Pick the initial child of a specified type within an element

I am trying to target the first <div> child under the <body>, excluding any other elements.

While I could assign an ID to the element, I am interested in finding a more universal solution for this scenario.

For example, in a basic setup like this:

<body>
  <div></div>
</body>

I can simply use the child selector:

body > div {
    margin: 0 auto 0 auto;
    width: 800px;
}

However, if there are multiple <div> elements nested under <body>:

<body>
  <div></div>
  <div></div>
</body>

I can utilize the first-child pseudo-class to target only the initial <div>:

body > div:first-child {
    margin: 0 auto 0 auto;
    width: 800px;
}

But what if another element is inserted before my desired <div>? How can I still single out the first <div> child element?

Answer №1

Consider using the first-of-type selector for your CSS styling.

body > div:first-of-type
{
    margin: 0 auto 0 auto;
    width: 800px;
}

[Edit] Take a look at the nth-of-type selector as well.

[Edit] I have also included a child selector in this code snippet.

Answer №2

I believe that the first-of-type selector is what you are looking for.

Answer №3

:first-child targets the first child element of its parent exclusively.

:first-of-type is a newer feature and may not be supported by older browsers like Internet Explorer:

Depending on browser compatibility and the complexity of your code, you might need to resort to assigning a specific class to your div element.

Answer №4

When there is a chance of "someone going and adding another child element," the only solution is to assign it an ID.

For instance, if you have a <span> and someone decides to insert another <span> before yours, your existing CSS selectors will no longer be effective.

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