Border styles in CSS - Cheat Sheet & Quick Revision

Recall & Review

beginner

What CSS property is used to set the style of a border?

The border-style property sets the style of an element's border, such as solid, dashed, or dotted.

beginner

Name three common border styles in CSS.

Three common border styles are solid (a continuous line), dashed (a line made of dashes), and dotted (a line made of dots).

beginner

How do you remove a border from an element using CSS?

Set border-style: none; or border: none; to remove the border completely.

intermediate

What does the border-style: inset; do?

It creates a border that makes the element look like it is embedded or pressed into the page, giving a 3D effect.

intermediate

Can you set different border styles for each side of an element? How?

Yes. Use border-top-style, border-right-style, border-bottom-style, and border-left-style to set styles individually.

Which CSS value will create a dotted border?

A solid

B dotted

C double

D groove

The dotted value creates a border made of dots.

How do you remove all borders from an element?

A border-style: none;

B border-style: hidden;

C border-style: solid;

D border-style: dashed;

Setting border-style: none; removes the border.

Which property sets the border style for the left side only?

A border-left

B border-style-left

C border-left-style

D border-style

border-left-style sets the style for the left border only.

What border style gives a 3D pressed look?

A inset

B ridge

C dotted

D solid

inset makes the border look pressed into the page.

Which border style creates two solid lines with space between?

A dashed

B groove

C solid

D double

double creates two solid lines separated by space.

Explain how to set different border styles on each side of a box in CSS.

Think about how you can control each side separately.

Describe the visual difference between the border styles: solid, dashed, and dotted.

Imagine drawing lines with a pen, a dashed line, and dots.

Practice

1. Which CSS border-style value creates a solid continuous line around an element?

easy

A. double

B. dotted

C. none

D. solid

Solution

1. Step 1: Understand border-style values

   The border-style property controls the line style of borders. Common values include solid, dotted, dashed, and double.

2. Step 2: Identify the solid line style

   The solid value creates a continuous, unbroken line around the element.

3. Final Answer:

   solid -> Option D

4. Quick Check:

   Solid border = continuous line [OK]

Hint: Solid means one continuous line, no breaks [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Confusing 'dotted' with 'solid'
• Choosing 'double' thinking it's solid
• Selecting 'none' which means no border

2. Which of the following is the correct CSS syntax to set a dashed border style on a div?

easy

A. div { border-style: dash; }

B. div { border-style: dashed; }

C. div { border-style: dashes; }

D. div { border-style: dot; }

Solution

1. Step 1: Recall correct border-style values

   The valid CSS value for a dashed border is dashed. Incorrect values like dash, dashes, or dot are not recognized.

2. Step 2: Check syntax correctness

   The syntax border-style: dashed; correctly applies a dashed border style to the element.

3. Final Answer:

   div { border-style: dashed; } -> Option B

4. Quick Check:

   Dashed border uses 'dashed' keyword [OK]

Hint: Use 'dashed' exactly, not 'dash' or 'dashes' [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Using incorrect keywords like 'dash' or 'dot'
• Missing semicolon at the end
• Applying border-style to wrong selector

3. What will be the visible border style of this CSS code?

p {
  border-width: 3px;
  border-style: double;
  border-color: blue;
}

medium

A. Two parallel blue lines with space between, total 3px thick

B. A single solid blue border 3px thick

C. A dotted blue border 3px thick

D. No visible border

Solution

1. Step 1: Understand the 'double' border style

   The double border style draws two parallel lines with a small space between them. The total thickness is controlled by border-width.

2. Step 2: Apply the given CSS properties

   The border is blue, 3px wide, and double style, so you see two blue lines side by side with a gap, all within 3px total width.

3. Final Answer:

   Two parallel blue lines with space between, total 3px thick -> Option A

4. Quick Check:

   Double border = two lines with gap [OK]

Hint: Double border shows two lines, not one [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Thinking 'double' means thicker solid line
• Confusing 'double' with 'dotted'
• Ignoring border-width effect

4. Identify the error in this CSS snippet that prevents the border from showing:

div {
  border-style: solid;
  border-width: 0;
  border-color: red;
}

medium

A. border-width is set to 0, so border is invisible

B. Missing border property shorthand

C. border-color 'red' is not a valid color

D. border-style 'solid' is invalid

Solution

1. Step 1: Check border-width value

   The border width is set to 0, which means no visible border thickness.

2. Step 2: Understand effect on border visibility

   Even though style is solid and color is red, a 0 width border won't show on the page.

3. Final Answer:

   border-width is set to 0, so border is invisible -> Option A

4. Quick Check:

   Border width 0 means no visible border [OK]

Hint: Border width 0 hides border even if style and color set [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Thinking 'solid' is invalid
• Assuming color affects visibility alone
• Believing shorthand is required

5. You want to create a responsive card with a border that changes style on hover: solid normally and dotted on hover. Which CSS code correctly achieves this?

hard

A. div.card { border-style: solid dotted; } div.card:hover { border-style: dotted solid; }

B. div.card { border-style: dotted; } div.card:hover { border-style: solid; }

C. div.card { border-style: solid; } div.card:hover { border-style: dotted; }

D. div.card { border-style: solid; border-hover-style: dotted; }

Solution

1. Step 1: Set default border style

   The card's normal border style should be solid, so div.card { border-style: solid; } sets this correctly.

2. Step 2: Change border style on hover

   Using the hover pseudo-class, div.card:hover { border-style: dotted; } changes the border style to dotted when the mouse is over the card.

3. Final Answer:

   div.card { border-style: solid; } div.card:hover { border-style: dotted; } -> Option C

4. Quick Check:

   Use :hover to change border-style dynamically [OK]

Hint: Use :hover selector to change border style on mouseover [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Using invalid property 'border-hover-style'
• Swapping default and hover styles
• Trying to set two styles in one property incorrectly