How It Works
This accordion uses the CSS :checked pseudo-class with hidden checkboxes to create interactive elements without JavaScript. Click on any section header to expand or collapse its content.
Example Accordion
CSS (Cascading Style Sheets) is the code that styles web content. CSS is a stylesheet language that allows you to control exactly how HTML elements look in the browser, allowing you to create beautiful, responsive designs.
With CSS, you can style text, control layout, add animations, and more - all without JavaScript!
This accordion uses hidden checkboxes and the :checked pseudo-class to track the state of each accordion item. When a label is clicked, it toggles the associated checkbox.
CSS selectors then target the checkbox state to show or hide content and change the appearance of the header. This creates an interactive component without any JavaScript!
- Adjacent sibling selector: Used to select elements that come after other specific elements.
- :checked pseudo-class: Targets checkboxes that are in the checked state.
- Transitions: Creating smooth animations between states.
- Transform: Rotating the chevron icon when the section is expanded.
- max-height: Used to animate the content area expanding and collapsing.
Using CSS-only solutions for interactive components has several advantages:
- Faster page load times (no JavaScript to download, parse, and execute)
- Better performance on low-end devices
- Functionality works even when JavaScript is disabled
- Simpler maintenance (no need to debug JavaScript errors)
- Better browser compatibility with less testing
While CSS-only solutions are powerful, they do have some limitations:
- Can't implement more complex business logic
- Limited state management (CSS can only track visual states)
- Some advanced interactivity requires JavaScript
- Might need more complex HTML structures to achieve desired effects
- Can be harder to make fully accessible for screen readers without JavaScript