Contrasting CSS Attribute Selectors and Pseudo-Elements in Input Tags

<input type="text" placeholder="nothing" title="google" required>

**CSS Content:**

input[type="text"]{
border: 2px solid red;
}

input::placeholder{

color:green;
}

input[title="google"]{
background-color:black;
color:white;
}

What is the reason for the different writing process between type, placeholder, and title? Although the writing appears similar within the tag. How can you determine which are attributes and which are elements?

Answer №1

input::placeholder targets the placeholder text within an <input> element, while

input[attribute="value"]
selects an <input> with a specific attribute value. These two selectors serve different purposes.

Here is an example to help visualize this:

/* Styles an <input> with a 'placeholder' attribute */
input[placeholder] {
  color: #2ab7ca;
}

/* Styles the placeholder text */
input::placeholder {
  color: #ff6b6b;
}


/* The following styles are not relevant */

body {
  margin: 0;
  padding: 2em;
}

input {
  display: block;
  margin: 1em 0;
  height: 2em;
  width: 100%;
  padding: 0.5em;
}
<input
  type="text"
  placeholder="This placeholder is red and not editable."
>

<input
  type="text" placeholder=""
  value="...whereas the input content itself is blue and editable."
>

Please note that this information has been rearranged from a previous comment, and no duplicate sources were found to reference.

Answer №2

When it comes to CSS, there are attribute selectors and pseudo-elements that have distinct purposes and syntax. Let's delve into understanding the disparities between them:

Attribute Selectors:
    By utilizing attribute selectors, we can pinpoint elements based on their attribute values.
    To employ them, we enclose the attribute and its value in square brackets, like so: [attribute="value"].
    For example, in your code, input[type="text"] targets <input> elements with the type attribute set to "text".
    Similarly, input[title="google"] targets <input> elements having the title attribute set to "google".
    With attribute selectors, we have the ability to apply styles to elements based on specific attribute values.

Pseudo-Elements:
    On the other hand, pseudo-elements allow us to focus on specific parts or states of an element.
    We identify a pseudo-element by using double colons :: before the element's name.
    For instance, input::placeholder targets the placeholder text of <input> elements.
    Pseudo-elements empower us to style pseudo-parts or states, like the placeholder text, first letter, or first line of an element.

To distinguish between attribute selectors and pseudo-elements:

Attribute selectors utilize square brackets [attribute="value"] to target elements based on their attribute values.
Pseudo-elements use double colons :: before the element's name to target specific parts or states of elements.

In your CSS code, the selectors input[type="text"], input[title="google"], and input::placeholder each address different aspects of the element:

input[type="text"] applies styles to <input> elements with the type attribute set to "text".
input[title="google"] targets <input> elements having the title attribute set to "google".
input::placeholder targets the placeholder text within <input> elements.

By employing these selectors, we can apply unique styles to particular elements or parts of elements based on their attributes or states.

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