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JSF Component CSS Selectors with Colons: Navigating the Roadblocks
Encountering difficulties when styling JSF-generated HTML elements due to the colons (:) in their client IDs? This issue stems from the use of : in CSS pseudo-selectors. Let's explore several approaches to tackle this challenge.
Escaping the Colon:
The first solution involves escaping the colon to avoid triggering CSS parsing errors. Utilize the following syntax:
#phoneForm\:phoneTable { background: pink; }
For wider browser support, consider using 3A followed by a space:
#phoneFormA phoneTable { background: pink; }
Alternative Approaches:
1. Wrap in HTML Element:
Isolate the component in a non-JSF HTML element and style that element instead.
<div>
2. Use CSS Class:
Assign a CSS class to the component instead of relying on an ID.
<h:dataTable>
3. Change JSF UINamingContainer Separator:
Update the web.xml context param to change the separator character to - instead of :.
<param-value>-</param-value>
This allows for CSS selectors using the new separator:
#phoneForm-phoneTable { background: pink; }
4. Disable Form ID Prepending (JSF 1.2 ):
Disable the default behavior of prepending form IDs to component IDs.