Using CSS :before and :after pseudo-elements with inline CSS?

I'm making an HTML email signature with inline CSS (i.e. CSS in style attributes), and I am curious as to whether it's possible to use the :before and :after pseudo-elements.

If so, how would I implement something like this with inline CSS?

td { text-align: justify; }
td:after { content: ""; display: inline-block; width: 100%; }

You can't specify inline styles for pseudo-elements.

This is because pseudo-elements, like pseudo-classes (see my answer to this other question), are defined in CSS using selectors as abstractions of the document tree that can't be expressed in HTML. An inline style attribute, on the other hand, is specified within HTML for a particular element.

Since inline styles can only occur in HTML, they will only apply to the HTML element that they're defined on, and not to any pseudo-elements it generates.

As an aside, the main difference between pseudo-elements and pseudo-classes in this aspect is that properties that are inherited by default will be inherited by :before and :after from the generating element, whereas pseudo-class styles just don't apply at all. In your case, for example, if you place text-align: justify in an inline style attribute for a td element, it will be inherited by td:after. The caveat is that you can't declare td:after with the inline style attribute; you must do it in the stylesheet.

as mentioned above: its not possible to call a css pseudo-class / -element inline. what i now did, is: give your element a unique identifier, f.ex. an id or a unique class. and write a fitting <style> element

<style>#id29:before { content: "*";}</style>
<article id="id29">
  <!-- something -->
</article>

fugly, but what inline css isnt..?

You can use the data in inline

 <style>   
 td { text-align: justify; }
 td:after { content: attr(data-content); display: inline-block; width: 100%; }
</style>

<table><tr><td data-content="post"></td></tr></table>

You can't create pseudo elements in inline css.

However, if you can create a pseudo element in a stylesheet, then there's a way to style it inline by setting an inline style to its parent element, and then using inherit keyword to style the pseudo element, like this:

<parent style="background-image:url(path/to/file); background-size:0px;"></p>

<style> 
   parent:before{
      content:'';
      background-image:inherit;
      (other)
   }
</style>

sometimes this can be handy.

No you cant target the pseudo-classes or pseudo-elements in inline-css as David Thomas said. For more details see this answer by BoltClock about Pseudo-classes

> No. The style attribute only defines style properties for a given > HTML element. Pseudo-classes are a member of the family of selectors, > which don't occur in the attribute .....

We can also write use same for the pseudo-elements

> No. The style attribute only defines style properties for a given > HTML element. Pseudo-classes and pseudo-elements the are a member of the family of selectors, which don't occur in the attribute so you cant style them inline.

Yes it's possible, just add inline styles for the element which you adding after or before, Example

 <style>
     .horizontalProgress:after { width: 45%; }
 </style><!-- Change Value from Here -->

 <div class="horizontalProgress"></div>

As mentioned before, you can't use inline elements for styling pseudo classes. Before and after pseudo classes are states of elements, not actual elements. You could only possibly use JavaScript for this.

If you have control over the HTML then you could add a real element instead of a pseudo one. :before and :after pseudo elements are rendered right after the open tag or right before the close tag. The inline equivalent for this css

td { text-align: justify; }
td:after { content: ""; display: inline-block; width: 100%; }

Would be something like this:

<table>
<tr>
<td style="text-align: justify;">
TD Content
<span class="inline_td_after" style="display: inline-block; width: 100%;"></span>
</td>
</tr>
</table>

Keep in mind; Your "real" before and after elements and anything with inline css will greatly increase the size of your pages and ignore page load optimizations that external css and pseudo elements make possible.

EDITED: If you have access to the stylesheet, you can pass the variable values inline and then, in your stylesheet, use the inherit value for the pseudo-element property you want to manipulate:

HTML

<div style="color: whitesmoke;">
</div>

CSS

div::before {
  content: '';
  color: inherit;
}

Useful for background images for example.

you can use

parent.style.setProperty("--padding-top", (height*100/width).toFixed(2)+"%");

in css

el:after{
  ....
  padding-top:var(--padding-top, 0px);
}