Starts-with and ends-with selectors in CSS - Cheat Sheet & Quick Revision

Recall & Review

beginner

What does the CSS selector [attr^="value"] do?

It selects elements whose attribute attr value starts with the string value.

beginner

What does the CSS selector [attr$="value"] do?

It selects elements whose attribute attr value ends with the string value.

beginner

Give an example of a CSS rule using the starts-with selector to style links that start with "https".

[href^="https"] { color: green; }

This styles all links whose href attribute starts with "https" in green color.

beginner

How can you select all images with file names ending in ".png" using CSS?

img[src$=".png"] { border: 2px solid blue; }

This adds a blue border to all images whose src attribute ends with ".png".

intermediate

Why are starts-with and ends-with selectors useful in web design?

They let you style elements based on parts of attribute values, like URLs or file types, without adding extra classes or IDs. This keeps HTML clean and CSS flexible.

Which CSS selector matches elements with an attribute data-id starting with "user"?

A [data-id^="user"]

B [data-id$="user"]

C [data-id*="user"]

D [data-id="user"]

The ^ symbol means 'starts with', so [data-id^="user"] matches attributes starting with 'user'.

What does the selector a[href$=".pdf"] select?

A Links with href exactly '.pdf'

B Links with href starting with '.pdf'

C Links with href containing '.pdf' anywhere

D Links with href ending with '.pdf'

The $ symbol means 'ends with', so it selects links whose href ends with '.pdf'.

Which selector would style all inputs with names ending in "_email"?

A input[name^="_email"]

B input[name*="_email"]

C input[name$="_email"]

D input[name="_email"]

The $ selector matches attributes ending with the given string.

If you want to select elements with an attribute containing a certain substring anywhere, which selector do you use?

A [attr$="value"]

B [attr*="value"]

C [attr^="value"]

D [attr="value"]

The * selector matches attributes containing the substring anywhere.

Can starts-with and ends-with selectors be used on any attribute?

A Yes, on any attribute

B No, only on class attributes

C No, only on id attributes

D No, only on href attributes

These selectors work on any attribute present on the element.

Explain how to use CSS attribute selectors to style elements based on the start or end of an attribute value.

Think about how you can target links or images by parts of their URLs.

Describe a real-life scenario where starts-with or ends-with selectors help keep your HTML clean and CSS efficient.

Consider how you might style different file types or URL patterns without changing HTML.

Practice

1. Which CSS selector targets all elements with an href attribute that starts with "https"?

easy

A. a[href*="https"]

B. a[href$="https"]

C. a[href^="https"]

D. a[href~="https"]

Solution

1. Step 1: Understand the starts-with selector syntax

   The starts-with selector uses the caret symbol (^) inside square brackets to match attribute values that begin with a specific string.

2. Step 2: Match the selector to the question

   The selector a[href^="https"] matches all anchor tags with href attributes starting with "https".

3. Final Answer:

   a[href^="https"] -> Option C

4. Quick Check:

   Starts-with selector = ^ = a[href^="https"] [OK]

Hint: Starts-with selector uses ^ inside attribute brackets [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Confusing starts-with (^) with ends-with ($)
• Using *= which means contains, not starts-with
• Using ~ which matches whole words in space-separated values

2. Which of the following is the correct CSS syntax to select elements with a class attribute ending with "-btn"?

easy

A. [class$="-btn"]

B. .class^="-btn"

C. .class$="-btn"

D. [class^="-btn"]

Solution

1. Step 1: Identify the ends-with selector syntax

   The ends-with selector uses the dollar sign ($) inside square brackets to match attribute values that end with a specific string.

2. Step 2: Apply correct syntax for class attribute

   To select elements whose class attribute ends with "-btn", use [class$="-btn"]. The dot (.) is for class names, not attribute selectors.

3. Final Answer:

   [class$="-btn"] -> Option A

4. Quick Check:

   Ends-with selector = $ inside [] = [class$="-btn"] [OK]

Hint: Ends-with selector uses $ inside attribute brackets [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Using dot (.) with attribute selectors incorrectly
• Confusing starts-with (^) with ends-with ($)
• Missing square brackets for attribute selectors

3. Given this HTML:

<a href="https://example.com">Link1</a>
<a href="http://example.com">Link2</a>
<a href="https://secure.com">Link3</a>

Which links will be styled by the CSS selector a[href^="https"] { color: red; }?

medium

A. All three links

B. Only Link1

C. Link2 and Link3

D. Link1 and Link3

Solution

1. Step 1: Identify which href values start with "https"

   Link1 has href="https://example.com" and Link3 has href="https://secure.com". Both start with "https". Link2 starts with "http" (no s).

2. Step 2: Apply the starts-with selector effect

   The selector a[href^="https"] styles only elements whose href attribute starts with "https". So Link1 and Link3 get styled.

3. Final Answer:

   Link1 and Link3 -> Option D

4. Quick Check:

   Starts-with "https" matches Link1 & Link3 [OK]

Hint: Starts-with selector matches only beginning of attribute value [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Including links starting with "http" without s
• Confusing contains (*) with starts-with (^)
• Assuming all links get styled

4. You wrote this CSS but it doesn't style any elements:

input[name^="user"] { background-color: yellow; }

HTML:

<input name="login">
<input name="signup">
<input name="emailuser">

What is the likely problem?

medium

A. The selector should use $ instead of ^

B. The attribute values do not start with "user"

C. The input elements need IDs for this selector

D. The selector syntax is invalid

Solution

1. Step 1: Check attribute values against selector

   The selector targets inputs with name attributes starting with "user". The inputs have names "login", "signup", and "emailuser". None of these start with "user".

2. Step 2: Identify why no elements styled

   Since none of the name attributes start with "user", no elements match the selector, so nothing gets styled.

3. Final Answer:

   The attribute values do not start with "user" -> Option B

4. Quick Check:

   Starts-with selector matches only beginning of attribute value [OK]

Hint: Check if attribute values actually start with the given string [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Assuming ends-with ($) is needed instead of starts-with (^)
• Thinking IDs are required for attribute selectors
• Believing selector syntax is wrong when it is correct

5. You want to style all img elements whose src attribute starts with "https://cdn." and ends with ".png". Which CSS selector correctly targets these images?

hard

A. img[src^="https://cdn."][src$=".png"]

B. img[src*="https://cdn."][src*=".png"]

C. img[src$="https://cdn."][src^=".png"]

D. img[src^=".png"][src$="https://cdn."]

Solution

1. Step 1: Understand combined attribute selectors

   You can combine multiple attribute selectors to match elements that satisfy all conditions. Here, one selector checks if src starts with "https://cdn." and another checks if src ends with ".png".

2. Step 2: Match correct starts-with and ends-with syntax

   Starts-with uses ^ and ends-with uses $. So the correct selector is img[src^="https://cdn."][src$=".png"].

3. Final Answer:

   img[src^="https://cdn."][src$=".png"] -> Option A

4. Quick Check:

   Combine ^ and $ selectors correctly [OK]

Hint: Combine ^ and $ selectors to match start and end [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Using * (contains) instead of ^ or $
• Swapping ^ and $ symbols
• Incorrect order or syntax of attribute selectors