The Background Shorthand Property
Shorthands exist to make declarations faster and easier. The background shorthand isn't left out too. In this lesson, we will take a look at how the CSS backkground shorthand really works
The background shorthand property like other shorthands, can be a life saver. When you have a lot of background declarations, it easier to have them declared in one statement.
For example, consider the code below:
.bg {
background-image: url('path/to/image.png');
background-position: 50% 50%;
background-size: cover;
background-repeat: no-repeat;
}
Using the background
shorthand, it becomes this:
.bg {
background: url('path/to/image.png') 50% 50%/cover no-repeat;
}
Isn’t that awesome?
How it Works
As seen in the example above, the background
property takes in background properties and sets them in one declaration.
The background properties include, url
background-position
background-size
background-repeat
background-origin
background-clip
and background-attachment
Oh my god, what a long list!
Must I Follow an exact sequence of properties?
The values of the individual background properties in the background shorthand can be shuffled as you deem fit.
The one rule to always remember is that the background-size
property must be specified after the background-position
property.
They must also be separated with the ‘/’ character.
You cannot specify the background size in the shorthand property unless you also specify the background position, otherwise the declaration is invalid.
My Personal Recommendation
I do have a sequence I follow - just to keep me sane. I have an acronym that has helped me too. Here it is: UPS ROCA
What?
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