CSS Selector for nth range?

Question

How can I adapt the CSS selector below:

.myTableRow td:nth-child(?){   background-color: #FFFFCC; } 

so it applies to td columns 2~4?

<table>   <tr class="myTableRow">     <td>column 1</td>     <td>column 2</td>     <td>column 3</td>     <td>column 4</td>     <td>column 5</td>   </tr> </table> 

Answer 1

One more approach you could use is:

.myTableRow td:nth-child(n+2):nth-child(-n+4){     background-color: #FFFFCC; } 

This is a little clearer because it includes the numbers in your range (2 and 4) instead of having to count backwards from the end.

It's also a bit more robust because you don't have to consider the total number of items there are.

For clarification:

:nth-child(n+X)     /* all children from the Xth position onward */ :nth-child(-n+x)    /* all children up to the Xth position       */ 

Example:

#nn div {      width: 40px;      height: 40px;      background-color: black;      display: inline-block;      margin-right: 10px;  }    #nn div:nth-child(n+3):nth-child(-n+6) {      background-color: blue;  }

<div id="nn">      <div></div>          <div></div>          <div></div>          <div></div>          <div></div>      <div></div>      <div></div>      <div></div>      <div></div>  </div>

Answer 2

You won't be able to do this with a single :nth-child() — you'll need to chain at least one other such pseudo-class. For example, a combination of :nth-child() and :nth-last-child() (the n+2 bit means start counting forward and backward respectively from the 2nd child):

.myTableRow td:nth-child(n+2):nth-last-child(n+2){ background-color: #FFFFCC; } 

Alternatively, instead of making use of a formula, simply exclude :first-child and :last-child:

.myTableRow td:not(:first-child):not(:last-child){ background-color: #FFFFCC; }