CSS Comment

Cascading style sheet (CSS) is used to style and add layouts to your webpages. CSS language is implemented with HTML to define the layout of a webpage. For someone with little knowledge about code, it is easier to read descriptions of statements written with CSS. This is where the CSS comment comes into play. These comments can be written in front of a statement or a module to explain the purpose of the statement or the module.

What are Comments In CSS?

Comments in CSS are used to explain the purpose of the statement or the module. These comments also help as future references and allow individuals to understand the code easily. These comments are helpful as they allow you to make edits easily as well. The CSS comment starts with /* and ends with */.

Why Are Comments Used in CSS?

We use CSS comments to increase the readability and understanding of the code written using CSS; in other words, these are called descriptions. Since the writer and the person using the code may be different, it is easier for them to read and understand the code and the purpose of the modules.

Uses of CSS comment:

Here is a look at some common uses of CSS comments:

• Documentation: The comments in CSS are used to provide documentation and describe various implemented styles and layouts on a webpage. These comments enable you to highlight important modules and their implementations.
• Collaboration: A CSS comment makes it easier for developers to work simultaneously together. They are used to share ideas within teams and allow you to easily explain descriptions to an external party.
• Future references: To use the same code in the future, you require explanations. This is when these comments come in handy. They allow you to remember what the given style is implemented for.

Disadvantages of CSS Comments

While CSS comments have many advantages, they also have some shortcomings. They are:

• Code Bloat: The more the number of CSS comments inside the code, the larger the size of the CSS file. Extra and unnecessary comments tend to increase the size of the CSS file, resulting in slow loading.
• Maintenance cost: A CSS comment needs frequent and parallel updating. Maintaining changes together may make it difficult to maintain the files manually.
• Code duplication: Over explanation of code details and multiple comments may lead to code duplication as it could be very easy for someone to implement the same code with the information provided in the modules.
• Outdated comments: With code developments over time, the previously written comment may fail to define the purpose of a module, requiring frequent updates.

Using comments to Explain Complex Code

The recommended practice for CSS commenting includes the use of entire words in a concise and clear format. This helps to avoid repetition. You need to update comments often to indicate changes in the code, while also ensuring that sensitive information is kept at bay.

When commenting out code, you need to ensure it is done briefly. This is ideal for testing and helps remove unnecessary commenting. Throughout the project, you need to use a consistent commenting style, especially when elaborating on complex markup structures.

By following these guidelines, you can create comments that improve code readability and facilitate productive team communication. Here are some ways to ensure this:

• Give your comments some thought. The code shouldn't be repeated in the comments. If a code is connected to a comment, you just need to copy the code and provide the background, details, justification, etc. Don't write comments that restate the code or make apparent statements.
• Comment on your functions, techniques, and classes. To help people understand the intent of the classes, approaches, and functions in the codebase, include concise explanations. These explanations are located adjacent to the code and describe the class or method in isolation.
• Maintain a consistent tone when making comments. Decide on a consistent commenting style for the code's comments. It is important to establish and stick to a specific commenting style for every level.

How to Include Comments in CSS Code?

To include comments in CSS code, you can use the syntax /* */.

You can place the CSS comment where white space is enabled in a style sheet. This can be single line or multi line.

Here are some examples of comments:

• Here are some examples of comments:
• Single-line comment
• Multi-line comment
• Comment to disable styling

A CSS comment can be placed on their line, or the same line as active code.

For example, `p { color: white; /* set the text color to white */ }`. Comments could be used to prevent the browser from interpreting certain parts of the comment box in HTML and CSS, but they don't affect the layout of a document.

Examples of CSS comment syntax –

Example 1:

/* This is a single-line comment */
p {
color: grey;
}

Example 2:

p {
color: blue; /* Set text color to red */
}

Example 3:

p {
color: /*black*/red;
}

Single Comments with example

A single-line CSS comment can have its line in the code or it could be implemented within the same line as the statement in the code. These are usually used to describe the purpose of a single style or statement.

For example:

p { color: blue ; /* set the text color to red */ }

Multi-Line comments with example

A multi-line CSS comment tag is used when we have to explain the use or the function of multiple lines of code or a complete module.

Multi-line comments start with /* and end with */.

Comments are useful in both internal and external CSS, and CSS frameworks like Bootstrap CSS. They are used to debug or redesign a website. Comments do not affect how styles are rendered on the front end. A comment box CSS can be added wherever white space is present within a style sheet, however, comments cannot be nested.

For example-

p /* Multi-line comments can be written anywhere
* whitespace is allowed. */ .sans {
font: Helvetica, // So can single-line comments.
sans-serif;
}

CSS Comments - HTML And CSS comments

In HTML you can write comments with the defined syntax <!---......---->.

These comments in HTML can be used to explain various functions of different tags that you have used in your code. In comment CSS code on the other hand, there are different types of comments. There are multi line comments to describe the function of the whole module and single-line comments implemented on a single style or statement to describe a function.

For example-

<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
<head>
<style>
p {
color: blue ; /* Set text color to blue */
}
</style>
</head>
<body>
<h2>HELLO WORLD</h2>
<!-- These paragraphs will be BLUE -->
<p>Hello</p>
<p>This paragraph will be using CSS.</p>
<p>will not display CSS comments in the output.</p>
</body>
</html>

How to Comment Out in CSS?

It is easy to comment out CSS; all you need to do is place the data inside /* */ these marks. The comment written inside these marks will not be implemented and instead be considered as a comment by the browser.

CSS Comments vs. HTML Comments

The style of writing a comment in HTML and CSS is very similar. The only the major difference between them is that in CSS the comments are enclosed within the marks /*-----*/, whereas, in HTML we write the comments inside the tags <!------>.

The purpose of these comments is the same in both CSS and HTML. These are used to define the purpose of the statements or the modules. Comment in CSS and HTML are used to explain the code and allow you to edit the source code at a later date. They are ignored by browsers and do not get displayed in the browser.

The Structure of a CSS Comment

Comment in CSS file is written between the /* */ marks. They are similar for both single line CSS comments and multi line CSS comments. The content of the comment is written between these marks and is not implemented on the output.

Wrapping Up

A crucial component of CSS coding is the use of CSS comment line. These are the lines in your code that the compiler ignores and doesn't run. The main goal of comments is to improve the readability and comprehension of your code. Comments can have one or more lines. Single and multiline CSS comment can both be written using the /* */ comment syntax. While CSS may allow us to hide in older browsers, using the syntax is no longer advised. It's a good idea to add comments to the program so that anyone reading it or having it reviewed later can comprehend it better.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

What are CSS comments?

A CSS comment is used to describe the function of a particular implemented style or restricts the browser from thinking or mistaking a line with a style and implementing it.

How are CSS comments written?

The comments in CSS are written between these /* */ marks. Both the single-line comments and the Multi line comments are implemented between these marks only.

Why are CSS comments useful?

These CSS comments are very helpful for future references, they help the designers to make their code readable and easier to understand by anyone and could be easy to share.

Do CSS comments affect website performance?

Overly filled and extra comments increase the size of our CSS file, which could not be a problem for the newer versions of the browsers, but if a file is running on an old browser, then the size of the file would impact the implementation time of the webpage.

Can CSS comments be nested?

No, the CSS comments could not be nested, because CSS does not support the nestable comments syntax.

What is the shortcut for CSS comment?

The shortcuts for CSS comments are:

• ctrl+/
• Select comment out CSS from the command menu

How do you comment on multiple lines in CSS?

The implementation of a single line or multi line comment in CSS is similar to each other, these comments are written between the two marks, which start with /* and end with */.

How do I comment on the CSS shortcut Vscode?

To comment on CSS in Visual Studio Code (VS Code), you can use the keyboard shortcut Ctrl + / for a single-line comment, or Alt + Shift + A for a block comment. You can also comment out selected text by using the shortcut Ctrl + K, and Ctrl + C. To uncomment on a selected text, you can use the shortcut Ctrl + K, Ctrl + U.