What are the guidelines for incorporating tag names in CSS selectors?

I created a button that when clicked, displays a table containing actors. I have named them as follows:

<button class="actors">Show actors</button>
<table class="actors">...</div>

Next, I want to style and access them in my CSS (and jQuery) using selectors like this:

button.actors {...}
table.actors {...}

Is it recommended to differentiate between elements with the same classes this way? Or would it be better if I renamed them like this:

<button class="actors-button">Show actors</button>
<table class="actors-table">...</div>

and

.actors-button {...}
.actors-table {...}

I am concerned about potential priority issues with selectors. Would using tag names in selectors lead to any unforeseen problems in the future (similar to issues with IDs)? Or is it simply a matter of personal preference?

P.S.

Please refrain from suggesting answers such as 'just change the button's class name to .show-actors and you'll avoid any problems'. I prefer not to take the easy route on this one ;)

Answer №1

Utilizing the name of an element in a selector is often the sole method to differentiate various elements sharing the same class. While there are exceptions where contextual selectors could be used, it would generally be impractical and limit flexibility.

The question of whether elements should have distinct names is subjective and relies heavily on the specific context and purpose of using classes, thus making it off-topic for discussion.

A selector such as button.actors offers more specificity compared to .actors-button (albeit in a straightforward way due to its complexity). Issues with selector specificity can sometimes arise, though this is a common challenge with selectors overall. Notably, both described approaches maintain equal specificity in the two selectors.

Answer №2

I typically recommend avoiding the use of tag names in CSS selectors, with only a few exceptions. One main reason for steering clear of overly generic selectors, such as tag names, is that they can unintentionally target too many elements on a page. This becomes problematic when third-party components like jQuery plugins or 3rd party UI elements are also affected by these selectors, potentially causing conflicts in styles.

Of course, there are cases where using tag names makes sense, such as in a CSS reset where you want to style all elements uniformly. However, popular CSS frameworks like Bootstrap and Foundation opt for creating classes like ".button" or ".btn" instead of relying solely on tag names like "button" for consistency and flexibility.

Furthermore, classes can be applied to various tags, allowing for styling versatility. For example, applying a "button" class to an anchor ("a" tag) can give it the appearance of a button.

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