CSS Basic
CSS [attribute=value] Selector
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🙋 Introduction
The CSS [attribute=value]
selector is used to select elements with a specific attribute value.
This allows for more precise styling by targeting elements based on their attribute values, making it a highly flexible tool for customizing the appearance of specific elements in a web page.
💡 Syntax
The signature of the [attribute=value]
Selector is as follows:
[element[attribute="value"]] {
/* CSS properties */
}
- element: The HTML tag you want to target.
- attribute: The attribute you are checking for.
- value: The specific value of the attribute.
This selector only selects elements where the attribute has an exact match with the specified value.
📝 Example
Here is an example of how to use the [attribute=value]
selector in CSS:
☠️ HTML
<!DOCTYPE html>
<html lang="en">
<head>
<meta charset="UTF-8">
<meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1.0">
<title>CSS [attribute=value] Selector Example</title>
<link rel="stylesheet" href="styles.css">
</head>
<body>
<a href="https://example.com" target="_blank">Visit Example</a>
<a href="https://example.com" target="_self">Open Example Here</a>
<button type="submit">Submit</button>
<button type="button">Click Me</button>
</body>
</html>
🎨 CSS
/* Style for links that open in a new tab */
a[target="_blank"] {
color: red;
text-decoration: underline;
}
/* Style for buttons of type "submit" */
button[type="submit"] {
background-color: green;
color: white;
border: 1px solid green;
}
/* Style for buttons of type "button" */
button[type="button"] {
background-color: blue;
color: white;
border: 1px solid blue;
}
In this example:
- Links (
<a>
) with thetarget="_blank"
attribute are styled with red text and underlined. - Buttons with the
type="submit"
attribute have a green background and white text. - Buttons with the
type="button"
attribute have a blue background and white text.
💬 Usage Tips
- Use the
[attribute=value]
selector to precisely style elements based on attributes likehref
,target
,type
,class
, andid
. - Combine the
[attribute=value]
selector with other selectors like classes and pseudo-classes to fine-tune your styling.For example:
CSSCopiedinput[type="text"]:focus { border-color: blue; }
⚠️ Common Pitfalls
- The
[attribute=value]
selector only matches exact values. For instance,[type="button"]
won't match an element if the type is set to something likebutton-primary
. - If you want to select elements with a partial match (e.g., values that start or contain a certain string), use the other attribute selectors like
[attribute^="value"]
(starts with) or[attribute*="value"]
(contains).
🎉 Conclusion
The CSS [attribute=value]
selector offers powerful control over styling by targeting elements based on their attributes. This selector is incredibly useful when working with form elements, links, and other attributes-driven HTML elements.
By mastering this selector, you can create more precise, maintainable styles for complex web pages.
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