CSS Without Linking

drath · D Joined: 27 Sep 2005 Posts: 1696 Location: Canada

I couldn't find much information on this: Why would you link to a CSS file rather than just having the style sheet inline with the html document? Well I'm guessing it's so it keeps the information cached when you go to different pages on the website, so it doesn't have to keep loading the data, making it more efficient/speedy.

But what about if your website only has one page. Is it then alright to just use inline CSS? Isn't it less efficient to link a to a CSS (using <link rel=>) if there is only one page?
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ClickFanatic · Posted: Mon May 12, 2008 4:17 am Post subject:

The whole point to have external CSS files is to save bandwidth, because the CSS file is cached seperately. Inline CSS is attached to the document and will therefore be transferred every time the document is loaded.
If your site only has one page, then you can just embed the CSS in it, because HTML documents are cached as well.
Having CSS externally would require another HTTP request to the server, which is arguably less efficient in such a situation.
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exsanguination · Posted: Wed May 14, 2008 6:12 pm Post subject: Re: CSS Without Linking

I'd look at it more from the other direction, why would you inline it when you can link to an external stylesheet? What benefits does it gain you? I'd say basically nothing but maintenance headaches.

I like to keep everything separate. HTML is separate from JavaScript, which is separate from CSS, which is separate from server code.

Its just good practice.

And what CF said about caching.

Rashy · Lifeless Person Joined: 25 Sep 2006 Posts: 661

For multi-page sites, having the CSS inline would be a nightmare. If you wanted to update something like the font color for your content, with inline CSS you would have to edit the CSS on every single page, whereas if it was separate you would just change the one CSS file.
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spock · Posted: Sat May 17, 2008 10:19 am Post subject:

Luth · Novice Poster Joined: 22 May 2008 Posts: 17

spock · Posted: Mon May 26, 2008 10:10 am Post subject:

marinaroz · Posted: Fri May 30, 2008 8:00 am Post subject:

There's an important difference between having your CSS in the same file as your HTML, and between actually using it inline, meaning mixed within your HTML.

Using CSS inline shouldn't be done in most cases, it makes your code awkward and inflexible. Difficult to make styling changes.

There's nothing I can think of against having the CSS put in the same file as the HTML, nicely separated, if it's a one page site though. Not that you actually gain something by doing that in a tiny site, either.
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drath · D Joined: 27 Sep 2005 Posts: 1696 Location: Canada

Sorry yes, I meant declaring CSS as a style under your title tag, not actually "inline" as properties of each element.
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Necromis · Posted: Tue Jun 03, 2008 9:50 am Post subject:

to be honest, as was said before, the best practice is to keep them seperate and link your html and css. Yes PHP includes could work, but that is defeating the purpose of the linking abilities of CSS. Additionally you may only have one page now, but what about when down the road it grows and you need more pages. You can simply link to that same CSS sheet. Clean HTML and CSS is so much nicer to work with, and makes editing either a breeze. Start combining all that code together and you have to hunt hunt hunt for simple changes.

LP-SolidRaven · Posted: Tue Jun 03, 2008 11:22 am Post subject:

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