How Can Asterisk Hacks in CSS Selectively Target Internet Explorer?

Asterisk Hacks in CSS: Intentional Invalidity

Browsers can occasionally exhibit unexpected behaviors when it comes to CSS property interpretations. In the case of Internet Explorer versions 7 and below, a peculiar hack comes into play: the asterisk before a CSS property.

Hacking IE's Style

The property: value syntax, where * is an asterisk, specifically targets Internet Explorer. For example, in the given code:

body {
  font:13px/1.231 arial,helvetica,clean,sans-serif;
  *font-size:small;
  *font:x-small;
}

The font-size: small and font: x-small properties will only be applied to Internet Explorer. Other browsers will ignore these properties as they violate the CSS specification.

What's the Catch?

Using this hack comes with a caveat. It's considered invalid CSS and could create problems as CSS standards evolve. The CSS specification does not reserve the asterisk as a property prefix, and browsers may start treating it differently in the future.

A Selective Solution

For cross-browser compatibility, it's generally not recommended to use asterisk hacks. However, in specific scenarios where only Internet Explorer needs to be addressed, an asterisk hack can provide a limited solution.

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