Is it necessary to use double colon syntax for pseudo first-line?

After experimenting, I've discovered that using a single colon with the pseudo tag first-line functions perfectly. Why then is a double colon typically used for this tag? Is it truly necessary?

Per WC3 Schools:

p::first-line 
{
color:#ff0000;
font-variant:small-caps;
}

However, the following code also works effectively:

p:first-line 
{
color:#ff0000;
font-variant:small-caps;
}

http://www.w3schools.com/css/css_pseudo_elements.asp

Answer №1

According to information from the Mozilla Developer Network (MDN):

In previous versions of CSS, pseudo-elements used a single colon as a prefix. This caused confusion with pseudo-classes which also used the same syntax. To resolve this issue, CSS 2.1 introduced a new convention where pseudo-elements are now prefixed with two colons while pseudo-classes continue to use a single colon.

Although some browsers initially supported the old one-colon syntax, all modern browsers that follow the CSS 2.1 standard also support the two-colon syntax for pseudo-elements.

If compatibility with older browsers is necessary, using :first-line is recommended; however, if newer browser versions are targeted, ::first-line should be used.

Additionally, as mentioned in the World Wide Web Consortium (W3):

The introduction of the double colon (::) notation aims to distinguish between pseudo-classes and pseudo-elements in current style sheets. While user agents are required to support the old single-colon pseudo-element notation from CSS levels 1 and 2 (such as :first-line, :first-letter, :before, and :after) for backward compatibility, this support does not extend to the new pseudo-elements specified in this documentation.

Answer №2

Check out more information about the ::first-line (:first-line) pseudo-element on MDN

In CSS3, the ::before notation (with two colons) was introduced to distinguish pseudo-classes from pseudo-elements. However, browsers also accept :before, which was first introduced in CSS2.

The usage of ::before and ::after is quite similar.

In CSS3, the ::before notation (with two colons) was introduced to distinguish pseudo-classes from pseudo-elements. However, browsers also accept :before, which was first introduced in CSS2.

You may be wondering:
What sets Pseudo-classes apart from Pseudo-elements?

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