In CSS we can use both ID and class. is there any pros and cons if i use Class always instead ID in terms of Semantic, Web standards- W3C , SEO , Accessibility and future maintainability?
9 Answers
I know i'm not the 'norm' here and i'll get thumbed down for this... but i use classes exclusively and only ever use ID's for scripting :)
This creates a clear line of seperation of designer and coder related tweaks and changes, which is very handy for us!.
Also we have some .NET web form coders (even though we are moving all sites to MVC) and as .NET controls take over ID's to script them dynamically using ID's for CSS is a pain... i'm not a fan of using #ct00_ct02_MyControlName in css files and even if i was changes to code can break the CSS! Classes works GREAT for this.
Some PHP libs others in the company are using also need to use dynamic ID assignment, this creates the problem here too. again Classes work GREAT here.
As more and more of these dynamic outputs and languages use up the ID's (for exactly what they are really intended for... identifiing an element to work with it) it can be more and more of a pain to work with IDs in CSS.
It's seems to me that everyone wants to use them simply cause they think they should, becuase they are 'there', i offer the idea that ID's are not there at all for CSS and their use in CSS is just there as an extra helper via the selector and their real use is scripting.
There has not been a single instance where i needed an ID for css use or even a single instance where it would have been eaiser.
But perhaps i'm just used to it and thats why? My HTML output is small, my CSS files small and direct. Nested elements work in all browsers as i expect, i dont have issues and can create complicated nicely rendered pages. Changes take mere minutes as i can apply multiple classes to an element or make a new one.
ID's for scripting, CLASS for css... works a treat.
Obivously there is no major issue (Even in a team of designers and coders) in using them both for css as we all get used to what we get used to :) but the way we work it outputs the expected results fast, and noone can step on anyones toes even in anonomous sharing enviroments.
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