What Happens When You Use an Asterisk in a CSS Property Name?

The Impact of Asterisks in CSS Property Names

In CSS, an asterisk (*) typically serves as a wildcard selector, matching any element on a page. However, its behavior within property names raises questions.

What Does an Asterisk Do in a CSS Property Name?

Contrary to its usage in CSS selectors, an asterisk prefixed to a property name is a syntax error. It renders the property name invalid and prevents it from being parsed by most browsers.

The Legacy of IE7

Some older browsers, such as Internet Explorer 7 (IE7), exhibit peculiar behavior when encountering an asterisk in a CSS property name. Due to a bug, IE7 may occasionally ignore the asterisk and apply the property to the relevant elements.

However, this buggy behavior should be avoided. Using conditional comments is the preferred approach for targeting specific browsers.

Recommendation and Conclusion

To ensure cross-browser compatibility and prevent potential syntax errors, developers should refrain from using asterisks in CSS property names. Instead, they should use conditional comments or other browser-specific targeting techniques to address specific browser issues.

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