primary audience is CSS implementers, not CSS authors, as this definition
includes modules by specification stability, not Web browser adoption rate.
Boilerplate: index no
</pre>
<pre class=link-defaults>
spec:css-sizing-3; type:value; for:width; text:min-content
spec:css-sizing-3; type:value; for:width; text:max-content
spec:css-conditional-3; type:at-rule; text:@media
spec:selectors-4; type:selector; text::lang()
</pre>
<div boilerplate=status>
<!-- This document is a work in progress,
aimed at representing the state of CSS as of 2020.
It should become a Working Group Note when completed. -->
<!-- Replace the above with this when publishing to TR: -->
This document represents the state of CSS as of 2020.
The CSS Working Group does not expect any further changes to this document:
new snapshots will be published at <a href="https://www.w3.org/TR/CSS/">https://www.w3.org/TR/CSS/</a> as CSS advances.
</div>
Introduction {#intro}
=====================
When the first CSS specification was published,
all of CSS was contained in one document that defined CSS Level 1.
CSS Level 2 was defined also by a single, multi-chapter document.
However for CSS beyond Level 2,
the CSS Working Group chose to adopt a modular approach,
where each module defines a part of CSS,
rather than to define a single monolithic specification.
This breaks the specification into more manageable chunks
and allows more immediate, incremental improvement to CSS.
Since different CSS modules are at different levels of stability,
the CSS Working Group has chosen to publish this profile
to define the current scope and state of Cascading Style Sheets as of 2020.
This profile includes only specifications that we consider stable
<em>and</em> for which we have enough implementation experience that we are sure of that stability.
Note: This is not intended to be a CSS Desktop Browser Profile:
inclusion in this profile is based on feature stability only
and not on expected use or Web browser adoption.
This profile defines CSS in its most complete form.
Note: Although we don't anticipate significant changes to the specifications that form this snapshot,
their inclusion does not mean they are frozen.
The Working Group will continue to address problems as they are found in these specs.
Implementers should monitor <a href="http://lists.w3.org/Archives/Public/www-style/">www-style</a>
and/or the <a href="http://www.w3.org/blog/CSS">CSS Working Group Blog</a>
for any resulting changes, corrections, or clarifications.
<h3 id="w3c-process">
Background: The W3C Process and CSS</h3>
<em>This section is non-normative.</em>
In the <a href="http://www.w3.org/Consortium/Process/">W3C Process</a>,
a Recommendation-track document passes through three levels of stability,
summarized below:
<dl>
<dt>Working Draft (WD)
<dd>
This is the design phase of a W3C spec.
The WG iterates the spec in response to internal and external feedback.
The first official Working Draft is designated the “First Public Working Draft” (FPWD).
In the CSSWG, publishing FPWD indicates that the Working Group as a whole has agreed to work on the module,
roughly as scoped out and proposed in the editor's draft.
The transition to the next stage is sometimes called “Last Call Working Draft” (LCWD) phase.
The CSSWG transitions Working Drafts once we have resolved all known issues,
and can make no further progress without feedback from building tests and implementations.
This “Last Call for Comments” sets a deadline for reporting any outstanding issues,
and requires the WG to specially track and address incoming feedback.
The comment-tracking document is the Disposition of Comments (DoC).
It is submitted along with an updated draft for the Director's approval,
to demonstrate wide review and acceptance.
<dt>Candidate Recommendation (CR)
<dd>
This is the testing phase of a W3C spec.
Notably, this phase is about using tests and implementations to test the specification:
it is not about testing the implementations.
This process often reveals more problems with the spec,
and so a Candidate Recommendation will morph over time in response to implementation and testing feedback,
though usually less so than during the design phase (WD).
Demonstration of two correct, independent implementations of each feature is required to exit CR,
so in this phase the WG builds a test suite and generates implementation reports.
The transition to the next stage is “Proposed Recommendation” (PR).
During this phase the W3C Advisory Committee must approve the transition to REC.
<dt>Recommendation (REC)
<dd>
This is the completed state of a W3C spec and represents a maintenance phase.
At this point the WG only maintains an errata document
and occasionally publishes an updated edition that incorporates the errata back into the spec.
</dl>
An <dfn export>Editor's Draft</dfn> is effectively a live copy of the editors’ own working copy.
It may or may not reflect Working Group consensus,
and can at times be in a self-inconsistent state.
(Because the publishing process at W3C is time-consuming and onerous,
the <a>Editor's Draft</a> is usually the best (most up-to-date) reference for a spec.
Efforts are currently underway to reduce the friction of publishing,
so that official drafts will be regularly up-to-date
and <a>Editor's Drafts</a> can return to their original function as scratch space.)
<h2 id=module-classification>
Classification of CSS Specifications</h2>
Advisement:
A list of all CSS modules, stable and in-progress,
and their statuses
can be found at the <a href="http://www.w3.org/Style/CSS/current-work">CSS Current Work page</a>.
<h3 id="css">Cascading Style Sheets (CSS) — The Official Definition</h3>
As of 2020,
<dfn export>Cascading Style Sheets (CSS)</dfn> is defined by the following
specifications.
<dl>
<dt><a href="https://www.w3.org/TR/CSS2/">CSS Level 2, latest revision</a> (including errata)
[[!CSS2]]
<dd>
This defines the core of CSS, parts of which are overridden by later specifications.
We recommend in particular reading <a href="https://www.w3.org/TR/CSS2/intro.html">Chapter 2</a>,
which introduces some of the basic concepts of CSS
and its design principles.
<dt><a href="https://www.w3.org/TR/css-syntax-3/">CSS Syntax Level 3</a>
[[!CSS-SYNTAX-3]]
<dd>
Replaces CSS2§4.1, CSS2§4.2, CSS2§4.4, and CSS2§G,
redefining how CSS is parsed.
<dt><a href="https://www.w3.org/TR/css-style-attr/">CSS Style Attributes</a>
[[!CSS-STYLE-ATTR]]
<dd>
Defines how CSS declarations can be embedded in markup attributes.
<dt><a href="https://www.w3.org/TR/css3-mediaqueries/">Media Queries Level 3</a>
[[!CSS3-MEDIAQUERIES]]
<dd>
Replaces CSS2§7.3 and expands on the syntax for media-specific styles.
<dt><a href="https://www.w3.org/TR/css-conditional-3/">CSS Conditional Rules Level 3</a>
[[!CSS-CONDITIONAL-3]]
<dd>
Extends and supersedes CSS2§7.2,
updating the definition of ''@media'' rules to allow nesting
and introducing the ''@supports'' rule for feature-support queries.
<dt><a href="https://www.w3.org/TR/selectors-3/">Selectors Level 3</a>
[[!SELECTORS-3]]
<dd>
Replaces CSS2§5 and CSS2§6.4.3, defining an extended range of selectors.
<dt><a href="https://www.w3.org/TR/css-namespaces/">CSS Namespaces</a>
[[!CSS3-NAMESPACE]]
<dd>
Introduces an ''@namespace'' rule to allow namespace-prefixed selectors.
<dt><a href="https://www.w3.org/TR/css-cascade-4/">CSS Cascading and Inheritance Level 4</a>
[[!CSS-CASCADE-4]]
<dd>
Extends and supersedes CSS2§1.4.3 and CSS2§6, as well as [[CSS-CASCADE-3]].
Describes how to collate style rules and assign values to all properties on all elements.
By way of cascading and inheritance, values are propagated for all properties on all elements.
<dt><a href="https://www.w3.org/TR/css-values-3/">CSS Values and Units Level 3</a>
[[!CSS-VALUES-3]]
<dd>
Extends and supersedes CSS2§1.4.2.1, CSS2§4.3, and CSS2§A.2.1–3,
defining CSS's property definition syntax
and expanding its set of units.
<dt><a href="https://www.w3.org/TR/css-variables-1/">CSS Custom Properties for Cascading Variables Module Level 1</a>
[[!CSS-VARIABLES-1]]
<dd>
Introduces cascading variables as a new primitive value type that is accepted by all CSS properties,
and custom properties for defining them.
<dt><a href="https://www.w3.org/TR/css-box-3/">CSS Box Model Level 3</a>
[[!CSS-BOX-3]]
<dd>
Replaces CSS2§8.1, §8.2, §8.3 (but not §8.3.1), and §8.4.
<dt><a href="https://www.w3.org/TR/css-color-3/">CSS Color Level 3</a>
[[!CSS-COLOR-3]]
<dd>
Extends and supersedes CSS2§4.3.6, CSS2§14.1, and CSS2§18.2,
introducing an extended range of color values.
Also introduces the 'opacity' property.
<dt><a href="https://www.w3.org/TR/css-backgrounds-3/">CSS Backgrounds and Borders Level 3</a>
[[!CSS-BACKGROUNDS-3]]
<dd>
Extends and supersedes CSS2§8.5 and CSS2§14.2,
providing more control of backgrounds and borders,
including layered background images,
image borders,
and drop shadows.
<dt><a href="https://www.w3.org/TR/css-images-3/">CSS Images Level 3</a>
[[!CSS-IMAGES-3]]
<dd>
Redefines and incorporates the external 2D image value type,
introduces native 2D gradients,
and adds additional controls for replaced element sizing and rendering.
<dt><a href="https://www.w3.org/TR/css-fonts-3/">CSS Fonts Level 3</a>
[[!CSS-FONTS-3]]
<dd>
Extends and supersedes CSS2§15
and provides more control over font choice and feature selection.
<dt><a href="https://www.w3.org/TR/css-writing-modes-3/">CSS Writing Modes Level 3</a>
[[!CSS-WRITING-MODES-3]]
<dd>
Defines CSS support for various international writing modes,
such as left-to-right (e.g. Latin or Indic),
right-to-left (e.g. Hebrew or Arabic),
bidirectional (e.g. mixed Latin and Arabic) and vertical (e.g. Asian scripts).
Replaces and extends CSS2§8.6 and §9.10.
<dt><a href="https://www.w3.org/TR/css-multicol-1/">CSS Multi-column Layout Level 1</a>
[[!CSS-MULTICOL-1]]
<dd>
Introduces multi-column flows to CSS layout.
<dt><a href="https://www.w3.org/TR/css-flexbox-1/">CSS Flexible Box Module Level 1</a>
[[!CSS-FLEXBOX-1]]
<dd>
Introduces a flexible linear layout model for CSS.
<dt><a href="https://www.w3.org/TR/css-ui-3/">CSS User Interface Module Level 3</a>
[[!CSS-UI-3]]
<dd>
Extends and supersedes CSS2§18.1 and CSS2§18.4,
defining 'cursor', 'outline', and several new CSS features that also enhance the user interface.
<dt><a href="https://www.w3.org/TR/css-contain-1/">CSS Containment Module Level 1</a>
[[!CSS-CONTAIN-1]]
<dd>
Introduces the 'contain' property,
which enforces the independent CSS processing of an element’s subtree
in order to enable heavy optimizations by user agents when used well.
<dt><a href="https://www.w3.org/TR/css-transforms-1/">CSS Transforms Level 1</a>
[[!CSS-TRANSFORMS-1]]
<dd>
Introduces coordinate-based graphical transformations to CSS.
<dt><a href="https://www.w3.org/TR/compositing-1/">CSS Compositing and Blending Level 1</a>
[[!COMPOSITING]]
<dd>
Defines the compositing and blending of overlaid content
and introduces features to control their modes.
<dt><a href="https://www.w3.org/TR/css-easing-1/">CSS Easing Functions Level 1</a>
[[!CSS-EASING-1]].
<dd>
Describes a way for authors to define a transformation
that controls the rate of change of some value.
Applied to animations,
such transformations can be used to produce animations
that mimic physical phenomena such as momentum
or to cause the animation to move in discrete steps producing robot-like movement.
</dl>
<h3 id=fairly-stable>
Fairly Stable Modules with limited implementation experience</h3>
The following modules have completed design work,
and are fairly stable,
but have not received much testing and implementation experience yet.
We hope to incorporate them into the [[#css|official definition of CSS]] in a future snapshot.
<dl>
<dt><a href="https://www.w3.org/TR/mediaqueries-4/">Media Queries Level 4</a>
[[MEDIAQUERIES-4]]
<dd>
Extends and supersedes [[CSS3-MEDIAQUERIES]],
expanding the syntax, deprecating most media types,
and introducing new media features.
<dt><a href="https://www.w3.org/TR/css-color-4/">CSS Color Level 4</a>
[[!CSS-COLOR-4]]
<dd>
Extends and supersedes [[CSS-COLOR-3]],
further expanding the range of colors expressible in CSS.
<dt><a href="https://www.w3.org/TR/css-display-3/">CSS Display Module Level 3</a>
[[CSS-DISPLAY-3]]
<dd>
Replaces CSS2§9.1.2, §9.2.1 (but not §9.2.1.1), §9.2.2 (but not §9.2.2.1), §9.2.3, and §9.2.4 (and lays the foundations for replacing §9.7),
defining how the CSS formatting box tree is generated
from the document element tree
and defining the 'display' property that controls it.
<dt><a href="https://www.w3.org/TR/css-writing-modes-4/">CSS Writing Modes Level 4</a>
[[CSS-WRITING-MODES-4]]
<dd>
Extends and supersedes [[CSS-WRITING-MODES-3]],
adding more options for vertical writing.
<dt><a href="https://www.w3.org/TR/css-sizing-3/">CSS Box Sizing Level 3</a>
[[!CSS-SIZING-3]]
<dd>
Overlays and extends CSS§10.,
expanding the value set of the sizing properties,
introducing more precise sizing terminology,
and defining with more precision and detail
various automatic sizing concepts only vaguely defined in CSS2.
<dt><a href="https://www.w3.org/TR/css-break-3/">CSS Fragmentation Module Level 3</a>
[[CSS-BREAK-3]]
<dd>
Describes the fragmentation model that partitions a flow into pages, columns, or regions
and defines properties that control it.
Extends and supersedes CSS2§13.3.
<dt><a href="https://www.w3.org/TR/css-align-3/">CSS Box Alignment Module Level 3</a>
[[CSS-ALIGN-3]]
<dd>
Introduces properties to control the alignment of boxes
within their containers in the various CSS box layout models:
block layout, table layout, flex layout, and grid layout.
<dt><a href="https://www.w3.org/TR/css-shapes-1/">CSS Shapes Module Level 1</a>
[[CSS-SHAPES-1]]
<dd>
Extends floats (CSS2§9.5) to effect non-rectangular wrapping shapes.
<dt><a href="https://www.w3.org/TR/css-text-3/">CSS Text Module Level 3</a>
[[CSS-TEXT-3]]
<dd>
Extends and supersedes CSS2§16 excepting §16.2,
defining properties for text manipulation and specifying their processing model.
It covers line breaking, justification and alignment, white space handling, and text transformation.
<dt><a href="https://www.w3.org/TR/css-text-decor-3/">CSS Text Decoration Level 3</a>
[[CSS-TEXT-DECOR-3]]
<dd>
Extends and supersedes CSS2§16.3,
providing more control over text decoration lines
and adding the ability to specify text emphasis marks
and text shadows.
<dt><a href="https://www.w3.org/TR/css-counter-styles-3/">CSS Counter Styles Level 3</a>
[[CSS-COUNTER-STYLES-3]]
<dd>
Expands the possible values of <<counter-style>>
and provides an ''@counter-style'' syntax for customized counter styles.
<dt><a href="https://www.w3.org/TR/css-masking-1/">CSS Masking Level 1</a>
[[CSS-MASKING-1]]
<dd>
Replaces CSS2§11.1.2
and introduces more powerful ways of clipping and masking content.
<dt><a href="https://www.w3.org/TR/css-scroll-snap-1/">CSS Scroll Snap Module Level 1</a>
[[CSS-SCROLL-SNAP-1]]
<dd>
Contains features to control panning and scrolling behavior with “snap positions”.
<dt><a href="https://www.w3.org/TR/css-speech-1/">CSS Speech Module Level 1</a>
[[CSS-SPEECH-1]]
<dd>
Replaces CSS2§A,
overhauling the (non-normative) speech rendering chapter.
</dl>
<h3 id=rough-interop>
Modules with Rough Interoperability</h3>
Although the following modules have been widely deployed with <a>rough interoperability</a>,
their details are not fully worked out or sufficiently well-specified
and they need more testing and bugfixing.
We hope to incorporate them into the [[#css|official definition of CSS]] in a future snapshot.
<dl>
<dt><a href="https://www.w3.org/TR/css-transitions-1/">CSS Transitions Level 1</a>
[[CSS-TRANSITIONS-1]]
and <a href="https://www.w3.org/TR/css-animations-1/">CSS Animations Level 1</a>
[[CSS-ANIMATIONS-1]].
<dd>
Introduces mechanisms for transitioning the computed values of CSS properties over time.
<dt><a href="https://www.w3.org/TR/css-grid-1/">CSS Grid Layout Module Level 1</a>
[[!CSS-GRID-1]]
<dd>
Introduces a two-dimensional grid-based layout system,
optimized for user interface design.
In the grid layout model, the children of a grid container
can be positioned into arbitrary slots in a predefined flexible or fixed-size layout grid.
<dt><a href="https://www.w3.org/TR/css-grid-2/">CSS Grid Layout Module Level 2</a>
[[!CSS-GRID-2]]
<dd>
Extends and supersedes [[CSS-GRID-1]],
introducing “subgrids” for managing nested markup in a shared grid framework.
<dt><a href="https://www.w3.org/TR/css-will-change-1/">CSS Will Change Level 1</a>
[[CSS-WILL-CHANGE-1]]
<dd>
Introduces a performance hint property called 'will-change'.
<dt><a href="https://www.w3.org/TR/filter-effects-1/">Filter Effects Module Level 1</a>
[[FILTER-EFFECTS-1]]
<dd>
Introduces filter effects as a way of processing an element’s rendering before it is displayed in the document.
<dt><a href="https://www.w3.org/TR/css-font-loading/">CSS Font Loading Module Level 3</a>
[[CSS-FONT-LOADING-3]]
<dd>
Introduces events and interfaces used for dynamically loading font resources.
</dl>
<h3 id="css-levels">
CSS Levels</h3>
Cascading Style Sheets does not have versions in the traditional sense;
instead it has <dfn export>levels</dfn>. Each level of CSS builds on the previous,
refining definitions and adding features. The feature set of each higher
level is a superset of any lower level, and the behavior allowed for a given
feature in a higher level is a subset of that allowed in the lower levels.
A user agent conforming to a higher level of CSS is thus also conformant to
all lower levels.
<dl>
<dt><dfn export>CSS Level 1</dfn>
<dd>
The CSS Working Group considers the
<a href="https://www.w3.org/TR/2008/REC-CSS1-20080411/">CSS1 specification</a> to be
obsolete. <a>CSS Level 1</a> is defined as all the features defined
in the CSS1 specification (properties, values, at-rules, etc), but using
the syntax and definitions in the
<a href="https://www.w3.org/TR/CSS2/">CSS2.1 specification</a>.
<a href="https://www.w3.org/TR/css-style-attr/">CSS Style Attributes</a>
defines its inclusion in element-specific style attributes.
<dt><dfn export>CSS Level 2</dfn>
<dd>
Although the <a href="https://www.w3.org/TR/2008/REC-CSS2-20080411/">CSS2 specification</a>
is technically a W3C Recommendation, it passed into the Recommendation stage
before the W3C had defined the Candidate Recommendation stage. Over time
implementation experience and further review has brought to light many problems
in the CSS2 specification, so instead of expanding an already <a
href="http://www.w3.org/Style/css2-updates/REC-CSS2-19980512-errata.html">unwieldy
errata list</a>, the CSS Working Group chose to define <cite>CSS Level 2
Revision 1</cite> (CSS2.1). In case of any conflict between the two specs
CSS2.1 contains the definitive definition.
Once CSS2.1 became Candidate Recommendation—effectively though not
officially the same level of stability as CSS2—obsoleted the CSS2
Recommendation. Features in CSS2 that were dropped from CSS2.1 should be
considered to be at the Candidate Recommendation stage, but note that many
of these have been or will be pulled into a CSS Level 3 working draft, in
which case that specification will, once it reaches CR, obsolete the
definitions in CSS2.
The <a href="https://www.w3.org/TR/CSS2/">CSS2.1 specification</a> defines
<a>CSS Level 2</a> and the <a href="https://www.w3.org/TR/css-style-attr/">CSS
Style Attributes specification</a> defines its inclusion in
element-specific style attributes.
<dt><dfn export>CSS Level 3</dfn>
<dd>
<a>CSS Level 3</a> builds on CSS Level 2 module by module, using the CSS2.1
specification as its core. Each module adds functionality and/or
replaces part of the CSS2.1 specification. The CSS Working Group
intends that the new CSS modules will not contradict the CSS2.1
specification: only that they will add functionality and refine
definitions. As each module is completed, it will be plugged in to
the existing system of CSS2.1 plus previously-completed modules.
From this level on modules are levelled independently: for example
Selectors Level 4 may well be completed before CSS Line Module Level 3.
Modules with no <a>CSS Level 2</a> equivalent start at Level 1;
modules that update features that existed in <a>CSS Level 2</a> start at Level 3.
<dt><dfn export>CSS Level 4</dfn> and beyond
<dd>
There is no CSS Level 4.
Independent modules can reach level 4 or beyond,
but CSS the language no longer has levels.
("CSS Level 3" as a term is used only to differentiate it from the previous monolithic versions.)
</dl>
<h3 id="profiles">
CSS Profiles</h3>
Not all implementations will implement all functionality defined in CSS.
In the past, the Working Group published a few Profiles,
which were meant to define the minimal subset of CSS
that various classes of user agents were expected to support.
This effort has been discontinued,
as the Working Group was not finding it effective or useful,
and the profiles previously defined are now unmaintained.
Note: Partial implementations of CSS, even if that subset is an official profile,
must follow the forward-compatible parsing rules for <a href="#partial">partial implementations</a>.
<h2 id="responsible">
Requirements for Responsible Implementation of CSS</h2>
The following sections define several conformance requirements
for implementing CSS responsibly,
in a way that promotes interoperability in the present and future.
<h3 id="partial">Partial Implementations</h3>
So that authors can exploit the forward-compatible parsing rules to assign fallback values,
<strong>CSS renderers <em>must</em> treat as invalid
(and <a href="https://www.w3.org/TR/CSS2/conform.html#ignore">ignore as appropriate</a>)
any at-rules, properties, property values, keywords, and other syntactic constructs
for which they have no usable level of support</strong>.
In particular, user agents <em>must not</em> selectively ignore
unsupported property values and honor supported values in a single multi-value property declaration:
if any value is considered invalid (as unsupported values must be),
CSS requires that the entire declaration be ignored.
<h3 id="future-proofing">Implementations of Unstable and Proprietary Features</h3>
To avoid clashes with future stable CSS features,
the CSSWG recommends the following best practices for the implementation of
<a>unstable</a> features and <a>proprietary extensions</a> to CSS:
<h4 id="experimental">
Experimentation and Unstable Features</h4>
Implementations of <a>unstable</a> features
that are described in W3C specifications
but are not interoperable
should not be released broadly for general use;
but may be released for limited, experimental use in controlled environments.
<details class=why>
<summary>Why?</summary>
We want to allow both authors and implementors to experiment with the feature and give feedback,
but prevent authors from relying on them in production websites
and thereby accidentally "locking in" (through content dependence)
certain syntax or behavior that might change later.
</details>
<div class="example">
For example,
a UA could release an <a>unstable</a> features for experimentation
through beta or other testing-stage builds;
behind a hidden configuration flag;
behind a switch enabled only for specific testing partners;
or through some other means of limiting dependent use.
</div>
A CSS feature is considered <dfn>unstable</dfn> until
its specification has reached the Candidate Recommendation (CR) stage in the W3C process.
In exceptional cases,
the CSSWG may additionally, by an officially-recorded resolution,
add pre-CR features to the set that are considered safe to release for broad use.
See [[#CR-exceptions]].
Note: Vendors should consult the WG explicitly and not make assumptions on this point,
as a pre-CR spec that hasn't changed in awhile is usually more out-of-date than stable.
<h4 id="proprietary">
Proprietary and Non-standardized Features</h4>
To avoid clashes with future CSS features,
the CSS2.1 specification reserves a
<dfn export lt="vendor prefix | vendor-prefixed | prefixed | unprefixed"><a href="https://www.w3.org/TR/CSS2/syndata.html#vendor-keywords">prefixed syntax</a></dfn> [[!CSS2]]
for proprietary and experimental extensions to CSS.
A CSS feature is a <dfn>proprietary extension</dfn> if it is meant for use
in a closed environment accessible only to a single vendor's user agent(s).
A UA should support such <a>proprietary extensions</a>
only through a vendor-<a>prefixed</a> syntax
and not expose them to open (multi-UA) environments such as the World Wide Web.
<details class=why>
<summary>Why?</summary>
The prefixing requirement allows shipping specialized features in closed environments
without conflicting with future additions to standard CSS.
The restriction on exposure to open systems is to prevent
accidentally causing the public CSS environment
to depend on an unstandardized <a>proprietary extensions</a>.
</details>
<div class="example">
For example,
Firefox's XUL-based UI, Apple's iTunes UI, and Microsoft's Universal Windows Platform app
use extensions to CSS implemented by their respective UAs.
So long as these UAs do not allow Web content to access these features,
they do not provide an opportunity for such content
to become dependent on their <a>proprietary extensions</a>.
</div>
Even if a feature is intended to eventually be used in the Web,
if it hasn't yet been standardized
it should still not be exposed to the Web.
<h4 id="de-facto">
Market Pressure and De Facto Standards</h4>
If a feature is <a>unstable</a> (i.e. the spec has not yet stabilized), but
* at least three UAs implement the feature
(<em>or</em> a UA has broken the other rules and shipped for broad use
an <a>unstable</a> or otherwise non-standard feature in a production release),
* <em>and</em> the implementations have rough interoperability,
* <em>and</em> the CSS Working Group has recorded consensus
that this feature should exist and be released,
implementers may ship that feature <a>unprefixed</a> in broad-release builds.
<dfn>Rough interoperability</dfn> is satisfied by a subjective judgment
that even though there may be differences,
the implementations are sufficiently similar
to be used in production websites for a substantial number of use cases.
<p class="note">Note that the CSSWG must still be consulted to ensure coordination across vendors
and to ensure coherency review by the CSS experts from each vendor.
Note also that <a>rough interoperability</a> still usually means
painful lack of interop in edge (or not-so-edge) cases,
particularly because details have not been ironed out through the standards review process.
<details class=why>
<summary>Why?</summary>
If a feature is sufficiently popular that three or more browsers have implemented it before it's finished standardization,
this clause allows releasing the pressure to ship.
Also, if a feature has already escaped into the wild and sites have started depending on it,
pretending it's still “experimental” doesn't help anyone.
Allowing others to ship unprefixed recognizes that the feature is now de facto standardized
and encourages authors to write cross-platform code.
</details>
<h5 id="unstable-syntax" class="no-toc">
Vendor-prefixing Unstable Features</h5>
<p>When exposing such a standards-track <a>unstable</a> feature to the Web in a production release,
implementations should support <em>both</em> <a>vendor-prefixed</a> and unprefixed syntaxes
for the feature.
Once the feature has stabilized and the implementation is updated to match interoperable behavior,
support for the <a>vendor-prefixed</a> syntax should be removed.
<details class=why>
<summary>Why?</summary>
This is recommended so that authors can use the unprefixed syntax to target all implementations,
but when necessary, can target specific implementations
to work around incompatibilities among implementations
as they get ironed out through the standards/bugfixing process.
The lack of a phase
where only the prefixed syntax is supported
greatly reduces the risk of stylesheets
being written with only the vendor-prefixed syntax.
This in turn allows UA vendors to retire
their prefixed syntax once the feature is stable,
with a lower risk of breaking existing content.
It also reduces the need occasionally felt by some vendors
to support a feature with the prefix of another vendor,
due to content depending on that syntax.
</details>
Anyone promoting <a>unstable</a> features to authors
should document them using their standard unprefixed syntax,
and avoid encouraging the use of the <a>vendor-prefixed</a> syntax
for any purpose other than working around implementation differences.
<h5 id="open-technology" class="no-toc">
Preserving the Openness of CSS</h5>
In order to preserve the open nature of CSS as a technology,
vendors should make it possible for other implementors
to freely implement any features that they do ship.
To this end, they should provide spec-editing and testing resources
to complete standardization of such features,
and avoid other obstacles (e.g., platform dependency, licensing restrictions)
to their competitors shipping the feature.
<h3 id="testing">Implementations of CR-level Features</h3>
Once a specification reaches the Candidate Recommendation stage,
implementers should release an <a>unprefixed</a> implementation
of any CR-level feature they can demonstrate
to be correctly implemented according to spec,
and should avoid exposing a prefixed variant of that feature.
To establish and maintain the interoperability of CSS across
implementations, the CSS Working Group requests that non-experimental
CSS renderers submit an implementation report (and, if necessary, the
testcases used for that implementation report) to the W3C before
releasing an unprefixed implementation of any CSS features. Testcases
submitted to W3C are subject to review and correction by the CSS
Working Group.
Further information on submitting testcases and implementation reports
can be found from on the CSS Working Group's website at
<a href="http://www.w3.org/Style/CSS/Test/">http://www.w3.org/Style/CSS/Test/</a>.
Questions should be directed to the
<a href="http://lists.w3.org/Archives/Public/public-css-testsuite">public-css-testsuite@w3.org</a>
mailing list.
<h2 id="CR-exceptions">
Safe to Release pre-CR Exceptions</h2>
The following features have been explicitly and proactively cleared
by the CSS Working Group for broad release
prior to the spec reaching Candidate Recommendation.
See [[#experimental]].
<ul>
<li>The flow-relative equivalents of
the sizing properties ('width', 'height', etc.),
the border properties,
the margin and padding properties.
See <a href="https://lists.w3.org/Archives/Public/www-style/2015Jul/0040.html">explanation</a>
and <a href="https://www.w3.org/TR/css-logical-1/">specification</a>.
<li>The ''min-content'' and ''max-content'' keywords of the sizing properties.
See <a href="https://lists.w3.org/Archives/Public/www-style/2015Aug/0109.html">decision</a>
and <a href="https://www.w3.org/TR/css-sizing-3/#sizing-values">specification</a>.
<li>The ''conic-gradient()'' gradient notation. See <a href="https://github.com/w3c/csswg-drafts/issues/2383#issuecomment-371340088">decision</a>.
<li>The 'aspect-ratio' property. [[!CSS-SIZING-4]]
</ul>
The following features have been explicitly and retroactively cleared
by the CSS Working Group for broad release
prior to the spec reaching Candidate Recommendation:
<ul>
<li>Everything in
<a href="https://www.w3.org/TR/css-animations-1/">CSS Animations Level 1</a>
and
<a href="https://www.w3.org/TR/css-transitions-1/">CSS Transitions Level 1</a>.
<li>The '':dir()'', '':lang()'', and '':focus-within'' pseudo-classes from [[SELECTORS-4]].
</ul>
<h2 id="indices">Indices</h2>
<em>These sections are non-normative.</em>
<h3 id="terms">Terms Index</h3>
<index type="dfn" status="TR" spec="
css2,
css-syntax-3,
css-style-attr-1,
mediaqueries-3,
mediaqueries-4,
css-conditional-3,
css-namespaces-3,
selectors-3,
css-cascade-4,
css-values-3,
css-color-3,
css-backgrounds-3,
css-images-3,
css-fonts-3,
css-multicol-1,
css-ui-3,
compositing-1,
css-writing-modes-3,
css-writing-modes-4,
css-transitions-1,
css-animations-1,
css-easing-1,
css-flexbox-1,
css-transforms-1,
css-variables-1,
css-text-3,
css-counter-styles-3,
css-masking-1,
css-shapes-1,
css-text-decor-3,
css-will-change-1,
css-speech-1,
css-align-3,
css-grid-1,
filter-effects-1,
css-break-3,
css-contain-1,
css-scroll-snap-1,
css-display-3,
css-font-loading-3"></index>
<h3 id="selectors">Selector Index</h3>
<index type="selector" status="TR" spec="
css2,
css-syntax-3,
css-style-attr-1,
mediaqueries-3,
mediaqueries-4,
css-conditional-3,
css-namespaces-3,
selectors-3,
css-cascade-4,
css-values-3,
css-color-3,
css-backgrounds-3,
css-images-3,
css-fonts-3,
css-multicol-1,
css-ui-3,
compositing-1,
css-writing-modes-3,
css-writing-modes-4,
css-transitions-1,
css-animations-1,
css-easing-1,
css-flexbox-1,
css-transforms-1,
css-variables-1,
css-text-3,
css-counter-styles-3,
css-masking-1,
css-shapes-1,
css-text-decor-3,
css-will-change-1,
css-speech-1,
css-align-3,
css-grid-1,
filter-effects-1,
css-break-3,
css-contain-1,
css-scroll-snap-1,
css-display-3,
css-font-loading-3"></index>
<h3 id="at-rules">
At-Rule Index</h3>
<index type="at-rule" status="TR" spec="
css2,
css-syntax-3,
css-style-attr-1,
mediaqueries-3,
mediaqueries-4,
css-conditional-3,
css-namespaces-3,
selectors-3,
css-cascade-4,
css-values-3,
css-color-3,
css-backgrounds-3,
css-images-3,
css-fonts-3,
css-multicol-1,
css-ui-3,
compositing-1,
css-writing-modes-3,
css-writing-modes-4,
css-transitions-1,
css-animations-1,
css-easing-1,
css-flexbox-1,
css-transforms-1,
css-variables-1,
css-text-3,
css-counter-styles-3,
css-masking-1,
css-shapes-1,
css-text-decor-3,
css-will-change-1,
css-speech-1,
css-align-3,
css-grid-1,
filter-effects-1,
css-break-3,
css-contain-1,
css-scroll-snap-1,
css-display-3,
css-font-loading-3"></index>
<h3 id="properties">Property Index</h3>
<index type="property" status="TR" spec="
css2,
css-syntax-3,
css-style-attr-1,
mediaqueries-3,
mediaqueries-4,
css-conditional-3,
css-namespaces-3,
selectors-3,
css-cascade-4,
css-values-3,
css-color-3,
css-backgrounds-3,
css-images-3,
css-fonts-3,
css-multicol-1,
css-ui-3,
compositing-1,
css-writing-modes-3,
css-writing-modes-4,
css-transitions-1,
css-animations-1,
css-easing-1,
css-flexbox-1,
css-transforms-1,
css-variables-1,
css-text-3,
css-counter-styles-3,
css-masking-1,
css-shapes-1,
css-text-decor-3,
css-will-change-1,
css-speech-1,
css-align-3,
css-grid-1,
filter-effects-1,
css-break-3,
css-contain-1,
css-scroll-snap-1,
css-display-3,
css-font-loading-3"></index>
<h3 id="values">Values Index</h3>
<index type="value" status="TR" spec="
css2,
css-syntax-3,
css-style-attr-1,
mediaqueries-3,
mediaqueries-4,
css-conditional-3,
css-namespaces-3,
selectors-3,
css-cascade-4,
css-values-3,
css-color-3,
css-backgrounds-3,
css-images-3,
css-fonts-3,
css-multicol-1,
css-ui-3,
compositing-1,
css-writing-modes-3,
css-writing-modes-4,
css-transitions-1,
css-animations-1,
css-easing-1,
css-flexbox-1,
css-transforms-1,
css-variables-1,
css-text-3,
css-counter-styles-3,
css-masking-1,
css-shapes-1,
css-text-decor-3,
css-will-change-1,
css-speech-1,
css-align-3,
css-grid-1,
filter-effects-1,
css-break-3,
css-contain-1,
css-scroll-snap-1,
css-display-3,
css-font-loading-3"></index>
Acknowledgements {#acks}
========================
Special thanks to Florian Rivoal for creating the initial draft of the [[#experimental]] recommendations.