:read-write
Baseline Widely available
This feature is well established and works across many devices and browser versions. It’s been available across browsers since July 2020.
The :read-write CSS pseudo-class represents an element (such as input or textarea) that is editable by the user.
Try it
label, input[type="submit"] { display: block; margin-top: 1em; } *:read-write { background-color: ivory; border: 2px solid darkorange; border-radius: 5px; } <p>Please fill in your details:</p> <form> <label for="email">Email Address:</label> <input id="email" name="email" type="email" value="test@example.com" /> <label for="note">Short note about yourself:</label> <textarea id="note" name="note">Don't be shy</textarea> <label for="pic">Your picture:</label> <input id="pic" name="pic" type="file" /> <input type="submit" value="Submit form" /> </form> Syntax
:read-write { /* ... */ } Examples
Confirming form details using read-only controls
You can use readonly form controls when you want a user to verify information they entered earlier, which you want to submit with new data in read-write controls. In the example below, the :read-only pseudo-class is used to make the <textarea> (a user's address) look like a regular paragraph. The :read-write pseudo-class provides a way to highlight the editable <textarea> (the delivery instructions):
textarea:read-only { border: 0; } textarea:read-write { box-shadow: inset 1px 1px 3px #cccccc; border-radius: 5px; } <form> <fieldset> <legend>Confirm details</legend> <div> <label for="address">Address:</label> <textarea id="address" name="address" readonly> 123 Choco Mountain, Awesome Ridge, CA</textarea > </div> <div> <label for="instructions">Delivery instructions</label> <textarea id="instructions" name="instructions"></textarea> </div> </fieldset> <button type="submit">Confirm</button> </form> Styling read-write non-form controls
This selector doesn't just select <input>/<textarea> elements — it will select any element that can be edited by the user, such as a <p> element with contenteditable set on it.
<p contenteditable>This paragraph is editable; it is read-write.</p> <p>This paragraph is not editable; it is read-only.</p> body { font-family: sans-serif; } p { font-size: 150%; padding: 5px; border-radius: 5px; } p:read-only { background-color: red; color: white; } p:read-write { background-color: lime; } Specifications
| Specification |
|---|
| HTML # selector-read-write |
| Selectors Level 4 # read-write-pseudo |
Browser compatibility
See also
:read-only- HTML
contenteditableattribute