What are Attribute Selectors? - [attribute]

CSS attribute selectors are a powerful tool in web development. They allow developers to select HTML elements based on the values of their attributes and apply styles accordingly. In this article, we will discuss what CSS attribute selectors are, how they work, and some common examples.

What are Attribute Selectors?

Attribute selectors in CSS are used to select HTML elements based on their attribute values. They allow developers to apply CSS styles to elements that meet certain criteria. An attribute selector consists of the attribute name enclosed in square brackets, optionally followed by a comparison operator and a value. For example, the following code selects all anchor tags with a href attribute that starts with "http":

a[href^="http"] {
color: blue;
}


In this example, the attribute selector is href^="http", which selects all anchor tags with an href attribute that starts with "http".

The Seven Different Types

There are seven different types of matches you can find with an attribute selector, and the syntax is different for each. Each of the more complex attribute selectors build on the syntax of the exact match selector — they all start with the attribute name and end with an equals sign followed by the attribute value(s), usually in quotes. What goes between the attribute name and equals sign is what makes the difference among the selectors.

[data-value] {
  /* Attribute exists */
}

[data-value="foo"] {
  /* Attribute has this exact value */
}

[data-value*="foo"] {
  /* Attribute value contains this value somewhere in it */
}

[data-value~="foo"] {
  /* Attribute has this value in a space-separated list somewhere */
}

[data-value^="foo"] {
  /* Attribute value starts with this */
}

[data-value|="foo"] {
  /* Attribute value starts with this in a dash-separated list */
}

[data-value$="foo"] {
  /* Attribute value ends with this */
}

Example

Case-insensitive matching

Case-insensitive attribute selectors are part of the CSS Working Group’s Selectors Level 4 specification. As mentioned above, attribute value strings are by default case-sensitive, but can be changed to case-insensitive by adding i just before the closing bracket:

[attribute="value" i] {
  /* Styles here will apply to elements with:
    attribute="value"
    attribute="VaLuE"
    attribute="VALUE"
    ...etc
  */
}

Conclusion

CSS attribute selectors are a powerful tool for web development. They allow developers to select HTML elements based on their attribute values and apply styles accordingly. Understanding how attribute selectors work and how to use them effectively is essential for creating visually appealing and engaging web pages. With these selectors, developers can create dynamic and interactive user interfaces, making the web a more engaging and enjoyable experience for users.

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