Some Praise for Internet Explorer

No. Really. I’ve found something very good in IE.

Well, I didn’t find it, but while reading on computed CSS values, I came across this thread. One of the participants recommended Internet Explorer and its built-in development tools for tracing computed CSS values.

I’d been trying to find out just WTF was going on with some CSS and why I had a 12px problem gaping hole that I simply couldn’t locate quickly. I was using Firebug to no avail as it can tell you computed values, which is where I confirmed the error, but it can’t trace where the CSS is that contributes to that computed value.

You can see how neatly it details the CSS and source of it in the screenshot on the right. You can even toggle it on or off and the UI (IE) updates automatically.

The tool is simple to use, and gets the job done very quickly. The only thing you really need to know is to click the cursor icon in the toolbar so that you can click an element in the web page. Otherwise you’ll need to browse the DOM and find what you’re looking for, which in longer web pages can be a serious nightmare.

Anyways, hope that helps someone.