CSS fallback properties

Written byPhuoc Nguyen

Created

06 Sep, 2022

A CSS class can consist of many declarations whose each of them has the syntax of `property: value` syntax:

.cls {
    property: value;
}

We can set different values for the same property. A value coming later overrides values before it. The browser will try to use the last declaration. In the case it can't recognize the declaration, it will fallback to the previous value until the supported value is found.

It is the right place to add prefixes for browser vendors here. Remember in the old days, we often use this technique to set a linear gradient for the header element:

.header {
    background-image: url(/path/to/fallback-gradient.svg);
    background-image: -webkit-gradient(...);
    background-image: -webkit-linear-gradient(...);
    background-image: -moz-linear-gradient(...);
    background-image: -ms-linear-gradient(...);
    background-image: -o-linear-gradient(...);
    background-image: linear-gradient(...);
}

Even though the specific `linear-gradient()` function is supported in modern browsers, the technique is still useful in many cases. The following sample code reverts to CSS flexbox if CSS grid isn't supported:

.list {
    display: flex;
    display: grid;
}

Conditional HTML classes based on user agent←

CSS feature queries→

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Phước Nguyễn

CSS fallback properties

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