CSS element1 ~ element2 Selector

Posted in CSS Tutorial

Updated on Oct 27, 2024

By Mari Selvan

👁️ 24 - Views

⏳ 4 mins

💬 1 Comment

Photo Credit to CodeToFun

🙋 Introduction

The general sibling combinator element1 ~ element2 in CSS allows you to select an element that is a sibling of another specified element.

This selector is particularly useful for applying styles to elements that share the same parent and come after the specified element in the document order.

💡 Syntax

The signature of the element1 ~ element2 Selector is as follows:

Syntax

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element1 ~ element2 {
    /* CSS properties */
}

This syntax targets element2 when it is preceded by element1 and both elements share the same parent.

📝 Example

Here is an example of how to use the element1 ~ element2 selector in CSS:

☠️ HTML

HTML

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<!DOCTYPE html>
<html lang="en">
<head>
    <meta charset="UTF-8">
    <meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1.0">
    <title>CSS element1 ~ element2 Selector Example</title>
    <link rel="stylesheet" href="styles.css">
</head>
<body>
    <div class="container">
        <h2>Heading 1</h2>
        <p>This is the first paragraph.</p>
        <p>This is the second paragraph.</p>
        <h2>Heading 2</h2>
        <p>This is another paragraph.</p>
    </div>
</body>
</html>

🎨 CSS

CSS

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h2 {
    color: blue;
}

h2 ~ p {
    color: green;
    font-style: italic;
}

In this example:

All <h2> elements are styled with a blue color.
Any <p> element that follows an <h2> element within the same parent (in this case, .container) will be styled with a green color and italic font style.

💬 Usage Tips

Use the ~ selector to style multiple elements that follow a specific element. For example, you can style all paragraphs following a heading without needing to target each paragraph individually.
This selector is particularly useful in creating dynamic layouts where the styling of elements can change based on their position relative to other elements.

⚠️ Common Pitfalls

The ~ combinator only applies to siblings that come after the specified element. If the specified element appears later in the document, the styles will not apply.
Ensure that the elements are siblings; if they are not direct siblings (i.e., they do not share the same parent), the selector will not work.

🎉 Conclusion

The element1 ~ element2 selector is a versatile tool for targeting sibling elements in your CSS.

By understanding how to use this combinator, you can create more flexible and dynamic styles for your web projects, allowing for enhanced layouts and design options.