98.css

A design system for building faithful recreations of old UIs.

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Intro

98.css is a CSS library for building interfaces that look like Windows 98. See more on GitHub.

My First VB4 Program

Hello, world!

This library relies on the usage of semantic HTML. To make a button, you'll need to use a <button>. Input elements require labels. Icon buttons rely on aria-label. This page will guide you through that process, but accessibility is a primary goal of this project.

You can override many of the styles of your elements while maintaining the appearance provided by this library. Need more padding on your buttons? Go for it. Need to add some color to your input labels? Be our guest.

This library does not contain any JavaScript, it merely styles your HTML with some CSS. This means 98.css is compatible with your frontend framework of choice.

Here is an example of 98.css used with React, and an example with vanilla JavaScript. The fastest way to use 98.css is to import it from unpkg. 

<link
  rel="stylesheet"
  href="https://unpkg.com/98.css"
>

You can install 98.css from the GitHub releases page, or from npm. 

npm install 98.css

Components

Button

A command button, also referred to as a push button, is a control that causes the application to perform some action when the user clicks it.
— Microsoft Windows User Experience p. 160

A standard button measures 75px wide and 23px tall, with a raised outer and inner border. They are given 12px of horizontal padding by default.

Show code 
<button>Click me</button>

When buttons are clicked, the raised borders become sunken. The following button is simulated to be in the pressed (active) state.

Show code 
<button>I am being pressed</button>

Disabled buttons maintain the same raised border, but have a "washed out" appearance in their label.

Show code 
<button disabled>I cannot be clicked</button>

Button focus is communicated with a dotted border, set 4px within the contents of the button. The following example is simulated to be focused.

Show code 
<button>I am focused</button>

Checkbox

A check box represents an independent or non-exclusive choice.
— Microsoft Windows User Experience p. 167

Checkboxes are represented with a sunken panel, populated with a "check" icon when selected, next to a label indicating the choice.

Note: You must include a corresponding label after your checkbox, using the <label> element with a for attribute pointed at the id of your input. This ensures the checkbox is easy to use with assistive technologies, on top of ensuring a good user experience for all (navigating with the tab key, being able to click the entire label to select the box).

Show code 
<input type="checkbox" id="example1">
<label for="example1">This is a checkbox</label>

Checkboxes can be selected and disabled with the standard checked and disabled attributes.

When grouping inputs, wrap each input in a container with the field-row class. This ensures a consistent spacing between inputs.

Show code 
<div class="field-row">
  <input checked type="checkbox" id="example2">
  <label for="example2">I am checked</label>
</div>
<div class="field-row">
  <input disabled type="checkbox" id="example3">
  <label for="example3">I am inactive</label>
</div>
<div class="field-row">
  <input checked disabled type="checkbox" id="example4">
  <label for="example4">I am inactive but still checked</label>
</div>

OptionButton

An option button, also referred to as a radio button, represents a single choice within a limited set of mutually exclusive choices. That is, the user can choose only one set of options.
— Microsoft Windows User Experience p. 164

Option buttons can be used via the radio type on an input element.

Option buttons can be grouped by specifying a shared name attribute on each input. Just as before: when grouping inputs, wrap each input in a container with the field-row class to ensure a consistent spacing between inputs.

Show code 
<div class="field-row">
  <input id="radio5" type="radio" name="first-example">
  <label for="radio5">Yes</label>
</div>
<div class="field-row">
  <input id="radio6" type="radio" name="first-example">
  <label for="radio6">No</label>
</div>

Option buttons can also be checked and disabled with their corresponding HTML attributes.

Show code 
<div class="field-row">
  <input id="radio7" type="radio" name="second-example">
  <label for="radio7">Peanut butter should be smooth</label>
</div>
<div class="field-row">
  <input checked disabled id="radio8" type="radio" name="second-example">
  <label for="radio8">I understand why people like crunchy peanut butter</label>
</div>
<div class="field-row">
  <input disabled id="radio9" type="radio" name="second-example">
  <label for="radio9">Crunchy peanut butter is good</label>
</div>

GroupBox

A group box is a special control you can use to organize a set of controls. A group box is a rectangular frame with an optional label that surrounds a set of controls.
— Microsoft Windows User Experience p. 189

A group box can be used by wrapping your elements with the fieldset tag. It contains a sunken outer border and a raised inner border, resembling an engraved box around your controls.

Select one:
Show code 
<fieldset>
  <div class="field-row">Select one:</div>
  <div class="field-row">
    <input id="radio10" type="radio" name="fieldset-example">
    <label for="radio10">Diners</label>
  </div>
  <div class="field-row">
    <input id="radio11" type="radio" name="fieldset-example">
    <label for="radio11">Drive-Ins</label>
  </div>
  <div class="field-row">
    <input id="radio12" type="radio" name="fieldset-example">
    <label for="radio12">Dives</label>
  </div>
</fieldset>

You can provide your group with a label by placing a legend element within the fieldset.

Today's mood
Show code 
<fieldset>
  <legend>Today's mood</legend>
  <div class="field-row">
    <input id="radio13" type="radio" name="fieldset-example2">
    <label for="radio13">Claire Saffitz</label>
  </div>
  <div class="field-row">
    <input id="radio14" type="radio" name="fieldset-example2">
    <label for="radio14">Brad Leone</label>
  </div>
  <div class="field-row">
    <input id="radio15" type="radio" name="fieldset-example2">
    <label for="radio15">Chris Morocco</label>
  </div>
  <div class="field-row">
    <input id="radio16" type="radio" name="fieldset-example2">
    <label for="radio16">Carla Lalli Music</label>
  </div>
</fieldset>

TextBox

A text box (also referred to as an edit control) is a rectangular control where the user enters or edits text. It can be defined to support a single line or multiple lines of text.
— Microsoft Windows User Experience p. 181

Text boxes can rendered by specifying a text type on an input element. As with checkboxes and radio buttons, you should provide a corresponding label with a properly set for attribute, and wrap both in a container with the field-row class.

Show code 
<div class="field-row">
  <label for="text17">Occupation</label>
  <input id="text17" type="text" />
</div>

Additionally, you can make use of the field-row-stacked class to position your label above the input instead of beside it.

Show code 
<div class="field-row-stacked" style="width: 200px">
  <label for="text18">Address (Line 1)</label>
  <input id="text18" type="text" />
</div>
<div class="field-row-stacked" style="width: 200px">
  <label for="text19">Address (Line 2)</label>
  <input id="text19" type="text" />
</div>

To support multiple lines in the user's input, use the textarea element instead.

Show code 
<div class="field-row-stacked" style="width: 200px">
  <label for="text20">Additional notes</label>
  <textarea id="text20" rows="8"></textarea>
</div>

Slider

A slider, sometimes called a trackbar control, consists of a bar that defines the extent or range of the adjustment and an indicator that shows the current value for the control...
— Microsoft Windows User Experience p. 146

Sliders can rendered by specifying a range type on an input element.

Show code 
<div class="field-row" style="width: 300px">
  <label for="range21">Volume:</label>
  <label for="range22">Low</label>
  <input id="range22" type="range" min="1" max="11" value="5" />
  <label for="range23">High</label>
</div>

You can make use of the has-box-indicator class replace the default indicator with a box indicator, furthermore the slider can be wrapped with a div using is-vertical to display the input vertically.

Note: To change the length of a vertical slider, the input width and div height.

Show code 
<div class="field-row">
  <label for="range24">Cowbell</label>
  <div class="is-vertical">
    <input id="range24" class="has-box-indicator" type="range" min="1" max="3" step="1" value="2" />
  </div>
</div>
A drop-down list box allows the selection of only a single item from a list. In its closed state, the control displays the current value for the control. The user opens the list to change the value.
— Microsoft Windows User Experience p. 175

Dropdowns can be rendered by using the select and option elements.

Show code 
<select>
  <option>5 - Incredible!</option>
  <option>4 - Great!</option>
  <option>3 - Pretty good</option>
  <option>2 - Not so great</option>
  <option>1 - Unfortunate</option>
</select>

By default, the first option will be selected. You can change this by giving one of your option elements the selected attribute.

Show code 
<select>
  <option>5 - Incredible!</option>
  <option>4 - Great!</option>
  <option selected>3 - Pretty good</option>
  <option>2 - Not so great</option>
  <option>1 - Unfortunate</option>
</select>

Window

The following components illustrate how to build complete windows using 98.css.

Title Bar

At the top edge of the window, inside its border, is the title bar (also reffered to as the caption or caption bar), which extends across the width of the window. The title bar identifies the contents of the window.
— Microsoft Windows User Experience p. 118
Include command buttons associated with the common commands of the primary window in the title bar. These buttons act as shortcuts to specific window commands.
— Microsoft Windows User Experience p. 122

You can build a complete title bar by making use of three classes, title-bar, title-bar-text, and title-bar-controls.

A Title Bar
Show code 
<div class="title-bar">
  <div class="title-bar-text">A Title Bar</div>
  <div class="title-bar-controls">
    <button aria-label="Close"></button>
  </div>
</div>

We make use of aria-label to render the Close button, to let assistive technologies know the intent of this button. You may also use "Minimize", "Maximize", "Restore" and "Help" like so:

A Title Bar

A Maximized Title Bar

A Helpful Bar
Show code 
<div class="title-bar">
  <div class="title-bar-text">A Title Bar</div>
  <div class="title-bar-controls">
    <button aria-label="Minimize"></button>
    <button aria-label="Maximize"></button>
    <button aria-label="Close"></button>
  </div>
</div>

<br />

<div class="title-bar">
  <div class="title-bar-text">A Maximized Title Bar</div>
  <div class="title-bar-controls">
    <button aria-label="Minimize"></button>
    <button aria-label="Restore"></button>
    <button aria-label="Close"></button>
  </div>
</div>

<br />

<div class="title-bar">
  <div class="title-bar-text">A Helpful Bar</div>
  <div class="title-bar-controls">
    <button aria-label="Help"></button>
    <button aria-label="Close"></button>
  </div>
</div>

You can make a title bar "inactive" by adding inactive class, useful when making more than one window.

An inactive title bar
Show code 
<div class="title-bar inactive">
  <div class="title-bar-text">An inactive title bar</div>
  <div class="title-bar-controls">
    <button aria-label="Close"></button>
  </div>
</div>

Window contents

Every window has a boundary that defines its shape.
— Microsoft Windows User Experience p. 118

To give our title bar a home, we make use of the window class. This provides a raised outer and inner border, as well as some padding. We can freely resize the window by specifying a width in the container style.

A Complete Window
Show code 
<div class="window" style="width: 300px">
  <div class="title-bar">
    <div class="title-bar-text">A Complete Window</div>
    <div class="title-bar-controls">
      <button aria-label="Minimize"></button>
      <button aria-label="Maximize"></button>
      <button aria-label="Close"></button>
    </div>
  </div>
</div>

To draw the contents of the window, we use the window-body class under the title bar.

A Window With Stuff In It

There's so much room for activities!

Show code 
<div class="window" style="width: 300px">
  <div class="title-bar">
    <div class="title-bar-text">A Window With Stuff In It</div>
    <div class="title-bar-controls">
      <button aria-label="Minimize"></button>
      <button aria-label="Maximize"></button>
      <button aria-label="Close"></button>
    </div>
  </div>
  <div class="window-body">
    <p>There's so much room for activities!</p>
  </div>
</div>

TreeView

A tree view control is a special list box control that displays a set of objects as an indented outline based on their logical hierarchical relationship.
— Microsoft Windows User Experience p. 178

To render a tree view, use an ul element with the tree-view class. The children of this list (li elements), can contain whatever you'd like.

  • We can put
  • ✨ Whatever ✨
  • We want in here
Show code 
<ul class="tree-view">
  <li>We can put</li>
  <li><strong style="color: purple">✨ Whatever ✨</strong></li>
  <li>We want in here</li>
</ul>

To make this a tree, we can nest further ul elements (no class needed on these). This will provide them with a nice dotted border and indentation to illustrate the structure of the tree.

To create expandable sections, wrap child lists inside of details elements.

  • Table of Contents
  • What is web development?
  • CSS
    • Selectors
    • Specificity
    • Properties
  • JavaScript
    • Avoid at all costs
    • Unless
      • Avoid
      • At
        • Avoid
        • At
        • All
        • Cost
      • All
      • Cost
  • HTML
  • Special Thanks
Show code 
<ul class="tree-view">
  <li>Table of Contents</li>
  <li>What is web development?</li>
  <li>
    CSS
    <ul>
      <li>Selectors</li>
      <li>Specificity</li>
      <li>Properties</li>
    </ul>
  </li>
  <li>
    <details open>
      <summary>JavaScript</summary>
      <ul>
        <li>Avoid at all costs</li>
        <li>
          <details>
            <summary>Unless</summary>
            <ul>
              <li>Avoid</li>
              <li>
                <details>
                  <summary>At</summary>
                  <ul>
                    <li>Avoid</li>
                    <li>At</li>
                    <li>All</li>
                    <li>Cost</li>
                  </ul>
                </details>
              </li>
              <li>All</li>
              <li>Cost</li>
            </ul>
          </details>
        </li>
      </ul>
    </details>
  </li>
  <li>HTML</li>
  <li>Special Thanks</li>
</ul>

Tabs

...
— Microsoft Windows User Experience p. #

To render a tab list, use a menu element with the [role=tablist] attribute. The children of this menu (li elements), should get a [role=tab] attribute.

Tabs should be managed by adding custom javascript code. All you need is to add the [aria-selected=true] attribute to the active tab.

²²

Hello, world!

  • Desktop
  • My computer
  • Control panel
  • Devices manager
  • Hardware profiles
  • Performance
    •
    Show code 
    ²²
<div class="window-body">
  <p>Hello, world!</p>

  <menu role="tablist">
    <li role="tab" aria-selected="true"><a href="#">Desktop</a></li>
    <li role="tab"><a href="#">My computer</a></li>
    <li role="tab"><a href="#">Control panel</a></li>
    <li role="tab"><a href="#">Devices manager</a></li>
    <li role="tab"><a href="#">Hardware profiles</a></li>
    <li role="tab"><a href="#">Performance</a></li>
  </menu>
  <div class="window" role="tabpanel">
    <div class="window-body">
      <!-- the tab content -->
    </div>
  </div>
</div>

    To create multirows tabs, add a multirows class to the menu tag.

    Hello, world!

  • Desktop
  • My computer
  • Control panel
  • Devices manager
  • Hardware profiles
  • Performance
    •
    Show code 
    <div class="window-body">
  <p>Hello, world!</p>

  <menu role="tablist" class="multirows">
    <li role="tab" aria-selected="true"><a href="#">Desktop</a></li>
    <li role="tab"><a href="#">My computer</a></li>
    <li role="tab"><a href="#">Control panel</a></li>
    <li role="tab"><a href="#">Devices manager</a></li>
    <li role="tab"><a href="#">Hardware profiles</a></li>
    <li role="tab"><a href="#">Performance</a></li>
  </menu>
  <div class="window" role="tabpanel">
    <div class="window-body">
      <!-- the tab content -->
    </div>
  </div>
</div>

    Issues, Contributing, etc.

    98.css is MIT licensed.

    Refer to the GitHub issues page to see bugs in my CSS or report new ones. I'd really like to see your pull requests (especially those new to open-source!) and will happily provide code review. 98.css is a fun, silly project and I'd like to make it a fun place to build your open-source muscle.

    Thank you for checking my little project out, I hope it brought you some joy today. Consider starring/following along on GitHub and maybe subscribing to more fun things on my twitter. 👋