How to change CSS of an element using jQuery

jQuery is a JavaScript library that provides us with multiple features and tools to handle the HTML document. It is widely used as it is faster and more efficient in performing web development-related tasks, including object animations and event handling.

To use jQuery, we must include its library in the HTML document. To include the library, write the following code:

<script src="https://code.jquery.com/jquery-3.6.0.min.js"></script>
jQuery library

In this Answer, we will change the CSS of the elements in the HTML document using jQuery's css() method.

The css() method

We use the css() method to change the CSS of the elements. Since this method is part of JavaScript, we should have to write it under the <script> tag in the HTML code.

Syntax

The syntax of css() method is as follows:

$(selector).css(propertyName, value);
Syntax of css() method in jQuery
  • $(selector): This is the element we want to change the CSS of.

  • propertyName: This is the CSS property we want to set.

  • value: This is the new value we set for the CSS property. It can have any variable type depending on the CSS property's requirement.

Example of syntax elements
Example of syntax elements

Examples

The following examples will help us clear our understanding of the css() method:

For a single CSS property

We use the css() method in the following code example to set CSS for a single property.

Let's understand what happens in our code:

  • Lines 3–5: We define the document's title in the <head> tag.

  • Lines 8–12: We write the JavaScript code in the <script> tag. The document.ready() function executes after the DOM has loaded completely without making an explicit call. In this function, we change the CSS of the <h1> tag using the css() method. We change the value of color property of <h1> tag to blue.

  • Lines 14–16: We create a heading element in the <body> tag.

For multiple CSS properties

To set multiple CSS properties, we can either use the css() method several times or call it once.

The following code example calls the css() method multiple times to set the different CSS properties of an element:

Let's understand what happens in the script code:

  • Lines 8–13: In this function, we use the css() method twice to change two CSS properties of the <h1> tag. First, we change the property of color to blue, then we change the text-decoration to underline.

The following code example calls the css() method only once:

Let's understand what happens in the script code:

  • Line 8–15: In this function, we use the css() method to change the CSS of two properties of the <h1> tag. We change the property of color to blue and text-decoration to underline.

Conclusion

Changing the CSS of an element using jQuery is a simple and easy process. Using the css() method, we can change a variety of CSS properties of chosen components.

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