What is postcss-custom-properties?
The postcss-custom-properties npm package is a PostCSS plugin that allows you to use CSS Custom Properties (also known as CSS variables) in environments that do not support them natively. It transforms CSS variables into static values based on your configurations, making it easier to maintain themes and styles dynamically across your project.
What are postcss-custom-properties's main functionalities?
Transform CSS Custom Properties
This feature allows the transformation of CSS custom properties into their corresponding static values. It is useful for supporting older browsers that do not understand CSS variables.
/* Input CSS */
:root {
--main-color: red;
}
a {
color: var(--main-color);
}
/* Output CSS */
a {
color: red;
}
Preserve option
With the preserve option set to true, the plugin outputs both the transformed static value and the original variable. This is useful for progressive enhancement.
/* Input CSS */
:root {
--main-color: red;
}
a {
color: var(--main-color);
}
/* Output CSS with preserve: true */
a {
color: red;
color: var(--main-color);
}
Other packages similar to postcss-custom-properties
cssnext
cssnext is a PostCSS plugin that allows you to use future CSS features today. It includes support for CSS custom properties among other features. Compared to postcss-custom-properties, cssnext offers a broader range of CSS features but might be heavier due to its comprehensive nature.
postcss-preset-env
postcss-preset-env lets you convert modern CSS into something most browsers can understand, determining the polyfills you need based on your targeted browsers or runtime environments. It includes handling of CSS custom properties as part of its feature set, similar to postcss-custom-properties, but is more configurable and includes various stages of CSS specifications.