Can I have an onclick effect in CSS?

html

responsive-design

css-hacks

accessibility

byAlex Kataev·Oct 19, 2024

In CSS, simulate an onclick effect with the :active pseudo-class for instant visual feedback or use a :checked pseudo-class with a hidden checkbox to create a more durable toggle effect.

Instant click with :active:

.btn:active { 
    /* The color blue when the button is clicked. Magic! */
    background: blue; 
    }

Toggle effect with :checkbox:

<input type="checkbox" id="tgl" hidden>
<label for="tgl" class="btn">Toggle</label>

.btn { 
    /* Default color. Nothing fancy, just grey */
    background: grey; 
    }

/* Checkbox is checked? We're going blue, baby! */
#tgl:checked + .btn { background: blue; }

These snippets use pure CSS to make your UI responsive to user clicks.

The Checkbox Hack

To make a persistent state, use the CSS checkbox hack. It uses a hidden checkbox to store state and a label that acts like a button to change states.

Button-like labels

Labels can be styled like buttons with properties like background, border-radius, and box-shadow:

.btn {
  /* It's a button, but it's actually a label. Surprise! */
  display: inline-block;
  padding: 10px 20px;
  cursor: pointer;
  background: grey;
  border-radius: 5px;
  box-shadow: 0px 2px 5px rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.2);
}

#tgl:checked + .btn {
  /* Blue steel? Nah, just blue. */
  background: blue; 
  box-shadow: 0px 4px 10px rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.2);
}

Adding effects to active states

Enhance interaction by adding effects to :active and :focus states:

.btn:active {
  /* Button pressed; will it pop back? Only one way to find out! */
  transform: translateY(2px);
  box-shadow: 0px 1px 3px rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.2);
}

.btn:focus {
  /* Who needs a blue light filter when you have a lightblue button? */
  outline: none;
  background: lightblue;
}

Simulate resizing clickable elements by manipulating width and height when :checked:

#tgl:checked + .btn {
  /* Are we in Wonderland? The button is growing! */
  width: 200px; 
  height: 60px; 
}

To enhance accessibility, use tabindex to allow non-button elements to receive focus:

<div tabindex="0">Focusable element, keyboard users rejoice!</div>

:target Pseudo-class

The :target pseudo-class can highlight navigational elements and toggle content visibility:

<style>
  #section:target {
    /* Warning: approaching the yellow section! */
    background: yellow;
  }
</style>

<a href="#section">Jump to Section</a>
<div id="section">
  /* Caution: highlighted content below! */
  This section is highlighted when targeted.
</div>

Use :target to highlight the current section in navigation menus:

nav a:target {
  /* The blue frame of fame! */
  outline: solid blue 2px;
}

Remember, :target operation is built on URL mechanics, so it impacts page jumps and back button behavior.

explain-codes / Html / Can I have an onclick effect in CSS?

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