html tidy

We are trying to use HTML tidy version 13th January, and are experiencing a
few difficulties when using <span id="foo"></span>, and also <table
id="foo"></table>. Tidy is reading these tags as empty, and therefore
removing them in the cleaing process. We have tried teaching tidy about
these tags as empty and also as inline, but neither have been successful. Is
there any way to teach tidy that these tags are not empty, but contain an
attribute, even though there is nothing in between the tags?  Attached
please find a copy of our config file, in which we defined the Tidy
requirements. Any insight you can provide would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks.

Karen Schlesinger & Scott Shandler


 <<Config.txt>>