Sass selector-extend() Function

Posted in Sass Tutorial

Updated on Sep 30, 2024

By Mari Selvan

👁️ 43 - Views

⏳ 4 mins

💬 1 Comment

Photo Credit to CodeToFun

🙋 Introduction

The selector-extend() function in Sass is a powerful feature used to extend one selector with another. This allows you to share styles across multiple selectors without duplicating code.

The selector-extend() function is particularly useful when you want to apply the styles of one selector to another or when you're working with complex stylesheets and want to keep your code DRY (Don't Repeat Yourself).

💡 Syntax

The selector-extend() function takes three arguments:

Syntax

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selector-extend(selector, extendee, extender)

🔢 Parameters

selector: The original selector to be extended.
extendee: The target selector whose styles will be extended.
extender: The selector that will inherit the styles from the extendee.

↩️ Return Value

The function returns a string that represents the new selector with the extended styles applied.

📝 Example Usage

Let's explore some examples to understand how selector-extend() can be used effectively.

📜 Example 1: Basic Usage

example.scss

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%base-button {
  padding: 10px 20px;
  border-radius: 5px;
  background-color: #3498db;
  color: white;
}

.button-primary {
  @extend %base-button;
  background-color: #2980b9;
}

.button-secondary {
  @extend %base-button;
  background-color: #95a5a6;
}

In this example, the %base-button placeholder selector is extended by both .button-primary and .button-secondary. This allows the base button styles to be shared without repeating the code.

📜 Example 2: Extending a Nested Selector

example.scss

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.menu {
  &-item {
    padding: 10px;
    border-bottom: 1px solid #ccc;
  }
}

.nav-item {
  @extend .menu-item;
  color: #333;
}

Here, the .nav-item selector extends .menu-item, inheriting its styles while adding its own.

📜 Example 3: Using selector-extend() in Complex Scenarios

example.scss

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%common-style {
  font-family: Arial, sans-serif;
  font-size: 16px;
}

.card {
  @extend %common-style;
  padding: 20px;
  background-color: #f7f7f7;
}

.alert {
  @extend %common-style;
  padding: 15px;
  background-color: #ffdddd;
}

In this example, the %common-style placeholder selector is used to share font styles across both the .card and .alert classes, keeping the code clean and consistent.

🎉 Conclusion

The selector-extend() function in Sass is a powerful tool that helps you manage and reuse styles efficiently. By extending selectors, you can avoid code duplication and maintain a cleaner, more maintainable stylesheet. This function is especially useful in large projects where consistency and code organization are crucial.

Mastering selector-extend() can significantly improve your workflow in Sass, allowing you to create more modular and reusable styles. Experiment with different selectors and combinations to fully leverage the potential of this function in your Sass projects.