Is it possible to set the stacking order of pseudo-elements below their parent element?

css, pseudo-element, z-index

Solution

Pseudo-elements are treated as descendants of their associated element. To position a pseudo-element below its parent, you have to create a new stacking context to change the default stacking order. Positioning the pseudo-element (absolute) and assigning a z-index value other than “auto” creates the new stacking context.

#element { 
    position: relative;  /* optional */
    width: 100px;
    height: 100px;
    background-color: blue;
}

#element::after {
    content: "";
    width: 150px;
    height: 150px;
    background-color: red;

    /* create a new stacking context */
    position: absolute;
    z-index: -1;  /* to be below the parent element */
}

<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
<head>
  <meta charset="utf-8">
  <title>Position a pseudo-element below its parent</title>
</head>
<body>
  <div id="element">
  </div>
</body>
</html>

Problem

I am trying to style a element with the `:after` pseudo element CSS selector ``` #element { position: relative; z-index: 1; } #element::after { position:relative; z-index: 0; content: " "; position: absolute; width: 100px; height: 100px; } ``` It seems like the `::after` element can not be lower then the element itself. Is there a way to have the pseudo element lower then the element itself?

Original source

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