Jeremy Hilts, Web Developer

Sorry, this is not a Freudian debate on whether or not primal instincts have a place in modern society. That’s in the classroom down the hall…

In the world of XHTML and CSS, when should you use an ID and when should you use a class? I’ve heard this debate many times. In one particular instance, this decision is made for you: ASP.NET. If you’re using .NET, IDs are heavily used by the back end; if you need to style an element, it’s much easier to give it a class than it is to figure out what the ClientID will end up being.

Some believe that IDs should never be used when styling a website. Why would anyone disapprove of the use of IDs? The fact is: it’s just too specific. But wait! Isn’t it good to be specific?