The <string>
CSS data type represents a sequence of characters. Strings are used in numerous CSS properties, such as content
, font-family
, and quotes
.
Syntax
The <string>
data type is composed of any number of Unicode characters surrounded by either double ("
) or single ('
) quotes.
Most characters can be represented literally. All characters can also be represented with their respective Unicode code points in hexadecimal, in which case they are preceded by a backslash (\
). For example, \22
represents a double quote, \27
a single quote ('
), and \A9
the copyright symbol (©
).
Importantly, certain characters which would otherwise be invalid can be escaped with a backslash. These include double quotes when used inside a double-quoted string, single quotes when used inside a single-quoted string, and the backslash itself. For example, \\
will create a single backslash.
To output new lines, you must escape them with a line feed character such as \A
or \00000A
. In your code, however, strings can span multiple lines, in which case each new line must be escaped with a \
as the last character of the line.
However, to get new lines, you must also set the white-space
property to appropriate value.
Note: HTML entities (such as
or —
) cannot be used in a CSS <string>
.
Examples
/* Simple strings */ "This string is demarcated by double quotes." 'This string is demarcated by single quotes.' /* Character escaping */ "This is a string with \" an escaped double quote." "This string also has \22 an escaped double quote." 'This is a string with \' an escaped single quote.' 'This string also has \27 an escaped single quote.' "This is a string with \\ an escaped backslash." /* New line in a string */ "This string has a \Aline break in it." /* String spanning two lines of code (these two strings will have identical output) */ "A really long \ awesome string" "A really long awesome string"
Specifications
Specification | Status | Comment |
---|---|---|
CSS Values and Units Module Level 3 The definition of '<string>' in that specification. |
Candidate Recommendation | No significant change from CSS Level 2 (Revision 1). |
CSS Level 2 (Revision 1) The definition of '<string>' in that specification. |
Recommendation | Explicit definition; allows 6-digit Unicode escaped characters. |
CSS Level 1 The definition of '<string>' in that specification. |
Recommendation | Implicit definition; allows 4-digit Unicode escaped characters. |
Browser compatibility
Desktop | Mobile | |||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
<string> | Chrome Full support 1 | Edge Full support 12 | Firefox Full support 1 | IE Full support 3 | Opera Full support 3.5 | Safari Full support 1 | WebView Android Full support ≤37 | Chrome Android Full support 18 | Firefox Android Full support 4 | Opera Android Full support 10.1 | Safari iOS Full support 1 | Samsung Internet Android Full support 1.0 |
Unicode escaped characters (\xx ) | Chrome Full support 1 | Edge Full support 12 | Firefox Full support 1 | IE Full support 6 | Opera Full support 7 | Safari Full support 1 | WebView Android Full support ≤37 | Chrome Android Full support 18 | Firefox Android Full support 4 | Opera Android Full support 10.1 | Safari iOS Full support 1 | Samsung Internet Android Full support 1.0 |
Legend
- Full support
- Full support