Sass selector-unify() Function

Posted in Sass Tutorial

Updated on Sep 30, 2024

By Mari Selvan

👁️ 25 - Views

⏳ 4 mins

💬 1 Comment

Photo Credit to CodeToFun

🙋 Introduction

The selector-unify() function in Sass is a unique tool designed to handle complex selectors in your stylesheets. This function helps unify multiple selectors into a single, combined selector.

This is particularly useful when you want to ensure that styles apply consistently across different contexts or when dealing with nested selectors.

💡 Syntax

The syntax for the selector-unify() function is as follows:

Syntax

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selector-unify(selector1, selector2, ...)

🔢 Parameters

selector1: The first selector to be unified.
selector2, ...: Additional selectors to be unified with the first one.

↩️ Return Value

The function returns a unified selector that combines the input selectors in a way that ensures they apply to the same elements.

📝 Example Usage

Let's explore some practical examples to understand how selector-unify() works in different scenarios.

📜 Example 1: Basic Usage

example.scss

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.container {
  .button {
    color: red;
  }
}

.button {
  background-color: blue;
}

$new-selector: selector-unify('.container .button', '.button');

.new-style {
  @extend #{$new-selector};
  font-size: 16px;
}

In this example, the .container .button and .button selectors are unified. The resulting unified selector ensures that the styles apply consistently to elements that match either of the original selectors.

📜 Example 2: Nested Selectors

example.scss

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.parent {
  .child {
    color: green;
  }
}

.child {
  font-size: 14px;
}

$new-selector: selector-unify('.parent .child', '.child');

.result {
  @extend #{$new-selector};
  border: 1px solid black;
}

Here, the .parent .child and .child selectors are unified. This unification helps ensure that the styles applied to .child are consistent, whether it is within a .parent or not.

📜 Example 3: Combining Multiple Selectors

example.scss

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.navbar {
  .item {
    margin: 10px;
  }
}

.sidebar {
  .item {
    padding: 5px;
  }
}

$combined-selector: selector-unify('.navbar .item', '.sidebar .item');

.combined {
  @extend #{$combined-selector};
  border: 2px solid gray;
}

This example unifies the .navbar .item and .sidebar .item selectors, ensuring that the styles applied to .item in both contexts are consistent.

🎉 Conclusion

The selector-unify() function in Sass is a valuable tool for managing complex selectors and ensuring consistency in your stylesheets. By combining multiple selectors, selector-unify() helps you apply styles uniformly across different contexts and simplify your CSS code.

Understanding and using selector-unify() can greatly enhance your ability to maintain and organize your stylesheets. Whether you're dealing with nested selectors or multiple contexts, this function ensures that your styles are consistently applied and easier to manage.

Experiment with selector-unify() in your projects to see how it can streamline your CSS and improve the overall structure of your stylesheets.