Validator alters submitted code

This no longer validates:

{ font: 12px/18px "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, "Gill Sans", 
sans-serif; color: #666666; width: 100%; text-align: left; }

because the validator itself is introducing spaces either side of the 
'/', yet this particular specification hasn't changed since its 
containing file was first validated at the end of 2010. The error 
message is also thoroughly unclear and it took some time to uncover the 
meaning of its complaint.

Furthermore, the validator now reports 'duplicate colour' warnings on 
other specifications in the same CSS file (which have previously been 
reported clean), but using highly misleading messages and line numbers 
(presumably?) that vastly differ from their actual locations. I've never 
seen these before, but they read as if the 'color' and 
'background-color' properties are set to the same value. I think I would 
have noticed! I'm guessing they mean that the fore- and background 
colour specifications of certain elements overlap and, to some extent or 
other, are redundant. The fact the line numbers are wildly off indicates 
that the validator must be mangling the submitted file.

P. Leather

Received on Wednesday, 4 July 2012 06:57:05 UTC