correct syntax for id and class

[paddyfields]

Hi there. I've tried searching for this answer but I can't find it anywhere. I know this is basic but,

Is there a difference or best practice preference between these?

a) p#mydiv {}

or

b) #mydiv p {}


And also just to make sure I'm doing this correctly, for multiple elements to be the same is this correct?

.myclass a, .myclass p {font-family: arial}

Many thanks. I just want to check now so I don't get two far into it and it's wrong.

[tracknut]

Originally Posted by paddyfields

Is there a difference or best practice preference between these?

a) p#mydiv {}

or

b) #mydiv p {}

a) targets a <p> tag with an id of mydiv
b) targets some tag with an id of mydiv with a <p> inside it. So two different things here.

Your second question is correct.

Dave

[paddyfields]

Great, thanks.

In that case though when would you use div#mydiv {} as opposed to #mydiv{} to control an html element of <div id="mydiv"> ?

[jerry62704]

I use the #xyz format instead of the div#xyz. No point to the extra typing and it hides the darn thing more.

[tracknut]

Originally Posted by paddyfields

Great, thanks.

In that case though when would you use div#mydiv {} as opposed to #mydiv{} to control an html element of <div id="mydiv"> ?

div#mydiv is a div tag with id mydiv
#mydiv is *any* tag with id mydiv

So again, they're two different things. I too will not typically use the first type for elements like divs. I do sometimes use them for text, where I might want to specifically target p.bold, and not just .bold.

Dave

[felgall]

Originally Posted by tracknut

div#mydiv is a div tag with id mydiv
#mydiv is *any* tag with id mydiv

So again, they're two different things. I too will not typically use the first type for elements like divs. I do sometimes use them for text, where I might want to specifically target p.bold, and not just .bold.

Dave

As you are only allowed to have one id with that value in each page the additional qualification of which tag it is in is only necessary if you have the same div in different pages in different tags and want to target it in only some of the pages. If all of the id="mydiv" are in div tags then there is no difference between the two.

[paddyfields]

Great, thanks guys. I understand how it works now.