Css Selector Difference: Element Element vs Element>Element
What Is the Difference Between the Following Two Css Selectors? from the Explanation Here, They Sound the Same? Div P{} Selects All P Elements Inside Div...
What is the difference between the following two CSS selectors?
From the explanation here, they sound the same?
div p{}
Selects all p elements inside div elements
div > p{}
Selects all p elements where the parent is a div element.
3 Answers
The difference is depth. What the w3schools site doesn't explain very well is that E>F only matches immediate children of E, while E F matches descendants of any depth.
Using your example CSS, consider the following HTML snippet:
<div>
<p id="paragraph1">I'm paragraph 1</p>
<ul>
<li><p id="paragraph2">I'm paragraph 2</p></li>
</ul>
</div>
The first ruleset, div p, will match both p blocks. The second one, div > p, will only match paragraph1.
div p{}
This one applies to all p inside div
div>p{}
This one says p needs to be a direct descendent of div
/*This one applies to all childrens (`span`) inside parent*/
div span {
color: red;
}
/*This one says child (`span`) needs to be a direct descendent of parent*/
div > span {
color: green;
}<div>
<!--(`div`) does not represent an obstacle in both selectors-->
<div>
<span>I live in Duckburg.</span>
</div>
<ul>
<li>
<span>I live in Duckburg.</span>
</li>
</ul>
<span>I live in Duckburg.</span><br>
<span>I live in Duckburg.</span>
</div>Maya is a hardware enthusiast who tests and reviews smart home devices, smartphones, wearables, and audio gear. She focuses on practical consumer value and build quality.
