Difference between class and id attributes for HTML div? And when to use each of those?

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#1

I wanted to know the basic difference between id and class attributes and when to use according to the situation. Got doubt while solving this HTML exercise

#2

Hey @object8438290220, welcome to the forums!

Both the class and the id attributes are used as identifiers for us to be able to later select them to either style them in CSS or to add functionality to them using JavaScript. So if we had multiple buttons on our web page, but we wanted to style the first one differently then the others. We could add a class or an id to that button to later select it in CSS

These were the similarities, however, there are some slight differences.

  • The id attribute must be unique meaning only one element can have a specific id while many elements can have the same class

This is the only difference you’ll understand right now, however, when you get onto CSS, you’ll see that id selectors have a higher specificity than class selectors

Until then, try to use class attributes even when you want to select one specific element. It’s always better to use the lowest specificity you can

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#3

Hey @object8438290220 to add on to the other reply, here is a fun site that visualizes the differences in specificity for you to check out :slight_smile:

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