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link css to html in visual studio code

Code snippet for how to link css to html in visual studio code with sample and detail explanation

Visual Studio Code is an effective tool for developers, be it for HTML, CSS, or any other language. In this article, we will look at how you can link CSS to HTML in Visual Studio Code in an easy-to-understand manner.

Creating a New HTML and CSS File

The first step to link CSS to HTML in Visual Studio Code is to create the files yourself.

  1. Open Visual Studio Code.
  2. Click on File -> New File.
  3. Now, save this file with an HTML extension, say index.html.
  4. Repeat the process and create a new CSS file name it styles.css.

With your HTML and CSS files ready, you can use the following code snippet to link both of them together. Open the HTML file then write or paste in the following code.

<!DOCTYPE html>
<html lang="en">
<head>
    <meta charset="UTF-8">
    <meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1.0">
    <title>Link CSS to HTML in Visual Studio Code</title>
    <link rel="stylesheet" href="styles.css">
</head>
<body>
    <h1>Welcome to Visual Studio Code!</h1>
</body>
</html>

Remember to replace "styles.css" with the name of your CSS file, if it’s different.

Code Explanation for Linking CSS to HTML

Understanding how the code functions can drastically improve your proficiency in web development. Here’s a step-by-step explanation of the code snippet used above.

The <link> tag in the <head> section of the HTML file is crucial as it is responsible for linking the CSS file to the HTML file. Its attribute, rel="stylesheet", specifies that the linked document is a CSS Style Sheet. Meanwhile, the href attribute points to the location of the CSS file (“styles.css” in this instance).

In essence, when the HTML file loads in a browser, it comes across the <link> tag. Upon realizing it’s linked to a stylesheet (because of rel="stylesheet"), the browser fetches the CSS file specified in href and begins to style the HTML elements accordingly.

Remember to save your changes in Visual Studio Code periodically. You can check your work by opening the HTML file in your preferred browser. Any changes you’ve specified in your CSS file should now be visible, indicating that both files are successfully linked.

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