
Using wildcard selectors in CSS classes allows you to target elements whose classes start with a specific string. This can be incredibly useful for styling elements that share a common prefix.
For example, if you have a series of elements with classes like "button-primary", "button-secondary", and "button-tertiary", you can use a wildcard selector to style all of them at once.
Wildcard selectors work by using an asterisk (*) to represent any characters in the class name. This means you can target classes that start with "button-" by using the selector ".button-*".
If this caught your attention, see: Tailwind Css Class
What is a Wildcard Selector?
A Wildcard Selector is a type of CSS selector that allows you to select elements based on a pattern. It's a powerful tool for targeting elements that match a specific criteria.
Wildcard Selectors can be used to select elements that start with a certain class name, like we saw in the example of selecting elements with a class name that starts with "alert-".
Wildcard Selectors use an asterisk (*) symbol to represent any characters, making them extremely flexible and useful for selecting elements based on partial class names.
Discover more: Can I Name My Css Class Header
Definition
A wildcard selector is a powerful tool in CSS that allows you to select HTML elements based on specific conditions. It's a flexible way to target elements that meet certain criteria.
A starts with(^=) wildcard selector, in particular, finds all HTML elements whose attribute value starts with a specified substring. This is useful when you want to select elements beginning with a specific string in their attribute value.
The starts with(^=) wildcard selector is used in CSS to select elements based on the value of an attribute. It's a useful feature when you need to target elements with a specific prefix in their attribute value.
For example, you can use the 'class^="test"' selector to select all div elements whose class name starts with 'test' as a substring. This is demonstrated in an example code that changes the text color and font size of div elements using the starts with(^=) wildcard selector.
Here are some key characteristics of the starts with(^=) wildcard selector:
- It finds all HTML elements whose attribute value starts with a specified substring.
- It's useful for selecting elements with a specific prefix in their attribute value.
- It's used in CSS to target elements based on the value of an attribute.
Selecting HTML5 IDs and Classes

In CSS, identifiers can contain only the characters [a-zA-Z0-9] and ISO 10646 characters U+00A0 and higher, plus the hyphen (-) and the underscore (_).
You can write a class starting with a number in HTML, but to get the selector to work in CSS, you need to use the attribute selector or escape it with unicode.
HTML5 is happy to have an ID starting with a number, but CSS is not.
You can write a class starting with a number in HTML, but to get the selector to work in CSS, you either need to use the attribute selector or escape it with unicode.
The relevant part of the specification states that identifiers cannot start with a digit, two hyphens, or a hyphen followed by a digit.
Take a look at this: Start Dropbox
Using Wildcard Selectors in CSS
Using Wildcard Selectors in CSS is a powerful way to target specific elements on a webpage. The `(^=)` wildcard selector in CSS targets elements whose attribute value begins with a specific string.
You can use this selector to apply styles to elements that start with a certain string in their attribute value. For example, if you have a class name that starts with "test", you can use the `class^="test"` selector to target all elements with that class.
Here's a breakdown of how the `(^=)` wildcard selector works:
By using the `(^=)` wildcard selector, you can easily target and style elements that meet specific conditions, making your CSS code more efficient and effective.
Examples
Wildcard selectors in CSS can be a game-changer for selecting elements with ease.
For example, the CSS code `nav a` selects all anchor elements inside the nav element, but what if you want to select all elements inside the nav element, regardless of their tag name? That's where the universal selector (*) comes in.
The universal selector can be used to select all elements, as shown in the code `nav *`. This selector targets all elements, including text nodes, inside the nav element.
You might enjoy: Css Universal Selector
Using the universal selector can be especially useful when working with complex HTML structures.
In the example `nav > *`, the `>` symbol is used to select all direct children of the nav element. This means that only elements that are direct children of nav will be selected, and not elements that are nested inside other elements.
The `nav > *` selector is more specific than the `nav *` selector, and can help reduce the number of elements selected.
Wildcard selectors can also be used to select elements based on their attributes, as shown in the example `[href]`. This selector targets all elements with an href attribute.
Using wildcard selectors can help simplify your CSS code and make it more efficient.
On a similar theme: Css How to Override Style Class Using Stylesheet
Best Practices
To get the most out of wildcard selectors, use them sparingly and only when necessary, as seen in the example where the selector `li:hover` was used to target all list items on hover.
Recommended read: Tailwind Css Hover
Start by identifying the specific elements you want to target with your wildcard selector. This will help you avoid accidentally selecting too much of the page, like in the example where the selector `a` was used, resulting in all links being highlighted.
Use wildcard selectors in combination with other selectors to create more specific rules, such as `li:hover a`, which targets all links inside list items on hover.
For instance, using `li:hover a` instead of just `a` ensures that only links within list items are highlighted, preventing unnecessary styling.
Avoid using wildcard selectors as the only selector in a rule, as it can lead to unexpected results, such as the example where the selector `*` was used, causing all elements on the page to be styled.
Related reading: Css Text on Hover
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the CSS for starts with?
The CSS for "starts with" is achieved using the caret (^) symbol as a prefix in attribute selectors, selecting elements where attribute values begin with a specific string. For example, [attribute^="value"] targets elements where the attribute value starts with "value
Can a CSS class start with a number?
No, a CSS class cannot start with a number. However, it can start with letters, underscores, or certain special characters, such as the hyphen.
Sources
- https://stackoverflow.com/questions/13352080/match-all-elements-having-class-name-starting-with-a-specific-string
- https://www.geeksforgeeks.org/wildcard-selectors-and-in-css-for-classes/
- https://www.tutorialspoint.com/wildcard-selectors-and-in-css-for-classes
- https://benfrain.com/when-and-where-you-can-use-numbers-in-id-and-class-names/
- https://www.codecademy.com/forum_questions/558c75e2e39efe3cfe00058c
Featured Images: pexels.com