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# mensch [](http://travis-ci.org/brettstimmerman/mensch)
A decent CSS parser.
# usage
```sh
npm install mensch
```
```js
var mensch = require('mensch');
var ast = mensch.parse('p { color: black; }');
var css = mensch.stringify(ast);
console.log(css);
// => p { color: black; }
```
# api
## parse(css, [options={}])
Convert a CSS string or an array of lexical tokens into a `stringify`-able AST.
- `css` {String|Array} CSS string or array of lexical tokens
- `[options]` {Object}
- `[options.comments=false]` {Boolean} Allow comment nodes in the AST.
- `[options.position=false]` {Boolean} Allow line/column position in the AST.
When `{position: true}`, AST node will have a `position` property:
```js
{
type: 'comment',
text: ' Hello World! ',
position: {
start: { line: 1, col: 1 },
end: { line 1, col: 18 }
}
}
```
## stringify(ast, [options={}])
Convert a `stringify`-able AST into a CSS string.
- `ast` {Object} A `stringify`-able AST
- `[options]` {Object}
- `[options.comments=false]` {Boolean} Allow comments in the stringified CSS.
- `[options.indentation='']` {String} E.g., `indentation: ' '` will indent by
two spaces.
## lex(css)
Convert a CSS string to an array of lexical tokens for use with `.parse()`.
- `css` {String} CSS
# non-validating
Mensch is a non-validating CSS parser. While it can handle the major language
constructs just fine, and it can recover from gaffes like mis-matched braces and
missing or extraneous semi-colons, mensch can't tell you when it finds
invalid CSS like a misspelled property name or a misplaced `@import`.
# comments
Unlike most CSS parsers, mensch allows comments to be represented in the AST and
subsequently stringified with the `{comments: true}` option.
```js
var options = { comments: true };
```
```js
var ast = mensch.parse('.red { color: red; /* Natch. */ }', options);
var css = mensch.stringify(ast, options);
console.log(css);
//=> .red { color: red; /* Natch. */ }
```
However, comments within the context of a selector, property, etc., will be
ignored. These comments are difficult to represent in the AST.
```js
var ast = mench.parse('.red /*1*/ { color /*2*/: /*3*/ red /*4*/; }', options);
var css = mesch.stringify(ast, options);
console.log(css);
//=> .red { color: red; }
```
# ast
The structure of mensch's AST riffs on several existing CSS parsers, but it
might not be 100% compatible with other CSS parsers. Here it is in a nutshell:
```js
{
type: 'stylesheet'
stylesheet: {
rules: [{
type: 'rule',
selectors: ['.foo'],
declarations: [{
type: 'property',
name: 'color',
value: 'black'
}]
}]
}
}
```
# credits
Mensch is based on several existing CSS parsers, but
[nzakas/parser-lib](https://github.com/nzakas/parser-lib) and
[visionmedia/css](https://github.com/visionmedia/css) are notable influences.
# known users
[voidlabs/mosaico](https://github.com/voidlabs/mosaico) uses Mensch parser to parse custom-flavored CSS rules in email templates and make the template editable: positions, comment parsing, multiple declarations for the same property have been keys to the choice of Mensch!
Please let us know if you use Mensch in your library!
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