Applying Styles to a Specific HTML Element with an ID

To apply CSS styling to a particular HTML element with a specific id, we use a selector syntax based on the id. In this case the id is "special". The correct syntactic formula is #id{ }. So for our particular HTML element the correct syntax will be #special{ }.

Practical Example

For instance, if you have a paragraph <p> in your HTML code like this:

<p id="special">This is a special paragraph.</p>

And you wish to change the color of the text inside this specific paragraph to blue, you would use the following CSS:

#special{
    color: blue;
}

This CSS rule would only affect the <p> element with the id "special" because of the id selector #special{ }.

CSS Selectors and Their Uses

It's important to clarify the uses of other selector types in CSS. The .class{ } syntax refers to styling elements with a certain class, not id. You use it when you want to style multiple elements that share the same class. Unlike ids, which must be unique, classes can be applied to multiple elements.

The syntax element.id.special{ } and id.special{ } would not work because they are an incorrect usage of selectors in CSS.

Best Practices

Always remember that the id attribute is supposed to be unique within the HTML document. This means it should only be used once per page. This uniqueness is important because it allows us to target a single, specific element to apply styles or JavaScript actions.

Remember that specificity matters in CSS. If you use the id selector to style an element, this rule will have a higher specificity than class or element selectors. This means that the id selector will override other styling rules applied to the same element.

In conclusion, understanding the correct usage of CSS selectors enhances your ability to effectively style HTML documents. The #special{ } selector offers a way to particularly style a unique element in your HTML document which helps in creating stunning web designs.