Web/CSS/string

The <string> CSS data type represents a sequence of characters. Strings are used in numerous CSS properties, such as content, font-family, and quotes.

Syntax

The <string> data type is composed of any number of Unicode characters surrounded by either double (") or single (') quotes.

Most characters can be represented literally. All characters can also be represented with their respective Unicode code points in hexadecimal, in which case they are preceded by a backslash (\). For example, \22 represents a double quote, \27 a single quote ('), and \A9 the copyright symbol (©).

Importantly, certain characters which would otherwise be invalid can be escaped with a backslash. These include double quotes when used inside a double-quoted string, single quotes when used inside a single-quoted string, and the backslash itself. For example, \\ will create a single backslash.

To output new lines, you must escape them with a line feed character such as \A or \00000A. In your code, however, strings can span multiple lines, in which case each new line must be escaped with a \ as the last character of the line.

However, to get new lines, you must also set the white-space property to appropriate value.

Note: HTML entities (such as   or —) cannot be used in a CSS <string>.

Examples

Examples of valid strings

/* Simple strings */
"This string is demarcated by double quotes."
'This string is demarcated by single quotes.'

/* Character escaping */
"This is a string with \" an escaped double quote."
"This string also has \22 an escaped double quote."
'This is a string with \' an escaped single quote.'
'This string also has \27 an escaped single quote.'
"This is a string with \\ an escaped backslash."

/* New line in a string */
"This string has a \Aline break in it."

/* String spanning two lines of code (these two strings will have identical output) */
"A really long \
awesome string"
"A really long awesome string"

Specifications

Specification	Status	Comment
CSS Values and Units Module Level 3The definition of '<string>' in that specification.	Candidate Recommendation	No significant change from CSS Level 2 (Revision 1).
CSS Level 2 (Revision 1)The definition of '<string>' in that specification.	Recommendation	Explicit definition; allows 6-digit Unicode escaped characters.
CSS Level 1The definition of '<string>' in that specification.	Recommendation	Implicit definition; allows 4-digit Unicode escaped characters.

Browser compatibility

Update compatibility data on GitHub

	Desktop						Mobile
	Chrome	Edge	Firefox	Internet Explorer	Opera	Safari	Android webview	Chrome for Android	Firefox for Android	Opera for Android	Safari on iOS	Samsung Internet
<string>	Chrome Full support 1	Edge Full support 12	Firefox Full support 1	IE Full support 3	Opera Full support 3.5	Safari Full support 1	WebView Android Full support ≤37	Chrome Android Full support 18	Firefox Android Full support 4	Opera Android Full support 10.1	Safari iOS Full support 1	Samsung Internet Android Full support 1.0
Unicode escaped characters (`\xx`)	Chrome Full support 1	Edge Full support 12	Firefox Full support 1	IE Full support 6	Opera Full support 7	Safari Full support 1	WebView Android Full support ≤37	Chrome Android Full support 18	Firefox Android Full support 4	Opera Android Full support 10.1	Safari iOS Full support 1	Samsung Internet Android Full support 1.0

Legend

Full support: Full support