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CSS

Posted by Patrick Eakin
Patrick Eakin
Courses Plus Student 933 Points

Why fully select the <a> element instead of the classes defined on the <li> element?

If i change the selectors in my css rules to look like the example below, I get the same result for the contact info icons. Is there any reason I should fully select the anchor element as opposed to just using the classes? Going down to the anchor element feels unnecessary. Thanks!! :)

.contact-info li {
  display: block;
  min-height: 20px;
  background-repeat: no-repeat;
  background-size: 20px 20px;
  padding: 0 0 0 30px;
  margin: 0 0 10px;

}

.phone {
  background-image: url('../img/phone.png');
}

2 Answers

Richard Ward
Richard Ward
14,665 Points
Richard Ward
Richard Ward
14,665 Points

Hi Patrick

I'm sure there are many reasons to select the anchor itself rather than just the li element but one reason i find it particularly useful is to expand the 'clickable' area of a link by manipulating the anchor's padding. This is particularly helpful when a user is browsing your site on a mobile device - relying on fingers instead of mouse-pointers for accuracy.

Jason Anello
Jason Anello
Courses Plus Student 94,610 Points

To add to Richard's answer, in this particular project, icons are placed in the 30px of left padding. That makes the icons part of the clickable area. I think the difference you'll find is that if you apply the styles to the list items themselves, you won't be able to click on the icons. Only the text.

Patrick Eakin
PLUS
Patrick Eakin
Courses Plus Student 933 Points
Patrick Eakin
Patrick Eakin
Courses Plus Student 933 Points

Ah. This makes total sense. Thanks for the responses Jason and Richard. :)