Epub Manual question

[AJ Starr]

Is there a epub programming manual that lists the allowable commands in a CSS?

I'm trying to learn how to format my ebook, but I'd like to have a list of allowable commands and their syntax for the CSS.

Thx

AJ

[odedta]

All the commands from CSS Tutorial on http://www.w3schools.com/css/DEFAULT.asp
are supported on EPUB 2.
EPUB 3 supports both CSS 2.1 (the one I mentioned above) and CSS3, so just go over these two and you should be a master of styling

[Toxaris]

Not the full spectrum of CSS 2.1 is supported. For the full list that is supported in ePUB2, which is usually the only format you need to worry about, can be found at the idpf site: http://www.idpf.org/epub/20/spec/OPS...aft.htm#TOC3.0

[odedta]

Which CSS 2.1 rules devices don't support?

[Toxaris]

Mostly things that is for text-to-speech and things like that. Also several pseudo-classes and pseudo-elements are not supported like hover. However, most readers do not support pseudo-elements anyway. In general you can say that the more complex the CSS will be, the less chance there is it will be supported at this time.
In paragraph 3.3 of the link I sent you can see what the default values are. There you can also see for example that the default value for the auto margin is 0.

[mrmikel]

Centering of things like tables don't work for beans also. Even the workarounds for centering can cause issues like disappearing cell borders. The ways of making tables with css don't work on some machines either. Some machines don't support some kinds of fonts. There was also a recent discussion in this forum of how apple doesn't support the css that allows you to wrap around images.

If you check out postings by Hitch who owns a company that makes epubs for a living, she does into some detail on this aggravating problem.

[AJ Starr]

Originally Posted by odedta

All the commands from CSS Tutorial on http://www.w3schools.com/css/DEFAULT.asp
are supported on EPUB 2.
EPUB 3 supports both CSS 2.1 (the one I mentioned above) and CSS3, so just go over these two and you should be a master of styling

Thanks, I'll started reading this week.

[AJ Starr]

Originally Posted by Toxaris

Not the full spectrum of CSS 2.1 is supported. For the full list that is supported in ePUB2, which is usually the only format you need to worry about, can be found at the idpf site: http://www.idpf.org/epub/20/spec/OPS...aft.htm#TOC3.0

Thanks, I'll check this one out too. Thought I think I've been here already.

AJ

[odedta]

Originally Posted by Toxaris

Mostly things that is for text-to-speech and things like that. Also several pseudo-classes and pseudo-elements are not supported like hover. However, most readers do not support pseudo-elements anyway. In general you can say that the more complex the CSS will be, the less chance there is it will be supported at this time.
In paragraph 3.3 of the link I sent you can see what the default values are. There you can also see for example that the default value for the auto margin is 0.

The list of pseudo elements:

Selector	Example	Example description
:link	a:link	Selects all unvisited links
:visited	a:visited	Selects all visited links
:active	a:active	Selects the active link
:hover	a:hover	Selects links on mouse over
:focus	input:focus	Selects the input element which has focus
::first-letter	p::first-letter	Selects the first letter of every <p> element
::first-line	p::first-line	Selects the first line of every <p> element
:first-child	p:first-child	Selects every <p> elements that is the first child of its parent
::before	p::before	Insert content before every <p> element
::after	p::after	Insert content after every <p> element
:lang(language)	p:lang(it)	Selects every <p> element with a lang attribute value starting with "it"

Personally I have never used any of those elements besides hyper links and a:visited and a:visited are supported, other elements are irrelevant if you don't use javascript.

[Doitsu]

Originally Posted by Toxaris

Also several pseudo-classes and pseudo-elements are not supported like hover. However, most readers do not support pseudo-elements anyway.

That only applies to ADE-based ePub2 readers, current Kindle devices and apps and Apple devices already support most pseudo elements/classes, and since the next generation of ePub3 ebook readers will most likely support pseudo elements/classes, it couldn't hurt to look into the possibilities that these pseudo elements/classes provide.

Originally Posted by odedta

Personally I have never used any of those elements besides hyper links and a:visited and a:visited are supported, other elements are irrelevant if you don't use javascript.

You don't have to use Javascript with pseudo elements/classes. You can also use them, for example, to automatically format the first letter of a chapter as a drop cap or insert fleurons before the beginning or after the end of each chapter. You can find some very simple examples in this old post. (The example .ePub works with current Kindles and iBooks; all red elements have been automatically formatted/inserted.)

[RbnJrg]

Originally Posted by odedta

The list of pseudo elements:

Selector	Example	Example description
:link	a:link	Selects all unvisited links
:visited	a:visited	Selects all visited links
:active	a:active	Selects the active link
:hover	a:hover	Selects links on mouse over
:focus	input:focus	Selects the input element which has focus
::first-letter	p::first-letter	Selects the first letter of every <p> element
::first-line	p::first-line	Selects the first line of every <p> element
:first-child	p:first-child	Selects every <p> elements that is the first child of its parent
::before	p::before	Insert content before every <p> element
::after	p::after	Insert content after every <p> element
:lang(language)	p:lang(it)	Selects every <p> element with a lang attribute value starting with "it"

Personally I have never used any of those elements besides hyper links and a:visited and a:visited are supported, other elements are irrelevant if you don't use javascript.

Not so irrelevant Read this thread:

https://www.mobileread.com/forums/sho...d.php?t=212300

And if you do a search in the forum you also will find material about ::before and ::after.

[odedta]

Well, they are to me since I never had to use them and I've been coding for quite a few years now. By the way, what Doitsu said there on the link you posted is conflicting with what Toxaris said about CSS 2.1 pseudo elements not being supported.

[Toxaris]

It does not conflict at all. Those pseudo-elements are not supported on ADE readers and perhaps more. Since most of the ePUB readers are still based on ADE, my statement is still valid. They are according to the specs, but most readers ignore them.