How to Use Regex-Style Selectors in CSS for Smarter Styling
1 min read
Summary
Regular expressions are a powerful tool for programmers to conduct complex pattern matching, validation and searches.
While CSS does not support full regular expressions, it does include regex-style selectors that allow for targeting of elements based on the beginning, end or partial match of an attribute value.
This allows for more scalable and efficient stylesheets as developers can target multiple elements with similar attributes.
These selectors are especially useful in large codebases, CMS-generated markup or reusable components as it saves time, reduces bloat and keeps styles DRY (Don’t Repeat Yourself).
They are best used in systems where structure is predictable and naming conventions are clear, serving as a complement to HTML structure and not a replacement for it.
They should be used deliberately and not overstatedly as they can break if class names change and more advanced logic would require JavaScript or build tools.