CSS Attribute Selectors
Attribute selectors allow us to select HTML elements based on their attributes. This provides more precise and flexible styling, especially for forms and links.
Types of Attribute Selectors
Attribute selectors can be used in several forms: existence check, exact match, or partial matches (starts with, ends with, contains).
| Selector | Description |
|---|---|
| [attr] | Selects all elements that have the specified attribute. |
| [attr="value"] | Selects elements whose attribute exactly matches the given value. |
| [attr^="value"] | Selects elements whose attribute starts with the given value. |
| [attr$="value"] | Selects elements whose attribute ends with the given value. |
| [attr*="value"] | Selects elements whose attribute contains the given substring. |
Basic Attribute Selectors
The simplest attribute selectors are based on attribute existence or exact matches. These are often used to target links or form fields.
In the following example, we select links and text fields based on attributes:
Pattern-Based Selectors
Advanced attribute selectors allow partial matches. For example, we can specify that a link starts with https, ends with .pdf, or contains a specific word.
Tips for Attribute Selectors
Attribute selectors are powerful, but overuse can hurt performance. Here are some recommendations:
- Use partial matches only when truly necessary.
- In forms, type-based selection is very useful to distinguish different inputs.
- Avoid overly general patterns to prevent selecting too many elements at once.
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