CSS Comparisons | Documentation - Roblox Creator Hub

Most CSS concepts map to Roblox styling concepts. The following examples show how CSS and HTML align with Luau and Roblox classes/properties.

To test each of the following Luau script examples:

In the Explorer, create the following:
1. StyleSheet instance inside ReplicatedStorage.
2. ScreenGui container in StarterGui.
3. LocalScript instance inside the ScreenGui.
4. StyleLink object inside the ScreenGui.

In the LocalScript, paste the following supporting code:

LocalScript

local CollectionService = game:GetService("CollectionService")
local ReplicatedStorage = game:GetService("ReplicatedStorage")

local coreSheet = ReplicatedStorage:FindFirstChildWhichIsA("StyleSheet")
local screenGui = script.Parent
local styleLink = screenGui:FindFirstChildWhichIsA("StyleLink")
styleLink.StyleSheet = coreSheet

For each example below, paste the Luau code lines following the supporting lines 1–7.

Selectors

The Selector property of a StyleRule specifies which instances the rule should affect. The following selector types map from CSS to Luau and can be used with combinators.

Element

Equivalent to CSS element selectors are Roblox class selectors which select all instances of a given GuiObject class, for example Frame, ImageLabel, TextButton, etc.

CSS

button {
	background-color: #335FFF;
	color: #E1E1E1;
	width: 15%;
	height: 40px;
	border: none;
}

HTML

<button>Main Menu</button>

Luau

local rule = Instance.new("StyleRule")
rule.Parent = coreSheet

rule.Selector = "TextButton" -- Roblox class selector
rule:SetProperties({
	BackgroundColor3 = Color3.fromHex("335FFF"),
	TextColor3 = Color3.fromHex("E1E1E1"),
	Size = UDim2.new(0.15, 0, 0, 40),
	BorderSizePixel = 0
})

local button = Instance.new("TextButton")
button.Text = "Main Menu"
button.Parent = screenGui

Class

The Roblox equivalent to CSS class selectors are tag selectors which utilize tags applied through CollectionService.

CSS

.button-primary {
	background-color: #335FFF;
	color: #E1E1E1;
}

HTML

<button class="button-primary">Main Menu</button>

Luau

local rule = Instance.new("StyleRule")
rule.Parent = coreSheet

rule.Selector = ".ButtonPrimary" -- Roblox tag selector
rule:SetProperties({
	BackgroundColor3 = Color3.fromHex("335FFF"),
	TextColor3 = Color3.fromHex("E1E1E1"),
	AutomaticSize = Enum.AutomaticSize.XY
})

local button = Instance.new("TextButton")
button.Text = "Main Menu"
button.Parent = screenGui
-- Apply tag to button
CollectionService:AddTag(button, "ButtonPrimary")

The closest Roblox comparison to CSS id is the #[name] selector which selects according to the value of Instance.Name. Unlike the W3C specification of the id attribute, names are not expected to be unique.

CSS

#modal-frame {
	background-color: #000022;
	opacity: 0.5;
	width: 50%;
	min-height: 100px;
}

HTML

<div id="modal-frame"></div>

Luau

local rule = Instance.new("StyleRule")
rule.Parent = coreSheet

rule.Selector = "#ModalFrame" -- Instance name selector
rule:SetProperties({
	BackgroundColor3 = Color3.fromHex("000022"),
	BackgroundTransparency = 0.5,
	Size = UDim2.new(0.5, 0, 0, 100),
	AutomaticSize = Enum.AutomaticSize.Y
})

local frame = Instance.new("Frame")
frame.Parent = screenGui
-- Rename frame to match selector
frame.Name = "ModalFrame"

Combinators

Combinators let you mix basic selectors to match deeper hierarchy relationships.

Child

The child selector of > is identical between CSS and Roblox.

CSS

.menu-container {
	width: 25%;
}

.menu-container > button {
	background-color: #335FFF;
	color: #E1E1E1;
	width: 80%;
	height: 40px;
	border: none;
}

HTML

<div class="menu-container">
	<button>Options</button>
</div>

Luau

local rule = Instance.new("StyleRule")
rule.Parent = coreSheet

rule.Selector = ".MenuContainer > TextButton" -- Child selector
rule:SetProperties({
	BackgroundColor3 = Color3.fromHex("335FFF"),
	TextColor3 = Color3.fromHex("E1E1E1"),
	Size = UDim2.new(0.8, 0, 0, 40),
	BorderSizePixel = 0
})

-- Create menu container
local menuContainer = Instance.new("Frame")
menuContainer.Size = UDim2.new(0.25, 0, 0, 0)
menuContainer.AutomaticSize = Enum.AutomaticSize.Y
menuContainer.Parent = screenGui
-- Apply tag
CollectionService:AddTag(menuContainer, "MenuContainer")

-- Create button
local button = Instance.new("TextButton")
button.Text = "Options"
-- Set menu container as parent of button
button.Parent = menuContainer

Descendant

Unlike the CSS whitespace syntax, for example .menu-container button seen here, Roblox uses the >> combinator to indicate a descendant relationship.

CSS

.menu-container {
	width: 25%;
}

.sub-container {
	width: 75%;
}

.menu-container button {
	background-color: #335FFF;
	color: #E1E1E1;
	width: 80%;
	height: 40px;
	border: none;
}

HTML

<div class="menu-container">
	<div class="sub-container">
		<button>Options</button>
	</div>
</div>

Luau

local rule = Instance.new("StyleRule")
rule.Parent = coreSheet

rule.Selector = ".MenuContainer >> TextButton" -- Descendant selector
rule:SetProperties({
	BackgroundColor3 = Color3.fromHex("335FFF"),
	TextColor3 = Color3.fromHex("E1E1E1"),
	Size = UDim2.new(0.8, 0, 0, 40),
	BorderSizePixel = 0
})

-- Create menu container
local menuContainer = Instance.new("Frame")
menuContainer.Size = UDim2.new(0.25, 0, 0, 0)
menuContainer.AutomaticSize = Enum.AutomaticSize.Y
menuContainer.Parent = screenGui
-- Apply tag
CollectionService:AddTag(menuContainer, "MenuContainer")

-- Create sub-container
local subContainer = Instance.new("Frame")
subContainer.Size = UDim2.new(0.75, 0, 0, 0)
subContainer.AutomaticSize = Enum.AutomaticSize.Y
-- Set menu container as parent of sub-container
subContainer.Parent = menuContainer

-- Create button
local button = Instance.new("TextButton")
button.Text = "Options"
-- Set sub-container as parent of button
button.Parent = subContainer

Selector list

Multiple selectors (including selectors with combinators) can be declared with the same property block, separated by commas, to reduce redundancy.

CSS

img, p {
	background-color: #FF0033;
}

HTML

<img src="gear.png" width="100" height="100">

<p>Main Menu</p>

Luau

local rule = Instance.new("StyleRule")
rule.Parent = coreSheet

rule.Selector = "ImageLabel, TextLabel" -- Selector for image labels AND text labels
rule:SetProperty("BackgroundColor3", Color3.fromHex("ff0033"))

-- Create image label
local imageLabel = Instance.new("ImageLabel")
imageLabel.Image = "rbxassetid://104919049969988"
imageLabel.Size = UDim2.new(0, 100, 0, 100)
imageLabel.Parent = screenGui

-- Create text label
local textLabel = Instance.new("TextLabel")
textLabel.Size = UDim2.new(1, 0, 0, 0)
textLabel.AutomaticSize = Enum.AutomaticSize.Y
textLabel.TextXAlignment = Enum.TextXAlignment.Left
textLabel.TextYAlignment = Enum.TextYAlignment.Top
textLabel.Text = "Main Menu"
textLabel.Parent = screenGui

Pseudo-classes

The Roblox equivalent to CSS pseudo-class selectors are state selectors which correspond to one of the four Enum.GuiState values such as Hover or Press.

CSS

img:hover {
	opacity: 0.5;
}

HTML

<img src="gear.png" width="100" height="100">

Luau

local rule = Instance.new("StyleRule")
rule.Parent = coreSheet

rule.Selector = "ImageLabel:Hover" -- State selector
rule:SetProperty("ImageTransparency", 0.5)

-- Create image label
local imageLabel = Instance.new("ImageLabel")
imageLabel.Image = "rbxassetid://104919049969988"
imageLabel.Size = UDim2.new(0, 100, 0, 100)
imageLabel.BackgroundTransparency = 1
imageLabel.Parent = screenGui

Pseudo-instances

Similar to how CSS pseudo-elements can modify specific parts of an element, Roblox can create phantom UIComponents through a style rule's Selector property. For example, the following rule effectively creates a UICorner modifier under every Frame tagged with RoundedCorner20 and sets each modifier's CornerRadius to 20 pixels.

Luau

local rule = Instance.new("StyleRule")
rule.Parent = coreSheet

rule.Selector = "Frame.RoundedCorner20::UICorner" -- UI component selector
rule:SetProperty("CornerRadius", UDim.new(0, 20))

-- Create frame
local frame = Instance.new("Frame")
frame.Size = UDim2.new(0.4, 0, 0.2, 0)
frame.Parent = screenGui
-- Apply tag to frame
CollectionService:AddTag(frame, "RoundedCorner20")

Queries

Roblox style queries bridge the gap between CSS media queries and container queries. Using the @ prefix, you can toggle styles based on parent dimensions, input device types, or user accessibility settings.

In CSS, @container applies styles based on the size of a parent element. In Roblox, you define a pseudo‑instance query using ::StyleQuery followed by an identifier for the condition's Selector property, for example "::StyleQuery #WideContainer", alongside a StyleQuery condition name like "MinSize" to evaluate the parent's GuiObject.AbsoluteSize. Then, to apply styles to the instance or its children when the query is active, create a StyleRule with the @[identifier] prefix as its Selector, for example @WideContainer.

CSS

.container {
	container-type: inline-size;
	background-color: rgba(0, 0, 34, 0.5);
}
button {
	background-color: #335FFF;
	color: #E1E1E1;
	width: 75%;
	height: 40px;
	border: none;
}

@container (min-width: 400px) {
	button {
		background-color: #cc0033;
	}
}

HTML

<div class="container" style="width: 80%; height: 200px;">
	<button>Main Menu</button>
</div>

Luau

-- Container rule
local containerRule = Instance.new("StyleRule")
containerRule.Selector = "Frame" -- Roblox class selector
containerRule:SetProperties({
	BackgroundColor3 = Color3.fromRGB(0, 0, 34),
	BackgroundTransparency = 0.5,
	BorderSizePixel = 0
})
containerRule.Parent = coreSheet

-- Button rule
local buttonRule = Instance.new("StyleRule")
buttonRule.Selector = "TextButton" -- Roblox class selector
buttonRule:SetProperties({
	BackgroundColor3 = Color3.fromHex("335FFF"),
	TextColor3 = Color3.fromHex("E1E1E1"),
	Size = UDim2.new(0.75, 0, 0, 40),
	BorderSizePixel = 0
})
buttonRule.Parent = containerRule -- Child of container rule

-- Query condition (#WideContainer)
local queryCondition = Instance.new("StyleRule")
queryCondition.Selector = "::StyleQuery #WideContainer"
queryCondition:SetProperty("MinSize", Vector2.new(400, 0))
queryCondition.Parent = containerRule -- Child of container rule

-- Rule that applies when condition is active (@WideContainer)
local queryStyle = Instance.new("StyleRule")
queryStyle.Selector = "@WideContainer Frame > TextButton" -- Child selector
queryStyle:SetProperty("BackgroundColor3", Color3.fromHex("CC0033"))
queryStyle.Parent = containerRule -- Child of container rule

-- Create instances
local container = Instance.new("Frame")
container.Size = UDim2.new(0.8, 0, 0, 200)
container.Parent = screenGui
local button = Instance.new("TextButton")
button.Text = "Main Menu"
button.Parent = container

Roblox also provides built-in queries that map directly to global environment states such as ViewportDisplaySize or ReducedMotionEnabled. These do not require a ::StyleQuery definition and can be used directly with a @ prefix.

CSS Media Feature	Roblox Style Query Selector
(max-width: 600px)	@ViewportDisplaySizeSmall
(min-width: 601px) and (max-width: 1200px)	@ViewportDisplaySizeMedium
(min-width: 1201px)	@ViewportDisplaySizeLarge
(pointer: fine)	@PreferredInputKeyboardAndMouse
(pointer: coarse)	@PreferredInputTouch
(any-pointer: coarse)	@PreferredInputGamepad
(prefers-reduced-motion: reduce)	@ReducedMotionEnabledTrue
(prefers-reduced-motion: no-preference)	@ReducedMotionEnabledFalse

CSS

.container {
	container-type: inline-size;
	background-color: rgba(0, 0, 34, 0.5);
}

@media (prefers-reduced-motion: reduce) {
	.container {
		background-color: rgba(0, 0, 34, 1);
	}
}

HTML

<div class="container" style="width: 80%; height: 200px;">

</div>

Luau

-- Container rule
local containerRule = Instance.new("StyleRule")
containerRule.Selector = "Frame" -- Roblox class selector
containerRule:SetProperties({
	BackgroundColor3 = Color3.fromRGB(0, 0, 34),
	BackgroundTransparency = 0.5,
	BorderSizePixel = 0
})
containerRule.Parent = coreSheet

-- Built-in query
local motionRule = Instance.new("StyleRule")
motionRule.Selector = "@ReducedMotionEnabledTrue Frame"
motionRule:SetProperty("BackgroundTransparency", 0)
motionRule.Parent = containerRule -- Child of container rule

-- Create instances
local container = Instance.new("Frame")
container.Size = UDim2.new(0.8, 0, 0, 200)
container.Parent = screenGui

Variables

CSS lets you declare and reference variables throughout a style system. Roblox achieves this through tokens and the instance attributes system. Using $ as a prefix, you can reference attributes declared in a StyleRule or StyleSheet inheritance chain when setting style properties.

CSS

:root {
	--button-bg-color: #335FFF;
	--button-text-color: #E1E1E1;
}

button {
	background-color: var(--button-bg-color);
	color: var(--button-text-color);
}

HTML

<button>Main Menu</button>

Luau

local rule = Instance.new("StyleRule")
rule.Parent = coreSheet

-- Set style sheet tokens using attributes
coreSheet:SetAttribute("ButtonBgColor", Color3.fromHex("335FFF"))
coreSheet:SetAttribute("ButtonTextColor", Color3.fromHex("E1E1E1"))

rule.Selector = "TextButton" -- Class selector
rule:SetProperties({
	BackgroundColor3 = "$ButtonBgColor",
	TextColor3 = "$ButtonTextColor"
})

-- Create button
local button = Instance.new("TextButton")
button.AutomaticSize = Enum.AutomaticSize.XY
button.Text = "Main Menu"
button.Parent = screenGui

Transitions

CSS transitions let you tween property values over a set duration. You can achieve this in Roblox by setting property transitions on a StyleRule through SetPropertyTransition() (single) or SetPropertyTransitions() (multiple).

CSS

button {
	background-color: #335FFF;
	color: #E1E1E1;
	width: 15%;
	height: 40px;
	border: none;
	transition:
		background-color 1s ease-out,
		transform 1.25s ease-out
}
button:hover {
	background-color: #33AAFF;
	transform: rotate(-5deg);
}

HTML

<button>Main Menu</button>

Luau

-- Button rule
local buttonRule = Instance.new("StyleRule")
buttonRule.Selector = "TextButton" -- Roblox class selector
buttonRule:SetProperties({
	BackgroundColor3 = Color3.fromHex("335FFF"),
	TextColor3 = Color3.fromHex("E1E1E1"),
	Size = UDim2.new(0.15, 0, 0, 40),
	BorderSizePixel = 0
})
-- Set property transition behaviors
buttonRule:SetPropertyTransitions({
	BackgroundColor3 = TweenInfo.new(1, Enum.EasingStyle.Cubic, Enum.EasingDirection.Out),
	Rotation = TweenInfo.new(1.25, Enum.EasingStyle.Cubic, Enum.EasingDirection.Out)
})
buttonRule.Parent = coreSheet

-- Button hover rule
local hoverRule = Instance.new("StyleRule")
hoverRule.Selector = "TextButton:Hover" -- State selector
hoverRule:SetProperties({
	AutoButtonColor = false,
	BackgroundColor3 = Color3.fromHex("33AAFF"),
	Rotation = -5
})
hoverRule.Parent = coreSheet

-- Create text button
local button = Instance.new("TextButton")
button.Text = "Main Menu"
button.Parent = screenGui

Nesting and merging

Borrowing a concept from SCSS, StyleRules can be nested together and their selectors will merge.

SCSS

#menu-frame {
	background-color: #000022;
	width: 25%;
	min-height: 200px;
	display: flex;
	flex-direction: column;
	justify-content: space-evenly;
	align-items: center;
	
	> button {
		background-color: #335FFF;
		color: #E1E1E1;
		width: 80%;
		height: 40px;
		border: none;
		
		&:hover {
			opacity: 0.5;
		}
	}
}

HTML

<div id="menu-frame">
	<button>Charms</button>
	<button>Mana</button>
	<button>Scrolls</button>  
</div>

Luau

-- Menu frame rule
local menuFrameRule = Instance.new("StyleRule")
menuFrameRule.Selector = "#MenuFrame"
menuFrameRule:SetProperties({
	BackgroundColor3 = Color3.fromHex("000022"),
	Size = UDim2.new(0.25, 0, 0, 200),
	AutomaticSize = Enum.AutomaticSize.Y
})
menuFrameRule.Parent = coreSheet

-- Menu layout rule
local menuLayoutRule = Instance.new("StyleRule")
menuLayoutRule.Selector = "::UIListLayout"
menuLayoutRule:SetProperties({
	FillDirection = Enum.FillDirection.Vertical,
	VerticalFlex = Enum.UIFlexAlignment.SpaceEvenly,
	HorizontalAlignment = Enum.HorizontalAlignment.Center
})
menuLayoutRule.Parent = menuFrameRule -- Set menu frame rule as parent

-- Button rule
local buttonRule = Instance.new("StyleRule")
buttonRule.Selector = "> TextButton"
buttonRule:SetProperties({
	BackgroundColor3 = Color3.fromHex("335FFF"),
	TextColor3 = Color3.fromHex("E1E1E1"),
	Size = UDim2.new(0.8, 0, 0, 40),
	BorderSizePixel = 0
})
buttonRule.Parent = menuFrameRule -- Set menu frame rule as parent

-- Button hover rule
local buttonHoverRule = Instance.new("StyleRule")
buttonHoverRule.Selector = ":Hover"
buttonHoverRule:SetProperties({
	AutoButtonColor = false,
	BackgroundTransparency = 0.5,
	TextTransparency = 0.5
})
buttonHoverRule.Parent = buttonRule -- Set button rule as parent

-- Create parent frame
local menuFrame = Instance.new("Frame")
menuFrame.Name = "MenuFrame"
menuFrame.Parent = screenGui

-- Create buttons inside frame
local button1 = Instance.new("TextButton")
button1.Text = "Charms"
button1.Parent = menuFrame
local button2 = Instance.new("TextButton")
button2.Text = "Mana"
button2.Parent = menuFrame
local button3 = Instance.new("TextButton")
button3.Text = "Scrolls"
button3.Parent = menuFrame