Question
Answer and Explanation
The <th> element in HTML is indeed intended to represent table header cells, and browsers typically render them with a bold font weight by default. However, there are several reasons why you might not see the font weight change as expected:
1. CSS Overrides:
- The most common reason is that your CSS is overriding the default bold font weight. Check your stylesheet for rules that might be targeting <th> elements and setting their font-weight to a value other than bold or 700. This could be a specific rule for <th> elements or a more general rule that affects all table cells.
2. Specificity Issues:
- CSS rules are applied based on their specificity. If a more specific rule is targeting the <th> element, it will take precedence over the default browser style. For example, a rule like table th { font-weight: normal; } will override the default bold style.
3. Inheritance:
- Font properties can be inherited from parent elements. If a parent element of the table (or the table itself) has a font-weight set, it might affect the <th> elements. Check for any font-weight declarations on parent elements.
4. Browser Default Styles:
- While most browsers default to bold for <th>, there might be slight variations. However, this is less likely to be the cause if you are seeing a consistent lack of bolding across different browsers.
5. JavaScript Manipulation:
- If you are using JavaScript to dynamically modify the table, ensure that no script is inadvertently changing the font weight of the <th> elements.
6. CSS Frameworks:
- If you are using a CSS framework like Bootstrap or Tailwind CSS, it might have its own default styles for tables and <th> elements. Check the framework's documentation to see if it's overriding the default bold style.
How to Troubleshoot:
- Inspect Element: Use your browser's developer tools (usually by right-clicking and selecting "Inspect" or "Inspect Element") to examine the <th> element. Look at the "Computed" tab to see which CSS rules are being applied and if any are overriding the font weight.
- Simplify CSS: Try removing or commenting out parts of your CSS to isolate the rule that is causing the issue. Start with the most general rules and work your way to more specific ones.
- Use !important (with caution): As a last resort, you can use font-weight: bold !important; in your CSS to force the bold style. However, it's generally better to understand and fix the underlying specificity issue rather than relying on !important.
By carefully examining your CSS and using the browser's developer tools, you should be able to identify and resolve the issue preventing the <th> elements from displaying with a bold font weight.