Special Functions

CSS defines many functions, and most of them work just fine with Sass’s normal function syntax. They’re parsed as function calls, resolved to plain CSS functions, and compiled as-is to CSS. There are a few exceptions, though, which have special syntax that can’t just be parsed as a SassScript expression. All special function calls return unquoted strings.

if()if() permalink

Compatibility (calc()):
Dart Sass
since 1.95.0
LibSass
✗
Ruby Sass
✗

LibSass, Ruby Sass, and versions of Dart Sass parse if() as a Sass function with the signature if($condition, $if-true, $if-false). If $condition is truthy, this function returns $if-true; otherwise, it returns $if-false. This function has special syntax that avoids evaluating the branch that doesn’t match $condition.

Dart Sass versions 1.95.0 and later parse if() as described below. Dart Sass versions before 3.0.0 still support the old if() syntax, but it’s considered deprecated. See /d/if-function.

Sass supports the CSS if() function with one important addition: the sass(...) condition, which takes a SassScript expression and matches if that expression evaluates to a truthy value. An if() function that contains only sass(...) conditions (and optionally else) will be evaluated entirely by Sass, and return the corresponding value.

SassScript in an if() function’s conditions is only allowed within the sass(...) condition or in interpolation. The values, on the other hand, are normal SassScript expressions and don’t need any special wrapping. Only the value whose condition matches will be evaluted, so the other values may refer to variables that don’t exist or call functions that would error.

If no conditions in an pure-Sass if() match, it returns null.

Playground

SCSS Syntax

@use 'sass:meta';

$hungry: true;
@debug if(sass($hungry): breakfast burrito; else: cereal); // breakfast burrito

// You can use CSS boolean expressions with sass(...) conditions.
@debug if(not sass($hungry): skip lunch); // null

// Only the matching branch is evaluated.
@debug if(sass(meta.variable-exists("thirsty")): thirsty; else: hungry); // hungry
Playground

Sass Syntax

@use 'sass:meta'

$hungry: true
@debug if(sass($hungry): breakfast burrito; else: cereal)  // breakfast burrito

// You can use CSS boolean expressions with sass(...) conditions.
@debug if(not sass($hungry): skip lunch)  // null

// Only the matching branch is evaluated.
@debug if(sass(meta.variable-exists("thirsty")): thirsty; else: hungry)  // hungry

sass(...) conditions can also be combined with normal CSS conditions. The Sass conditions will be evaluated by Sass, but if any CSS conditions are left Sass will return the whole result as a string.

Playground

SCSS Syntax

$support-widescreen: true;
@debug if(
  sass($support-widescreen) and media(width >= 3000px): big;
  else: small
); // if(media(width >= 3000px): big; else: small)

// If Sass conditions mean a branch will never match (or always match), Sass
// eagerly removes that branch and returns the final value if possible.
$support-widescreen: false;
@debug if(
  sass($support-widescreen) and media(width >= 3000px): big;
  else: small
); // small
Playground

Sass Syntax

$support-widescreen: true
@debug if(
  sass($support-widescreen) and media(width >= 3000px): big;
  else: small
)  // if(media(width >= 3000px): big; else: small)

// If Sass conditions mean a branch will never match (or always match), Sass
// eagerly removes that branch and returns the final value if possible.
$support-widescreen: false
@debug if(
  sass($support-widescreen) and media(width >= 3000px): big;
  else: small
)  // small

url()url() permalink

The url() function is commonly used in CSS, but its syntax is different than other functions: it can take either a quoted or unquoted URL. Because an unquoted URL isn’t a valid SassScript expression, Sass needs special logic to parse it.

If the url()’s argument is a valid unquoted URL, Sass parses it as-is, although interpolation may also be used to inject SassScript values. If it’s not a valid unquoted URL—for example, if it contains variables or function calls—it’s parsed as a normal plain CSS function call.

Playground

SCSS Syntax

$roboto-font-path: "../fonts/roboto";

@font-face {
    // This is parsed as a normal function call that takes a quoted string.
    src: url("#{$roboto-font-path}/Roboto-Thin.woff2") format("woff2");

    font-family: "Roboto";
    font-weight: 100;
}

@font-face {
    // This is parsed as a normal function call that takes an arithmetic
    // expression.
    src: url($roboto-font-path + "/Roboto-Light.woff2") format("woff2");

    font-family: "Roboto";
    font-weight: 300;
}

@font-face {
    // This is parsed as an interpolated special function.
    src: url(#{$roboto-font-path}/Roboto-Regular.woff2) format("woff2");

    font-family: "Roboto";
    font-weight: 400;
}
Playground

Sass Syntax

$roboto-font-path: "../fonts/roboto"

@font-face
    // This is parsed as a normal function call that takes a quoted string.
    src: url("#{$roboto-font-path}/Roboto-Thin.woff2") format("woff2")

    font-family: "Roboto"
    font-weight: 100


@font-face
    // This is parsed as a normal function call that takes an arithmetic
    // expression.
    src: url($roboto-font-path + "/Roboto-Light.woff2") format("woff2")

    font-family: "Roboto"
    font-weight: 300


@font-face
    // This is parsed as an interpolated special function.
    src: url(#{$roboto-font-path}/Roboto-Regular.woff2) format("woff2")

    font-family: "Roboto"
    font-weight: 400

CSS Output

@font-face {
  src: url("../fonts/roboto/Roboto-Thin.woff2") format("woff2");
  font-family: "Roboto";
  font-weight: 100;
}
@font-face {
  src: url("../fonts/roboto/Roboto-Light.woff2") format("woff2");
  font-family: "Roboto";
  font-weight: 300;
}
@font-face {
  src: url(../fonts/roboto/Roboto-Regular.woff2) format("woff2");
  font-family: "Roboto";
  font-weight: 400;
}

element(), progid:...(), and expression()element(), progid:…(), and expression() permalink

Compatibility (calc()):
Dart Sass
since 1.40.0
LibSass
✗
Ruby Sass
✗

LibSass, Ruby Sass, and versions of Dart Sass prior to 1.40.0 parse calc() as special syntactic function like element().

Dart Sass versions 1.40.0 and later parse calc() as a calculation.

Compatibility (clamp()):
Dart Sass
since >=1.31.0 <1.40.0
LibSass
✗
Ruby Sass
✗

LibSass, Ruby Sass, and versions of Dart Sass prior to 1.31.0 parse clamp() as a plain CSS function rather than supporting special syntax within it.

Dart Sass versions between 1.31.0 and 1.40.0 parse clamp() as special syntactic function like element().

Dart Sass versions 1.40.0 and later parse clamp() as a calculation.

The element() function is defined in the CSS spec, and because its IDs could be parsed as colors, they need special parsing.

expression() and functions beginning with progid: are legacy Internet Explorer features that use non-standard syntax. Although they’re no longer supported by recent browsers, Sass continues to parse them for backwards compatibility.

Sass allows any text in these function calls, including nested parentheses. Nothing is interpreted as a SassScript expression, with the exception that interpolation can be used to inject dynamic values.

Playground

SCSS Syntax

$logo-element: logo-bg;

.logo {
  background: element(##{$logo-element});
}
Playground

Sass Syntax

$logo-element: logo-bg

.logo
  background: element(##{$logo-element})

CSS Output

.logo {
  background: element(#logo-bg);
}