How Can I Effectively Manage and Organize My CSS to Avoid a \'CSS Explosion\'?

Managing the CSS Explosion

Managing CSS complexity can be challenging, leading to unwieldy CSS files. Here are some strategies to organize and structure your CSS effectively:

Refactoring and Housekeeping:

• Regularly review and merge CSS definitions for similar classes.
• Remove obsolete definitions promptly.
• Add comments explaining changes made during bug fixes.

Avoidance of Redundancy:

• Avoid duplicating styles for elements that share the same properties (e.g., .classname and .classname:hover).

Structural Organization:

• Use comments to visually segment CSS sections (e.g., Headings, Containers).
• Employ prettifier tools like Polystyle for consistent styling.

Class Building:

• Create sensible classes based on ancestry and shared characteristics.
• Start with global settings in the body, then define specific elements within the page layout.
• Use the CSS tree structure to organize classes (e.g., div.content > ul.table_of_contents > li > span.pagenumber).

Commonalities and IDs:

• Identify common elements and define shared styles in CSS classes.
• Use IDs for elements with unique properties, especially in Internet Explorer 6.
• In the HTML markup, include additional CSS context for styling flexibility (e.g., li classes indicating first item, active item, etc.).

Miscellaneous HTML Tips:

• Assign unique body classes for page-specific style modifications.
• Add semantically meaningful classes to HTML elements to facilitate CSS customization without the need for extensive code changes.

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