CSS (perhaps with Compass): Cross-browser gradient - css

Question

I would like to get a gradient in CSS (perhaps through Compass) that works in every major browser, including IE7+. Is there an easy way to do this (without writing a lot of code, and without a custom image file)?
I looked at Compass's gradient mixin, but it does not work with Internet Explorer.
Any ideas? (It does not need to be Compass -- I am happy install something else.)
Edit: What I am trying to get is some framework (like Compass?) that generates code like what Blowsie posted that's been tested across browsers. Basically like the Compass gradient mixin I mentioned, but with IE support. (I am a bit wary of just rolling my own SCSS mixin and pasting in blocks like Blowsie's code, because I haven't tested it and do not have the resources to do so.)

Answer 1

I just noticed that the current Compass beta (0.11.beta.6) has support for generating IE gradients in the compass/css3/images module (which supersedes the previous gradient module), so you can generate your gradients with a total of two short commands:
#import "compass/css3/images";
#import "compass/utilities/general/hacks"; /* filter-gradient needs this */
.whatever {
/* IE; docs say this should go first (or better, placed in separate IE-only stylesheet): */
#include filter-gradient(#aaaaaa, #eeeeee);
/* Fallback: */
background: #cccccc;
/* CSS 3 plus vendor prefixes: */
#include background(linear-gradient(top, #aaaaaa, #eeeeee));
}
This generates the following slew of CSS:
.whatever {
*zoom: 1;
-ms-filter: "progid:DXImageTransform.Microsoft.gradient(gradientType=0, startColorstr='#FFAAAAAA', endColorstr='#FFEEEEEE')";
filter: progid:DXImageTransform.Microsoft.gradient(gradientType=0, startColorstr='#FFAAAAAA', endColorstr='#FFEEEEEE');
background: #cccccc;
background: -webkit-gradient(linear, 50% 0%, 50% 100%, color-stop(0%, #aaaaaa), color-stop(100%, #eeeeee));
background: -moz-linear-gradient(top, #aaaaaa, #eeeeee);
background: -o-linear-gradient(top, #aaaaaa, #eeeeee);
background: linear-gradient(top, #aaaaaa, #eeeeee);
}
I guess I would have preferred to have the IE and non-IE gradient code in one call, but since IE's DXImageTransform gradient function is pretty limited, that is probably not possible.

Answer 2

The code I use for all browser gradients..
background: #0A284B;
background: -webkit-gradient(linear, left top, left bottom, from(#0A284B), to(#135887));
background: -moz-linear-gradient(top, #0A284B, #135887);
background: -o-linear-gradient(#0A284B, #135887);
filter: progid:DXImageTransform.Microsoft.gradient(startColorstr='#0A284B', endColorstr='#135887');
zoom:1;
You will need to specify a height or zoom:1 to apply hasLayout to the element for this to work in ie

Answer 3

While gradients are of limited complexity, they're complex enough to require what you would consider "lots of code".
Consider:
starting colour, ending colour and the hexadecimal math required to transition between one and the other
The number of "steps"
The width/height of each step
Since there is no pure CSS way of doing this, it means rendering HTML, one element for each colour/step, without messing up your existing HTML
So, no, without a plug-in that does all of this for you, it would require a bit of code, or an image.