Modifying specific characters within CSS can be tricky. Direct manipulation often necessitates individual HTML adjustments, frequently using <span></span> elements. However, certain scenarios allow for CSS-centric solutions. This article explores CSS-first approaches and situations demanding JavaScript intervention.

CSS Solutions

Currently, CSS lacks robust character-specific targeting without HTML modifications. Nevertheless, some situations benefit from CSS:

@font-face

The @font-face rule, typically for custom fonts, utilizes the unicode-range property to target specific characters. For instance, if ampersands (&) in headings require a distinct font:

@import url('https://fonts.googleapis.com/css2?family=Montserrat:wght@300');

h1, h2, h3, h4, h5, h6 {
  font-family: 'Ampersand', Montserrat, sans-serif;
}

@font-face {
  font-family: 'Ampersand';
  src: local('Times New Roman');
  unicode-range: U 0026; /* Ampersand */
}

This, combined with HTML like:

<h1>Jane Austen Novels</h1>
<h2>Pride & Prejudice</h2>
<h2>Sense & Sensibility</h2>

will apply 'Times New Roman' only to the ampersands.

::first-letter

The ::first-letter pseudo-element, widely supported, excels for drop caps:

p::first-letter {
  font-size: 125%;
  font-weight: bold;
}

Its applicability is limited, however. An ::nth-letter pseudo-element remains a desired but unrealized feature.

::after

The ::after pseudo-element with the content property adds characters after an element, provided the final character is consistent. For example, adding a styled exclamation mark after each <h2></h2>:

h2::after {
  content: '\0021'; /* ! */
  color: red;
  font-style: italic;
}

font-variant-alternates

The font-variant-alternates property (Firefox-only) selects alternate glyphs if available within a font, using the character-variant() function. Due to limited browser support, it's unsuitable for production.

JavaScript Solutions

JavaScript, particularly when applied during the build process, offers efficient character manipulation without performance penalties. A common use case involves replacing characters with <span></span> elements for styling.

Runtime Find and Replace

To style the first "O" in "LOGO" within headings:

const headings = document.querySelectorAll("h1, h2, h3, h4, h5, h6");

for (const heading of headings) {
  heading.innerHTML = heading.innerHTML.replace(/\bLOGO\b/g, (match) => match.replace(/O/, '<span class="special-o">O</span>'));
}

This replaces "LOGO" with a modified version, adding a span around the first 'O'. The regular expression ensures only whole words "LOGO" are targeted.

Build-Time Find and Replace (Webpack)

Webpack's string-replace-loader plugin performs find-and-replace during the build process. Install it:

npm install --save-dev string-replace-loader

Then, in webpack.config.js:

module.exports = {
  // ...
  module: {
    rules: [
      {
        test: /\.html$/i,
        loader: 'string-replace-loader',
        options: {
          search: /\bLOGO\b/g,
          replace: 'LOGO', // Replace with styled version
        }
      }
    ]
  }
};

This avoids client-side JavaScript execution. The test property adapts to various file types (JSX, TSX, PUG, etc.).

Conclusion

Custom fonts offer an alternative for those comfortable with font editing tools like Font Forge or Birdfont. Choosing the best approach depends on the complexity of the character modification and project requirements.

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