changes to style.css do not always show!

It sounds as though you’re not using specific-enough selectors to override your parent styles.
https://coding.smashingmagazine.com/2007/07/27/css-specificity-things-you-should-know/

I dont think that’s the problem, since in some cases, all I am doing is CHANGING a style- for example- from red in the parent style, to blue in the child theme. I dont think that would be a problem of specificity.
There are a whole bunch of css files in this theme, though. Could it be that not all elements are editable in style.css? Maybe I have to go into other css files to make the changes??

What specifically doesn’t change the way you want, on your website?

Looking at your site, some of the other stylesheets are being loaded after your child theme file — so that also makes a difference — but specificity in selectors should still be able to override that code. Or if all else fails, try using !important.

Thanks for your help.

Andrew- For example, I put in my style.css
#container{
background-color:green;
}
And nothing changes.

WPyogi- Which stylesheets are being loaded after my child theme file? That would make a big difference!

Thanks for trying to help me!

Use View Source and look at the list of linked stylesheets in the head section of the page.

“container” is a class not an id – use a period not a hashtag.

Thank you for your help.
I looked at style.css for the parent theme, and it has #container, with the styles for container there. That’s why, on my child theme, I also wrote #container, and tried to make changes to it.
I’m so confused- how should I know where to find the styles I want to edit, if not in the style.css of the parent??!

Thanks again for your help…

Try using Firebug to look at the actual page — IMHO, it’s impossible to work with CSS without a tool like that.

Yes, I see that #container is used in the regular style.css file — but if you search the rendered HTML — there is no id="container" which is rather odd.

There IS definitely this HTML: <div class="container"> .

Frankly, for me, that kind of thing would raise a few questions about the theme — though since I have not looked at it in detail, there may be something else going on.

thanks for your help.

Another thing- how do I get the files on my child theme to show up in appearance-editor, in my dashboard? I copied a file from the parent theme to my child theme, and put it into my child theme folder, via ftp. But I dont see those files when I check in appearance-editor.

Your site shows this:

.container {
   color: green;
}

change it to this:
(I assume you want the background to change, not the text color)

.container {
   background: green;
}

You can always add an !important to force the property.

background: green !important;

Thanks.

https://www.ads-software.com/support/topic/changes-only-accur-on-parent-theme-not-child-theme?replies=5