Sent by Tim Rivera on 30 September 2002 22:10
> Could someone please explain the "!important" reference I keep seeing in
> CSS? I thought I knew CSS fairly well, but I've never heard of this.
Go straight to the source for the best info:
http://www.w3.org/TR/CSS2/cascade.html#x11
> Is this a CSS3 spec?
Nope, it is in the CSS level 1 specification:
http://www.w3.org/TR/CSS1#important
In a nut shell, it has to do with which style sheet has more power, the
author's (website creator) or the user's (visitor).
A couple examples off the top of my head:
A user with poor vision may want to create a style sheet in which he ensures
that the font size on any given web page won't be any smaller than a certain
large value. Also, an author with a very colorful website may want to ensure
that the font colors contrast well with the background, instead of
conflicting with a user's preferences.
Tim