In modern web development, CSS (Cascading Style Sheets) is an essential tool for styling and formatting web pages. One of the key features introduced in CSS for better styling control is Shadow Parts. CSS Shadow Parts allow developers to style parts of custom elements, enabling more flexibility and customization in web design.
Before diving into CSS Shadow Parts, it’s crucial to understand the concept of the Shadow DOM. Shadow DOM is a feature in web components that encapsulates the structure, style, and behavior of a custom element, keeping it separate from the rest of the document’s DOM. This encapsulation prevents styles from bleeding in or out of the custom element, ensuring better modularity and reusability.
CSS Shadow Parts extend the capabilities of Shadow DOM by allowing developers to define specific elements within a custom element that can be styled externally using regular CSS. These parts act as access points for styling, enabling developers to target and style specific components of a custom element without breaking encapsulation.
To define CSS Shadow Parts, you need to use the ::part()
pseudo-element selector followed by the name of the part you want to style. Here’s the basic syntax:
:host::part(part-name) {
/* Styles for the specified part */
}
In this syntax:
:host
refers to the custom element itself.::part()
is the pseudo-element selector for defining a shadow part.part-name
is the name of the part you want to style.Let’s create a simple custom element with Shadow Parts to understand how they work.
Custom Element with Shadow Parts
Click Me
In this example:
<my-button>
with a Shadow DOM.::part(button)
selector styles the button part of the custom element.You can dynamically change the styles of shadow parts using JavaScript based on user interactions or application state. This allows for interactive and responsive styling of custom elements.
Dynamic Styling with CSS Shadow Parts
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In this example:
The button changes its background color to green and text color to white when hovered over.
We achieve this by dynamically setting CSS custom properties (--button-bg-color
and --button-text-color
) using JavaScript.
Custom elements can have multiple shadow parts, allowing for granular control over styling. Let’s create a custom element with multiple shadow parts: header and content.
Custom Element with Multiple Shadow Parts
Header
Content
In this example:
We define two shadow parts, header, and content, using the ::part()
pseudo-element selector.
The custom element <my-panel>
contains a header and content slots for inserting content.
Each part is styled separately, allowing for different styles for the header and content sections of the custom element.
Shadow parts can inherit styles from parent elements, making it easier to maintain consistent styling across an application. Let’s demonstrate this with an example where a parent element’s styles are inherited by its child custom element.
Inheritance with CSS Shadow Parts
Inherited Button
In this example:
The parent element .container
defines a shadow part for styling buttons.
The custom element <my-button>
is placed inside the parent element, inheriting the button styles defined for the container.
CSS Shadow Parts are a powerful feature in modern web development, providing developers with the ability to style specific parts of custom elements while maintaining encapsulation and modularity. By leveraging CSS Shadow Parts, developers can create highly customizable and reusable web components, enhancing the overall user experience of web applications. Happy Coding! ❤️