Selectors & Targeting

CSS selectors allow you to apply different styles based on user interactions and element states. The selectors tab provides the same powerful styling controls as the main design tab, but applies them only when specific conditions are met, such as when a user hovers over an element.

Note: If your website consists mainly of static content without forms, buttons, or other interactive elements, selectors may not be essential for your project. Selectors are most valuable for websites with interactive components that users can click, hover over, or navigate with a keyboard.

How Selectors Work

Selectors target elements in specific states or conditions, allowing you to create interactive and dynamic styling that responds to user behavior.

Key benefits:

• Enhanced user experience through visual feedback
• Improved accessibility with focus indicators
• Interactive elements that respond to user actions
• Professional polish without JavaScript

Main Selector States

The editor provides three essential pseudo-states that cover the most common interactive scenarios:

Hover State

Styles applied when a user moves their cursor over an element.

Common use cases:

• Buttons - Change background color, add shadows, or scale slightly
• Links - Underline, color changes, or subtle animations
• Cards - Lift effect with shadows or border changes
• Images - Overlay effects, zoom, or opacity changes

Best practices:

• Provide clear visual feedback that the element is interactive
• Keep hover effects subtle and professional
• Ensure hover states work well with your overall design
• Consider performance with complex hover animations

Focus State

Styles applied when an element receives keyboard focus or is selected.

Common use cases:

• Form inputs - Border color changes, glow effects, or background highlights
• Buttons - Outline or background changes for keyboard navigation
• Links - Clear focus indicators for accessibility
• Interactive elements - Visual confirmation of selection

Accessibility importance:

• Essential for keyboard navigation users
• Required for web accessibility compliance
• Helps users understand which element is currently selected
• Should be clearly visible and distinguishable

Active State

Styles applied when an element is being actively pressed or clicked.

Common use cases:

• Buttons - Pressed appearance with darker colors or inset shadows
• Links - Brief color change during click
• Interactive cards - Slight scale reduction or color shift
• Form elements - Visual feedback during interaction

Design considerations:

• Active states are brief but important for user feedback
• Should feel responsive and immediate
• Often darker or more intense than hover states
• Helps confirm that the interaction was registered

Why Use Selectors

Enhanced User Experience

• Visual feedback - Users immediately understand what's interactive
• Professional polish - Subtle interactions make interfaces feel refined
• Intuitive navigation - Clear states guide users through your interface
• Engagement - Interactive elements encourage user interaction

Accessibility Benefits

• Keyboard navigation - Focus states are essential for non-mouse users
• Screen readers - Proper focus management improves screen reader experience
• Motor accessibility - Clear interactive states help users with motor difficulties
• Compliance - Meets web accessibility guidelines and standards

Technical Advantages

• No JavaScript required - Pure CSS solutions are fast and reliable
• Performance - CSS pseudo-states are highly optimized
• Maintainability - Easier to manage than JavaScript-based interactions
• Progressive enhancement - Works even if JavaScript fails

Styling Controls

The selectors tab provides identical styling controls to the main design tab:

Available Controls

• Decorations - Colors, borders, shadows, typography formatting
• Dimensions - Width, height, padding, margin, positioning
• Structure - Display, flexbox, grid, transforms

Advanced Options

• Each category includes an "Advanced" link for specialized controls
• Navigation works the same as in the main design tab
• All changes apply in real-time with visual feedback

Advanced Selectors with AI

While the editor provides the three most common pseudo-states, CSS offers many more selector options:

Additional Selectors Available

• :first-child, :last-child - Target first or last elements
• :nth-child() - Target specific element positions
• :not() - Exclude elements from styling
• :before, :after - Add content with pseudo-elements
• :checked, :disabled - Form element states
• :visited - Previously visited links

AI-Powered Custom Selectors

When you need selectors not available in the toolbar, the AI assistant can help:

AI can create styles for:

• Complex pseudo-selectors and combinations
• Custom attribute selectors
• Advanced pseudo-elements
• Conditional styling based on element relationships
• Media query combinations with selectors

How to use AI for selectors:

1. Describe the specific selector behavior you want
2. Explain the visual effect you're trying to achieve
3. The AI will generate and apply the appropriate CSS
4. Test the result and refine as needed

Best Practices

Design Guidelines

• Consistency - Use similar hover effects across similar elements
• Subtlety - Avoid overwhelming users with excessive animations
• Performance - Keep selector styles lightweight and fast
• Accessibility - Always include focus states for interactive elements

Common Patterns

• Button interactions - Hover brightens, active darkens, focus adds outline
• Link styling - Hover underlines, focus adds outline, active briefly changes color
• Card effects - Hover lifts with shadow, active slightly compresses
• Form feedback - Focus highlights input, active shows interaction

Testing Your Selectors

• Mouse interactions - Test hover and active states with mouse
• Keyboard navigation - Tab through elements to test focus states
• Touch devices - Verify interactions work on mobile devices
• Accessibility tools - Use screen readers to test focus management

Next Steps

Master advanced editor capabilities by exploring other specialized features:

• Events & Interactions - Add JavaScript-powered interactions beyond CSS
• Data & Content - Learn how to manage dynamic content and data binding

Selectors provide powerful ways to create interactive and accessible user interfaces. By mastering pseudo-states and understanding when to use AI for advanced selectors, you can create professional, engaging websites that work well for all users.