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Column combinator

The column combinator (||) is placed between two CSS selectors. It matches only those elements matched by the second selector that belong to the column elements matched by the first.

/* Table cells that belong to the "selected" column */
col.selected||td {
  background: gray;
}

Syntax​

/* The white space around the || combinator is optional but recommended. */
column-selector || cell-selector {
  /* style properties */
}

Examples​

HTML​

<table border="1">
  <colgroup>
    <col span="2" />
    <col class="selected" />
  </colgroup>
  <tbody>
    <tr>
      <td>A</td>
      <td>B</td>
      <td>C</td>
    </tr>

    <tr>
      <td colspan="2">D</td>
      <td>E</td>
    </tr>
    <tr>
      <td>F</td>
      <td colspan="2">G</td>
    </tr>
  </tbody>
</table>

CSS​

col.selected||td {
  background: gray;
  color: white;
  font-weight: bold;
}

Result​

{{EmbedLiveSample("Examples", "100%")}}

Specifications​

Browser compatibility​

See also​

  • {{HTMLElement("col")}}
  • {{HTMLElement("colgroup")}}
  • {{CSSxRef("grid")}}
  • {{CSSxRef(":nth-of-type")}}
  • {{CSSxRef(":nth-last-of-type")}}