Can You Use Parentheses in CSS Selectors to Combine Elements?

Are Parentheses Permitted in CSS Selectors?

When targeting specific elements within HTML documents, CSS selectors offer a powerful tool. However, it is crucial to understand the syntax and limitations of CSS selectors. One such limitation concerns the use of parentheses.

The Issue with Parentheses

In CSS selectors, parentheses serve a distinct purpose: to enclose functional notations like :lang(), :not(), and :nth-child(). However, they are not recognized as operators connecting selectors and combinators. This means that using parentheses in selectors like (.gumby > .pokey) h3 will not function.

The Correct Syntax

Fortunately, parentheses are not necessary in this scenario. The selector .gumby > .pokey h3 will effectively target only the header with the text "Blockhead" in the provided HTML example.

This is due to the straightforward nature of selector and combinator sequences, which are interpreted linearly without precedence rules. The selector effectively reads as follows:

Select an h3 element that:

• Immediately follows an element with class "pokey"
• Is a child of an element with class "gumby"

Since the HTML structure in question fulfills these conditions, the selector will target the intended header.

Conclusion

While parentheses play an important role in some aspects of CSS, they are not valid operators for connecting selectors and combinators. For such purposes, it is sufficient to use the default linear interpretation of the selector sequence, ensuring the precise targeting of desired elements on the webpage.

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