Why Aren't CSS Grid Area Names Enclosed in Quotes?

Why Named Grid Areas in CSS Aren't Quoted

According to the CSS Grid specification, the value for grid-area is grid-line, which uses a custom identifier (). However, MDN notes that identifiers cannot be quoted, resulting in confusion over why named grid areas must be accessed via an ID without quotes.

The CSS Grid spec developers opted for identifiers instead of strings when defining named grid areas with the grid-area property to maintain consistency with the rest of CSS, where the majority of properties employ identifiers rather than strings. Exceptions include font-family, content, and grid-template-areas, which utilize both strings and identifiers.

In 2013, spec writers discussed the need to switch from strings to identifiers due to:

• Inconsistencies with other CSS properties
• Provision of visual grouping for names
• Compatibility with the named grid areas template syntax, which uses strings

Consequences

Named grid areas defined with grid-area are considered identifiers, not strings. This can lead to confusion because the syntax in grid-template-areas uses strings.

Explanation of Differences

Identifiers:

• Conform to the grammar
• Cannot be quoted
• Are case-sensitive
• Represent author-defined identifiers

Strings:

• Delimited by double or single quotes
• Correspond to the production

Reason for Identifier Usage

Despite the seeming inconsistency, the use of identifiers in grid-area maintains uniformity with CSS. According to the CSS Values and Units Module specification, most properties accept identifiers as values. This decision ensures the coherence of CSS and avoids introducing an unnecessary exception for grid-area.

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