How I Built a Pure CSS Crossword Puzzle

This article showcases a captivating pure CSS crossword puzzle, built without JavaScript, that has garnered significant attention on CodePen (over 350 hearts and 24,000 views!). Inspired by CSS Grid Garden, the author ingeniously leverages CSS Grid, form elements, and selectors to create a fully functional and interactive experience.

Key Techniques:

• CSS Grid: The foundation of the puzzle's layout, efficiently arranging the squares and clues.
• Form Elements (<input type="text">): Used for the crossword squares, enabling HTML5 validation features. minlength, maxlength, pattern, and required attributes are employed for input control.
• :valid Pseudo-class: Styles correctly filled squares, providing immediate visual feedback.
• General Sibling Selector (~): Crucially used to connect valid input squares with their corresponding answer indicators, dynamically revealing correct answers. This selector's ability to target elements later in the DOM is essential to the puzzle's logic.
• HTML5 Form Validation: Leveraged for client-side input validation, enhancing user experience.
• CSS for Clue Highlighting: Hovering over a square highlights the associated clue, improving usability.
• Checkbox for Validation: A checkbox allows users to check individual square validity, regardless of complete word correctness.

Challenges and Solutions:

The author encountered challenges with overlapping grid areas in CSS Grid. The solution was to use nested grids for horizontal and vertical answer indicators, preventing layout conflicts.

The impressive aspect of this project is its reliance solely on CSS, demonstrating the power and versatility of CSS for creating complex interactive elements. The author encourages others to explore the boundaries of CSS capabilities. The complete code is available on CodePen (link omitted as per original request). The article also includes a FAQs section addressing responsiveness, adding clues, accessibility, and other potential enhancements.

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