They are called ‘custom properties’ because they really are CSS properties. Google Fonts Support Get Started with the Google Fonts API bookmarkborder On this page A quick example Overview Specifying font families and styles in a stylesheet URL Use font-display. The font-style value will actually be reset to its initial value of normal.Therefore, in this case, if you want. The next most obvious difference is in the name. When the site was first set up in the Fall of 2017 you could change colors of fonts in the basic editor without changing/editing/adding to CSS. Here, the paragraph text won’t inherit the value of font-style from its container. When retrieving the value of a custom property we use the var() function. One important difference between custom properties and variables in preprocessors is that custom properties have a different syntax for assigning a value and retrieving that value. However, if you are using a single font such as Roboto Regular and nothing else, you might not see a net gain in font size if you were to switch to a variable font with many axes. With SCSS we use a dollar symbol to denote a variable: $smashing-red: #d33a2c Ĭustom properties follow a similar conventions and use a - prefix: :root Storing 48 individual fonts in a single variable font file meant a 88 reduction in file size. The first and most obvious difference is the syntax.

Depending on the user’s device and operating system, the theme loads one of the fonts from the list below. How Are They Similar To Variables In Preprocessors?Ĭustom Properties are a little bit like variables in preprocessors but have some important differences. As System fonts are installed and available on user’s computers, they don’t rely on third-party services and load fast. In well-kerned fonts, this feature makes character spacing more uniform and pleasant to read than it would otherwise be.

Instead, I want to take a deeper look at strategies for getting the most out of CSS Custom Properties. I’m not going to focus on the syntax and how they work (for that I recommend you read “ It’s Time To Start Using Custom Properties”). This is great, but they’re different from variables in preprocessors, and I’ve already seen many examples of people using them without considering what advantages they offer.Ĭustom properties have a huge potential to change how we write and structure CSS and to a lesser extent, how we use JavaScript to interact with UI components. In CSS, inheritance controls what happens when no value is specified for a property on an element. To get the most out of them, we might need a strategy for how we write and structure CSS with custom properties.ĬSS Custom Properties (sometimes known as ‘CSS variables’) are now supported in all modern browsers, and people are starting to use them in production. Dynamic properties provide opportunities for new creative ideas, but also the potential to add complexity to CSS.

Google fonts css inheritance issue