Is there a reason why it's not feasible to merge child/descendant and grouping selectors together?

Question

Is there a reason why it's not feasible to merge child/descendant and grouping selectors together?

Understanding the rules of constructing selectors that consist of more than one selector can be quite challenging.

It seems that sometimes it is possible to create such selectors, which may contain instances of other selectors made up of multiple parts. However, there are situations where this is not feasible. Take a look at this HTML example:

    <!DOCTYPE html>
<html lang="en">
...

For some reason, the styling of divs works as expected based on specific rules. But, things get confusing when paragraphs are styled using certain rules even if they are not children of divs. This raises questions about how selectors are actually combined in CSS.

Perhaps defining explicit styles for paragraphs will help clarify things, but it's puzzling why certain rules apply differently than expected, especially when combining different types of selectors. The complexities of selector construction in CSS can sometimes lead to unexpected outcomes.

If you find yourself struggling with selector combinations, it might be worth revisiting the fundamental rules and principles governing CSS selectors made up of more than one part. Clarifying these concepts could bring greater clarity to your styling efforts.

html css

Answer 1

Answer №1

When using a comma in CSS selectors, you can apply the same rule sets to different selectors without combining them. For example, the final ruleset described targets a div that is a child of another div, or a p tag. This can also be written as:

div>div {
  border:solid black 7px;
  background-color: blue;
}

p {
  border:solid black 7px;
  background-color: blue;
}

Since CSS evaluates styles from top-down, the final rule will take precedence.

For instance, if we look at the selector div>p,a>div, this actually evaluates to two separate selectors: div>p and a>div, not "a div tag that is a direct child of a p or a tag that is a direct child of a div."

Unfortunately, in CSS, you have to redefine the entire chain if you only want p tags that are direct descendants of div tags. In this case, you would need to use the selector div>div, div>p.

Edit: As mentioned by @DarrylNoakes, you can actually utilize the :is() selector as an "or," which may help achieve what you're looking for.

Answer 2

When using a comma in CSS selectors, you can apply the same rule sets to different selectors without combining them. For example, the final ruleset described targets a div that is a child of another div, or a p tag. This can also be written as:

div>div {
  border:solid black 7px;
  background-color: blue;
}

p {
  border:solid black 7px;
  background-color: blue;
}

Since CSS evaluates styles from top-down, the final rule will take precedence.

For instance, if we look at the selector div>p,a>div, this actually evaluates to two separate selectors: div>p and a>div, not "a div tag that is a direct child of a p or a tag that is a direct child of a div."

Unfortunately, in CSS, you have to redefine the entire chain if you only want p tags that are direct descendants of div tags. In this case, you would need to use the selector div>div, div>p.

Edit: As mentioned by @DarrylNoakes, you can actually utilize the :is() selector as an "or," which may help achieve what you're looking for.

Is there a reason why it's not feasible to merge child/descendant and grouping selectors together?

Answer №1

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