Conditional comments and compatibily mode versions mismatch

Question

I'm changing the UI of e-learning management system (ELMS) which comes as SaaS. Due to the company policy to use Internet Explorer and ELMS specifics we should use IE in Compatibily mode (else - some built-in functionality of ELMS is not available.)

I use different stylesheets and IE conditional comments to change the interface:

<link rel="stylesheet" type="text/css" href="/files/css/styles_login.css"> 
<!--[if lt IE 8]><link rel="stylesheet" type="text/css" href="/files/css/styles_login_ie7.css"><![endif]-->
<!--[if lt IE 7]><link rel="stylesheet" type="text/css" href="/files/css/styles_login_ie6.css"><![endif]-->

Using normal mode and document mode == 5, I have following in Developer tools' DOM Explorer:

<LINK rel=stylesheet type=text/css href="/files/css/styles_login.css">
<LINK rel=stylesheet type=text/css href="/files/css/styles_login_ie7.css">
<LINK rel=stylesheet type=text/css href="/files/css/styles_login_ie6.css">

However, in compatibilty mode and document mode == 5 it misses IE6 styling:

<LINK rel=stylesheet type=text/css href="/files/css/styles_login.css">
<LINK rel=stylesheet type=text/css href="/files/css/styles_login_ie7.css">

Why does this happen? How to have compatibily mode use IE6 stylesheet?

Spudley Spudley · Accepted Answer · 2015-10-03T20:34:37

How to have compatibily mode use IE6 stylesheet?

Sorry, but there is no IE6 compatibility mode.

There are compatibility modes for each IE version down to IE7, and there is quirks mode which emulates IE5, but there is not IE6 mode.

You will have to work out another way around this.

Conditional comments and compatibily mode versions mismatch

1 Answers