How to Create Chevron Arrows with CSS: Pseudo-Elements or Borders?

Creating Chevron Arrows with CSS

As the saying goes, "Necessity is the mother of invention." When faced with the challenge of generating hollow-type arrow-like triangles, CSS developers have come up with various solutions. One popular approach involves leveraging the power of pseudo-elements.

Pseudo-Element Technique

The magic of pseudo-elements allows developers to add additional styling elements alongside the main element. In this case, you can utilize the ::before or ::after pseudo-elements to create the desired arrow shape. By adding borders, rotating, and positioning these pseudo-elements strategically, you can create the illusion of a hollow triangle.

A Simpler Alternative

An alternative solution that simplifies the process is to add two borders to the ::before pseudo-element and then rotate it using the transform: rotate property. This method offers a more straightforward approach without requiring the use of multiple pseudo-elements.

Example Code

To demonstrate this technique, here's an example code snippet:

<code class="css">ul {
    list-style: none;
}

ul.big {
    list-style: none;
    font-size: 300%
}

li::before {
    position: relative;
    content: "";
    display: inline-block;
    width: 0.4em;
    height: 0.4em;
    border-right: 0.2em solid black;
    border-top: 0.2em solid black;
    transform: rotate(45deg);
    margin-right: 0.5em;
}

li:hover {
    color: red;
}

li:hover::before {
    border-color: red;
}</code>

Implementation

To implement these arrows, simply apply them as bullets to a list and use em sizes to ensure they scale appropriately with the font size. The provided code includes an example of styling these arrows with different sizes and hover effects.

Conclusion

By embracing the flexibility of pseudo-elements and experimenting with border manipulation and rotation, CSS developers can unlock a wide array of creative possibilities, including the creation of elegant and customizable chevron arrows. Whether you prefer the versatility of pseudo-elements or the simplicity of adding borders to a single element, these techniques provide powerful tools for enhancing the visual appeal of your web applications.

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