How to Style the New ::search-text and Other Highlight-y Pseudo-Elements

Alright fellow Code Crafters, let's talk about a neat little trick that's landed in the browser's toolkit, specifically with Chrome 144 introducing the ::search-text pseudo-element. Think about those moments when you hit Ctrl+F (or Cmd+F) and the browser highlights all the matches on a page. Well, this new pseudo-element gives us a direct hook to style *that exact text*. No more wrestling with bulky JavaScript solutions for simple find-in-page highlighting; we can now wield CSS to make those matches pop exactly how we want them. It's a prime example of how the web platform is continuously evolving to give us more granular control without adding unnecessary complexity.

This isn't just a one-off, either. The article dives into a small family of these "highlight-y" pseudo-elements, showing us how to style not just the direct search results but also other forms of user-applied highlighting. The practical value here is immense for accessibility and user experience. Imagine subtly changing the background color or adding a distinct border to search results, making them immediately obvious to the user. The CSS-Tricks crew, as usual, provides clear, actionable examples. They demonstrate how to leverage these pseudo-elements to craft more intuitive and visually distinct user interfaces, especially when dealing with content-heavy pages or interactive search functionalities. It’s a subtle but powerful addition to our CSS arsenal, enabling us to build cleaner, more focused experiences right from the stylesheet.

📰 Original article: https://css-tricks.com/how-to-style-the-new-search-text-and-other-highlight-pseudo-elements/

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