Are you seeking a guide to the default CSS generated by WordPress?
WordPress automatically assigns specific CSS classes to various elements within most themes. These default CSS classes offer the ability to style these elements in your WordPress theme. In this article, we present a cheat sheet for the default CSS generated by WordPress. Additionally, we discuss how to easily identify CSS classes and incorporate custom CSS classes as needed.
Why Familiarize Yourself with Default WordPress-Generated CSS?
WordPress automatically generates and assigns default CSS classes to various elements throughout your WordPress website. Theme developers can utilize these CSS classes to style common elements across all WordPress sites. This may encompass the content area, sidebars, widgets, navigation menus, and more. Understanding these CSS classes is beneficial for individuals delving into WordPress theme development or attempting to create a child theme for their website. It also enables you to swiftly style specific elements within your WordPress theme by applying custom CSS, eliminating the need to create an entirely new theme.
Default Styles for Body Class
The <body> tag in HTML encapsulates the entire layout structure of a webpage, rendering it highly significant in any WordPress theme design. WordPress appends numerous CSS classes to the body section, providing theme designers with the means to style the body container. These classes encompass a diverse range of conditions that can be targeted for CSS styling. For example, if you wish to alter the background color of the ‘News’ category page, you can employ the following custom CSS.
Default Style Classes for Posts
Similar to the body element, WordPress also applies dynamic classes to post elements. Typically, this element corresponds to the <article> tag in your theme template. However, depending on your theme, it could be a different tag. The CSS classes for posts are integrated into your theme by employing the post_class() template tag.
Default Classes for Navigation Menus
WordPress also incorporates CSS classes into your navigation menus. Below are the standard classes automatically included in navigation menus. In addition, your WordPress theme will assign a CSS class to each navigation menu location. For instance, if your theme designates the class ‘primary-menu’ to a menu location within the header area, you can style it using the following CSS classes.
Default Classes for Widgets in WordPress
Widgets serve as a straightforward method to present non-content blocks in your WordPress theme. Typically, they are showcased in dedicated widget-ready areas or sidebars within your WordPress theme. WordPress appends the following classes to the legacy widgets. However, with WordPress transitioning to block-based widget areas, you can now incorporate various blocks into your widget areas, each generating CSS classes dynamically.
Default CSS Classes for Comment Forms
Comments serve as central engagement points for many WordPress websites. Styling them enables you to offer users a cleaner and more engaging browsing experience.
Locating CSS Classes in WordPress
Blocks The WordPress block editor dynamically generates CSS classes for blocks. To identify these CSS classes, you must first insert a specific block into a post or page. Subsequently, click on the Preview button to view the block in action.
Incorporating Your Own Custom CSS Classes in WordPress
The default WordPress CSS classes are fairly extensive. However, their primary function is to furnish theme developers with a standardized framework for building. For your particular website, you might need to apply custom CSS to areas where default CSS classes may not be available for targeting.