:checked

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Sara Cope on (Updated on )

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The :checked pseudo-class in CSS selects elements when they are in the selected state. It is only associated with input (<input>) elements of type radio and checkbox . The :checked pseudo-class selector matches radio and checkbox input types when checked or toggled to an on state. If they are not selected or checked, there is no match.

So when a checkbox is checked, and you are targeting the label immediately after it:

input[type=checkbox] + label {
  color: #ccc;
  font-style: italic;
} 
input[type=checkbox]:checked + label {
  color: #f00;
  font-style: normal;
} 

The label text will turn from grey italic to red normal font.

<input type="checkbox" id="ossm" name="ossm"> 
<label for="ossm">CSS is Awesome</label> 

The above is an example of using the :checked pseudo-class to make forms more accessible. The :checked pseudo-class can be used with hidden inputs and their visible labels to build interactive widgets, such as image galleries.

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