Web Design in a Nutshell, 3rd Edition

Type (Element) Selector

The most straightforward selector is the type selector that targets an element by name, as shown in these examples:

    h1 {color: blue;}
    h2 {color: blue;}
    p {color: blue;}

Type selectors can be grouped into comma-separated lists so a single property will apply to all of them. The following code has the same effect as the previous code:

    h1, h2, p {color: blue;}

CSS 2 introduced a universal element selector (*) that matches any element (like a wildcard). The style rule * {color: gray} makes every element in a document gray. The universal selector may be a useful tool when used in relation to other elements, as discussed in the next section.

Warning

The universal selector causes problems with form controls in some browsers. If your page contains form inputs, the safest bet is to avoid the universal selector.