How to Create a Hollow Chevron Arrow with CSS?

Creating a Chevron Arrow with CSS

Question

Using CSS, you can easily create a filled-in triangle, as demonstrated by the code snippet below:

<code class="css">#triangle {
    width: 0;
    height: 0;
    border-left: 50px solid transparent;
    border-right: 50px solid transparent;
    border-bottom: 100px solid red;
}</code>

But how do you create a hollow, arrow-like triangle, as depicted in the image below?

[Image of chevron arrow]

Answer

You can create this type of arrow using the before or after pseudo-elements with CSS. Here's a breakdown of the process:

• Add the before or after pseudo-element to your desired element.
• Apply CSS styles to customize the pseudo-element's appearance and position.

For instance, you can use the following CSS:

<code class="css">::before {
    content: "";
    position: absolute;
    width: 0.5em;
    height: 0.5em;
    border-top: 1px solid black;
    border-right: 1px solid black;
    transform: rotate(45deg);
    margin-right: 0.5em;
}</code>

This CSS creates a hollow triangle with a black outline, rotated 45 degrees. You can adjust the width, height, and border properties to customize the appearance.

Alternatively, you can also achieve this effect without using pseudo-elements:

• Create a new or
  element within your HTML.
• Use CSS to style the element as an arrow, including its size, color, and rotation.

Here's an example:

<code class="css">.chevron {
    display: inline-block;
    width: 0.5em;
    height: 0.5em;
    border-top: 1px solid black;
    border-right: 1px solid black;
    transform: rotate(45deg);
    margin-right: 0.5em;
}</code>

In this case, you can add the .chevron class to your desired element to create the arrow effect.