Atomic CSS is a CSS writing method that only does one thing per class, improving efficiency and collaboration by combining a single class with a single function. It solves the problems of style duplication and naming problems, and is suitable for rapid development and team collaboration. Common tools include Tailwind CSS, Windi CSS and UnoCSS, which are used in conjunction with building tools. Applicable scenarios include prototype construction, design system and style unified project. Notes include learning costs, increased HTML complexity and lengthy class names. It is recommended to encapsulate high-frequency components, simplify combinations and code formatting to maintain consistency.
Atomic CSS, also known as Functional CSS, is a way to write CSS. Its core idea is: each class does only one thing . In other words, instead of writing a .button
class like traditionally, it wraps all styles in it, but uses many small and single-function classes to combine the final effect.
For example, if you want an element to have red text, inner margin 1m, right alignment, it may be written like this in Atomic CSS:
<div class="text-red-500 p-4 text-right">Content</div>
Each class name corresponds to a specific style attribute and value, rather than a whole component style.
Why is there Atomic CSS?
Many people think this way of writing "looks messy" at first, but it is actually solving some practical problems:
- Avoid duplicate styles : In traditional writing, multiple components may use similar styles, but due to different class names, duplicate code appears in the CSS file.
- Improve development efficiency : You don’t need to write a new CSS class every time, just assemble it in HTML.
- Reduce naming troubles : no longer have to worry about what the class name is (such as
.btn-primary-dark-hover
), the class name becomes a "configuration item".
It is especially suitable for projects that require frequent UI adjustments or collaborations of multiple people.
Common Atomic CSS tools
The most popular Atomic CSS framework now is Tailwind CSS , which provides a complete set of preset tool classes, where you can customize variables such as color, spacing, etc. through configuration files.
Other similar tools are:
- Windi CSS (similar to Tailwind, but generated on demand)
- UnoCSS (lighter and more flexible)
These tools are usually used with building tools (such as PostCSS, Vite), which can greatly reduce the workload of manually writing CSS.
Applicable scenarios and precautions
Atomic CSS is not omnipotent, it is more suitable for the following situations:
- Quickly build a page prototype
- Unified design system or component library style
- Team members are familiar with their rules
But there are several points to pay attention to:
- The initial learning cost is slightly higher, especially to adapt to the thinking of "not writing new CSS"
- The HTML structure will be more complicated than traditional writing, and the class name may become longer.
- If you don't control it, it is easy to write "full screen name" HTML, affecting readability
The recommended approach is:
- Simplify common combinations with
@apply
or tool class grouping - High-frequency components can still be packaged into multiplexed component classes
- Use code formatting tools to keep class names in order consistent
Overall, Atomic CSS is a pragmatic CSS writing that sacrifices a little "elegance" for greater flexibility and efficiency. If you change the style and layout frequently, this method may make you much easier.
The above is the detailed content of What is Atomic CSS (or Functional CSS)?. For more information, please follow other related articles on the PHP Chinese website!

Hot AI Tools

Undress AI Tool
Undress images for free

Undresser.AI Undress
AI-powered app for creating realistic nude photos

AI Clothes Remover
Online AI tool for removing clothes from photos.

Clothoff.io
AI clothes remover

Video Face Swap
Swap faces in any video effortlessly with our completely free AI face swap tool!

Hot Article

Hot Tools

Notepad++7.3.1
Easy-to-use and free code editor

SublimeText3 Chinese version
Chinese version, very easy to use

Zend Studio 13.0.1
Powerful PHP integrated development environment

Dreamweaver CS6
Visual web development tools

SublimeText3 Mac version
God-level code editing software (SublimeText3)

There are three ways to create a CSS loading rotator: 1. Use the basic rotator of borders to achieve simple animation through HTML and CSS; 2. Use a custom rotator of multiple points to achieve the jump effect through different delay times; 3. Add a rotator in the button and switch classes through JavaScript to display the loading status. Each approach emphasizes the importance of design details such as color, size, accessibility and performance optimization to enhance the user experience.

To deal with CSS browser compatibility and prefix issues, you need to understand the differences in browser support and use vendor prefixes reasonably. 1. Understand common problems such as Flexbox and Grid support, position:sticky invalid, and animation performance is different; 2. Check CanIuse confirmation feature support status; 3. Correctly use -webkit-, -moz-, -ms-, -o- and other manufacturer prefixes; 4. It is recommended to use Autoprefixer to automatically add prefixes; 5. Install PostCSS and configure browserslist to specify the target browser; 6. Automatically handle compatibility during construction; 7. Modernizr detection features can be used for old projects; 8. No need to pursue consistency of all browsers,

Themaindifferencesbetweendisplay:inline,block,andinline-blockinHTML/CSSarelayoutbehavior,spaceusage,andstylingcontrol.1.Inlineelementsflowwithtext,don’tstartonnewlines,ignorewidth/height,andonlyapplyhorizontalpadding/margins—idealforinlinetextstyling

Setting the style of links you have visited can improve the user experience, especially in content-intensive websites to help users navigate better. 1. Use CSS's: visited pseudo-class to define the style of the visited link, such as color changes; 2. Note that the browser only allows modification of some attributes due to privacy restrictions; 3. The color selection should be coordinated with the overall style to avoid abruptness; 4. The mobile terminal may not display this effect, and it is recommended to combine it with other visual prompts such as icon auxiliary logos.

Use the clip-path attribute of CSS to crop elements into custom shapes, such as triangles, circular notches, polygons, etc., without relying on pictures or SVGs. Its advantages include: 1. Supports a variety of basic shapes such as circle, ellipse, polygon, etc.; 2. Responsive adjustment and adaptable to mobile terminals; 3. Easy to animation, and can be combined with hover or JavaScript to achieve dynamic effects; 4. It does not affect the layout flow, and only crops the display area. Common usages are such as circular clip-path:circle (50pxatcenter) and triangle clip-path:polygon (50%0%, 100 0%, 0 0%). Notice

To create responsive images using CSS, it can be mainly achieved through the following methods: 1. Use max-width:100% and height:auto to allow the image to adapt to the container width while maintaining the proportion; 2. Use HTML's srcset and sizes attributes to intelligently load the image sources adapted to different screens; 3. Use object-fit and object-position to control image cropping and focus display. Together, these methods ensure that the images are presented clearly and beautifully on different devices.

Different browsers have differences in CSS parsing, resulting in inconsistent display effects, mainly including the default style difference, box model calculation method, Flexbox and Grid layout support level, and inconsistent behavior of certain CSS attributes. 1. The default style processing is inconsistent. The solution is to use CSSReset or Normalize.css to unify the initial style; 2. The box model calculation method of the old version of IE is different. It is recommended to use box-sizing:border-box in a unified manner; 3. Flexbox and Grid perform differently in edge cases or in old versions. More tests and use Autoprefixer; 4. Some CSS attribute behaviors are inconsistent. CanIuse must be consulted and downgraded.

The choice of CSS units depends on design requirements and responsive requirements. 1.px is used for fixed size, suitable for precise control but lack of elasticity; 2.em is a relative unit, which is easily caused by the influence of the parent element, while rem is more stable based on the root element and is suitable for global scaling; 3.vw/vh is based on the viewport size, suitable for responsive design, but attention should be paid to the performance under extreme screens; 4. When choosing, it should be determined based on whether responsive adjustments, element hierarchy relationships and viewport dependence. Reasonable use can improve layout flexibility and maintenance.
