Beyond the Backslash: Alternative Approaches to Targeting Elements with Colons in CSS

Example:

<div id="search_form:expression">Search something here...</div>

Problem:

Trying to target this element using the following CSS selector won't work:

#search_form:expression {
  /* Styles here */
}

The reason is that the colon after "search_form" is interpreted as the start of a pseudo-class, not part of the actual ID.

Here are three ways to handle colons in element IDs with CSS:

Escape the colon with a backslash:

This method is the most common and widely supported. You simply add a backslash () before the colon in your CSS selector.

#search_form\:expression {
  /* Styles here */
}

Use attribute selector:

Instead of relying on the ID, you can use the id attribute selector with starts-with (^) or ends-with ($) operators.

div[id^="search_form:"] {
  /* Styles here */
}

This selector will match any element whose ID starts with "search_form:".

Refactor your code (optional):

If possible, consider refactoring your code to avoid using colons in element IDs. This can improve readability and maintainability of your code in the long run. You could use underscores (_) or dashes (-) instead of colons to separate words in the ID.

• Browser compatibility: While escaping the colon is widely supported, it's essential to be mindful of older browsers that might have compatibility issues.
• Readability: Using attribute selectors or refactoring your code can make your CSS more readable and easier to maintain.