IE's Default CSS Values

Question

I have a web application that I'm working on for work and its not very Firefox friendly (design was made 2 years before I started with the company). There are some CSS issues that I am having problems with and I can't use a CSS Reset because the page design is pretty much set in stone and it would cause more work then I need right now.

Does any one have a list of IE's default CSS values so I can set it in a css so this thing will be more Firefox friendly?

Answer 1

TBH, I'd be surprised if IE6 actually used CSS internally for laying out the majority of HTML elements, so what you're looking for may not even exist.

The W3C have a sample stylesheet in the CSS2 spec (http://www.w3.org/TR/CSS2/sample.html) which "describes the typical formatting of all HTML 4.0 ([HTML40]) elements based on extensive research into current UA practice" - copying that into a stylesheet is probably the best you'll do.

Answer 2

While I don't think I've ever seen a list posted, the IE Developer Toolbar lets you poke around the computed styles of your various elements. Create a dummy page with each of the elements you're interested in, but no CSS, and mine out the values you need?

Answer 3

Here is a CSS comparison chart. IE actually stores the CSS settings in the ever-so-dumb-place, the Registry. Another issue is whether the doctype of your application is using standards mode or quirks mode.

If it's using quirks mode, you're in trouble. Fixing things for non-IE issues will break IE issues etc. You will go insane.

Answer 4

I feel your pain. This might fix most of it.

* {
    box-sizing: border-box;
    -moz-box-sizing: border-box;
    -webkit-box-sizing: border-box;
    -ms-box-sizing: border-box;
}

Answer 5

the default IE css value is as follows: "non-compliant"

Answer 6

I'd recommend approaching this problem from the other end.

Copy your current IE-only stylesheet to a global stylesheet, and put the IE stylesheet into a conditional comments block. Fix the site for Firefox using the global stylesheet, and then use the IE-only stylesheet to fix the site for IE.

Eg:

<link href="/css/global.css" rel="stylesheet" type="text/css" />
<!--[if IE ]>
    <link href="/css/ie-only.css" rel="stylesheet" type="text/css" />
<![endif]-->