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Cover image for Difference Between :placeholder-shown and ::placeholder in CSS
Sandra Lewis
Sandra Lewis

Posted on • Updated on

Difference Between :placeholder-shown and ::placeholder in CSS

The :placeholder-shown Pseudo-class

A CSS pseudo-class is a selector that selects elements that are in a specific state.

The :placeholder-shown pseudo-class selects any <input> or <textarea> element that is currently displaying a placeholder text.

HTML

<input type="text" placeholder="Search university">
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CSS

input[type=text] {
  width: 100px;
}

:placeholder-shown {
   text-overflow: ellipsis;
}
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Result

Alt Text

The ::placeholder Pseudo-element

A CSS pseudo-element is a selector that lets you style a specific part of an element.

The ::placeholder pseudo-element can be used to style the placeholder text in an <input> or <textarea> element.

HTML

<input type="email" placeholder="Enter your email">
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CSS

::placeholder {
   color: red;
}
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Result

Alt Text

Thanks for giving it a read.

Happy coding!

Top comments (9)

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vaibhavkhulbe profile image
Vaibhav Khulbe

Nice! Thanks for writing.

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Sandra Lewis

Thank you! Always a pleasure

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darkwiiplayer profile image
π’ŽWii πŸ³οΈβ€βš§οΈ

The difference is quite trivial once you understand the difference between pseudoclasses and pseudoelements 😁

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Sandra Lewis

I agree. But picking out an example like this helps beginners understand certain concepts easily.

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darkwiiplayer profile image
π’ŽWii πŸ³οΈβ€βš§οΈ

Oh, definitely; I was just pointing out that it's one of these things that becomes very simple once you understand the underlying logic. It's also much easier to remember that way.

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Abu Jaid

Nice Thank you for writing!

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Sandra Lewis

Thank you so much!

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Santos Romero

😲 thanks for sharing your knowledge. πŸ‘πŸ»

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Sandra Lewis

Anytime 😊
Thanks for reading!