What are Star-Preceded CSS Properties and Why Are They Used?

Star-Preceded CSS Properties

When encountering CSS code with properties prefixed with an asterisk, such as "padding" or "line-height," it indicates the use of a technique known as the "star property hack."

This hack exploits an idiosyncrasy in the way some older versions of Internet Explorer (up to IE 7) parse CSS. By placing an unrecognized character ahead of a property, such as the asterisk, IE ignores it but still applies the subsequent property value.

In the provided code snippet, the asterisk-preceded properties "padding" and "line-height" target Internet Explorer specifically. Browsers compliant with modern CSS standards will ignore the asterisk and apply the following values as usual.

This technique was commonly used in the past to override default browser styles or target specific browser versions selectively. However, with the widespread adoption of CSS3 and the phase-out of older IE versions, the need for this hack has diminished significantly.

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