Selectors - CSS Reference - page 72

Name
:not( e )
Applies to:
Any element
Description:
Matches every element that is notdescribed by the simple selector e. This allows authors to
select, say, every element that is not a paragraph by stating *:not(p) . More usefully, neg-
ation can be used within the context of descendant selectors. An example of this would be
selecting every element within a table that was not a data cell using table *:not(td) . Anoth-
er example would be selecting every element with an ID that was not “search” by using
[id]:not([id="search"]) .
Note that there is one exception to the “simple selector” definition of e: it cannot be a negation
pseudo-class. That is, it is impermissible to write :not(:not(div)) . This is no great loss,
since the equivalent of that would be div .
Because :not() is a pseudo-class, it can be chained with other pseudo-classes as well as
with instances of itself. For example, to select any focused element that isn't an a element,
use *:focus:not(a) . To select any element that isn't either a paragraph or a div, use
*:not(p):not(div) .
As of mid-2011, the “simple selector” restriction means that grouped and descendant selectors
are not permitted within :not() expressions. This restriction is likely to be loosened or elim-
inated in future versions of the CSS Selectors module.
Examples:
ul *:not(li) {text-indent: 2em;}
fieldset *:not([type="checkbox"]):not([type="radio"])
{margin: 0 1em;}