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CSS CSS Selectors Going Further with Attribute Selectors and Pseudo-Classes Substring Matching Attribute Selectors - "Contains"

Posted by rachaelallison
rachaelallison
9,521 Points

why would we be unable to add a class or ID to an HTML element?

In this video, Gil mentions a use of the substring attribute selectors might be when we can't add an id or class to an HTML element. Why would this happen?

1 Answer

Kevin Korte
Kevin Korte
28,149 Points
Kevin Korte
Kevin Korte
28,149 Points

Sometimes when you're using a content management system, or a plugin, or anything that generates it's own html, you might not have control of the classes and ids when the code is being generated on the fly. In those case, attribute selectors come in very handy.

jason chan
jason chan
31,009 Points
jason chan
jason chan
31,009 Points

To add frameworks like laravel. you have to add classes through an array through php. NOT HTML ANYMORE. lols.

Ginger Bidwell
Ginger Bidwell
12,289 Points

Even when you can modify the generated markup for a content management system it's not always the most efficient way to solve the problem - sometimes duplicating markup templates can have negative consequences for long-term maintenance.

One example of a case where you'd be unable to change the markup of something you were working on might be a legacy closed-source system. With opaque systems that are made out of antiquated tech, it can be difficult to find people who can work on changing the HTML. In those cases, attribute selectors make it possible to change the visual look of the page more drastically without adding more technical risk.