I am encountering issues with my custom classes when trying to integrate them with preexisting ones such as "btn"

Question

I am encountering issues with my custom classes when trying to integrate them with preexisting ones such as "btn"

Today is my first time asking a question here! Here's the issue I'm facing. I'm trying to use my own CSS classes for colors, but some of them are not working as expected. Take a look at this example:

<button type="button" class="btn btn-ladevi_blue" data-toggle="modal" data-target="#loginModalCenter">
  Launch demo modal
</button>

Here's a snippet of the CSS code I'm using:

.btn-ladevi_orange{
color: #FFFFFF;
background-color: #FFA700;
border-color: #FFA700;}

.btn-ladevi_blue{
color: #FFFFFF;
background-color: #00496B;
border-color: #00496B;}

Every time I add something like "btn" before my custom class, it seems to get ignored. Upon inspecting the element and checking its attributes, I see that they are being overridden. However, if I change my custom class to a predefined one like "primary," it works as expected with no overrides.

I referred to this site for guidance:

https://codepen.io/ondrejsvestka/pen/NjxgVR

This is more or less what I am aiming for.

For now, I am circumventing the issue by adding attributes as styles directly within my HTML code (as I did with others, though they are increasing in number!). But I am eager to find out how to make these custom classes work seamlessly with the predefined ones.

Thank you in advance!

css bootstrap-4

Answer 1

Answer №1

This issue seems to be related to CSS specificity, where the bootstrap .btn class is taking precedence due to its higher level of specificity.

According to MDN's Cascade and Inheritance (emphasis added):

The specificity of a selector is determined by four values (or components), represented as thousands, hundreds, tens, and ones — essentially four digits in columns:

Thousands: Represents declarations inside inline styles with a specificity value of 1000.

Hundreds: For each ID selector within the overall selector, one point is assigned in this column.

Tens: One point is given for each class selector, attribute selector, or pseudo-class within the selector.

Ones: One point is awarded for each element selector or pseudo-element within the selector.

button.btn { /* class name (10) + element (01) = 0011 */
  color: blue;
}

.my-btn { /* class name = 0010 */
  color: red; /* overridden by button.btn because it's more specific than a single classname; 0011 > 0010 */
}

In the provided example, the selector button.btn has a specificity score of 11, where button is 01 and .btn is 10, totaling to 11.

The selector .my-btn has a score of 10 (one class name), hence being overruled by the previous selector.

To address this issue, you can increase the specificity of your selector. One effective workaround is duplicating your selector in the CSS code, which raises its specificity:

.my-btn.my-btn {
  color: red; /* more specific than the single classname selector below */
}

.my-btn {
  color: blue; /* overridden by more specific selector above */
}

Duplicating the same class name, like .my-btn.my-btn, does not alter the elements targeted by the selector but boosts the specificity from 0010 to 0020 (class name (10) + class name (10)), ultimately prevailing over the subsequent single class name selector, despite its later appearance in the stylesheet.

While adding !important to every declaration may seem like a quick fix, it could lead to complications when attempting to adjust an element's style later on. Engaging in conflicts to override !important is more convoluted and perplexing compared to adhering to specificity guidelines.

Answer 2

This issue seems to be related to CSS specificity, where the bootstrap .btn class is taking precedence due to its higher level of specificity.

According to MDN's Cascade and Inheritance (emphasis added):

The specificity of a selector is determined by four values (or components), represented as thousands, hundreds, tens, and ones — essentially four digits in columns:

Thousands: Represents declarations inside inline styles with a specificity value of 1000.

Hundreds: For each ID selector within the overall selector, one point is assigned in this column.

Tens: One point is given for each class selector, attribute selector, or pseudo-class within the selector.

Ones: One point is awarded for each element selector or pseudo-element within the selector.

button.btn { /* class name (10) + element (01) = 0011 */
  color: blue;
}

.my-btn { /* class name = 0010 */
  color: red; /* overridden by button.btn because it's more specific than a single classname; 0011 > 0010 */
}

In the provided example, the selector button.btn has a specificity score of 11, where button is 01 and .btn is 10, totaling to 11.

The selector .my-btn has a score of 10 (one class name), hence being overruled by the previous selector.

To address this issue, you can increase the specificity of your selector. One effective workaround is duplicating your selector in the CSS code, which raises its specificity:

.my-btn.my-btn {
  color: red; /* more specific than the single classname selector below */
}

.my-btn {
  color: blue; /* overridden by more specific selector above */
}

Duplicating the same class name, like .my-btn.my-btn, does not alter the elements targeted by the selector but boosts the specificity from 0010 to 0020 (class name (10) + class name (10)), ultimately prevailing over the subsequent single class name selector, despite its later appearance in the stylesheet.

While adding !important to every declaration may seem like a quick fix, it could lead to complications when attempting to adjust an element's style later on. Engaging in conflicts to override !important is more convoluted and perplexing compared to adhering to specificity guidelines.

I am encountering issues with my custom classes when trying to integrate them with preexisting ones such as "btn"

Answer №1

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