.closest() in CSS

Question

Possible Duplicate:
Is there a CSS parent selector?

I am able to hide a DOM tree which look in this way by using .closest().

<div class='parent'>
  <!-- some html code -->
  <div class='child'>
  </div>
  <!-- some html code -->
<div>

$('.child').closest('parent').hide();

It will be possible to get the same effect just by using CSS?
If yes, how?

no, there's no an *ancestor* selector in CSS like `.child < .parent`. Or are you asking something else? — Fabrizio Calderan, Oct 03 '12 at 12:59
@FabrizioCalderan I would like to hide something which looks like `.child < .parent` — Lorraine Bernard, Oct 03 '12 at 13:04
You need to remove that space between `$('.child').` and `closest('parent').hide();` by the way. — Blazemonger, Oct 03 '12 at 13:05
There is cssParentSelector polyfill available, if you want to make it "work": https://github.com/Idered/cssParentSelector — Samuli Hakoniemi, Oct 03 '12 at 13:28
@zvona: I wonder how many times that script has to be updated with all those changes to the spec. The syntax it currently claims to be "CSS4" is incorrect and has never been correct. — BoltClock, Oct 03 '12 at 13:34

score 4 · Answer 1 · edited Oct 03 '12 at 13:25

4

No selector currently exists that can select a previous or parent element.

There is a level 4 selector that is currently being developed.

So in the future, you may be able to do something like this:

!.parent > .child { display: none; }

But until then, you'll have to stick with

$('.child').parent();

in jQuery.

edited Oct 03 '12 at 13:25

BoltClock

answered Oct 03 '12 at 13:18

Matt Kieran

score 2 · Answer 2 · answered Oct 03 '12 at 13:09

2

No. See for yourself, no such selector exists in CSS3, and not in CSS2 either.

answered Oct 03 '12 at 13:09

score -7 · Answer 3 · answered Oct 03 '12 at 13:01

-7

Might be able to use this

.child:parent .parent{display:none;}

answered Oct 03 '12 at 13:01

Josh Bedo

16

*"Let's be clear here, just in case someone is finding this from a search engine: there are no parent selectors in CSS, not even in CSS3"* (cit.) - those are only suggested implementation, not actual implementation – Fabrizio Calderan Oct 03 '12 at 13:03
1

It's incredible just how many people have misconstrued that article as suggesting that such a selector does exist. – BoltClock Oct 03 '12 at 13:23
aaaand that's why we have jQuery. – Ben Sewards Oct 03 '12 at 14:02

3 Answers3