Re: [csswg-drafts] Proposal: CSS Variable Groups (as a solution to several design systems pain points) (#9992)

@devongovett Yes, I too noted that concern [earlier in this thread](https://github.com/w3c/csswg-drafts/issues/9992#issuecomment-1962336592) (under "naming collisions").

I do think that side effect is a rather significant one. Even for future development, it's not super clear that one variable group may overwrite any number of other variables.

I see a couple of possible solutions to this problem:
1. Using a different syntax for grouped/nested property reference, like `--foo.bar` rather than `--foo-bar`.
2. Using some sort of syntax to mark a property as a group (e.g. `--foo*: { bar: green; }`) would help to avoid any current breaking changes due to this side effect but would still risk side effects when used, though at least those side effects would be foreseen and even intentional if that special syntax is being used.

I personally find `#1` to be a better solution for a number of reasons—
- using a different ref syntax makes it clear that we're referencing a grouped/nested value, not just a regular variable name
- this approach avoids naming collisions, as this would not overwrite anything

I elaborate on this in [my previous comment](https://github.com/w3c/csswg-drafts/issues/9992#issuecomment-1964729985).

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Received on Monday, 26 February 2024 18:59:23 UTC