How Can I Select Elements Without Specific Classes or Attributes in CSS?

Negating Class and Attribute Selectors in CSS

Need to select elements that lack specific classes or attributes? CSS offers a solution through the :not() pseudo-class.

:not() Pseudo-Class

The :not() pseudo-class allows you to negate a selector, selecting elements that do not match the specified criteria. Typically, class selectors are used as follows:

:not(.printable) {
    /* Styles for non-printable elements */
}

Similarly, attribute selectors can be negated:

:not([attribute]) {
    /* Styles for elements without the attribute */
}

Example

Consider the following HTML:

To select all elements that do not have the "printable" class, use the following CSS rule:

:not(.printable) {
    background-color: lightgray;
}

This will highlight the nav and a elements in light gray.

Browser Support and Alternatives

IE8 and older do not support :not(). As an alternative, you can create style rules for elements that do have the "printable" class. If this is not feasible, consider restructuring your markup to accommodate limitations.

Considerations

Properties such as display: none on :not(.printable) will completely remove the element and its descendants from layout. To avoid this, use visibility: hidden instead, which allows visible descendants to show while the hidden elements continue affecting layout.

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