Re: Validators that don't validate (continued)

In regard to Len's comment, it is true that they [1] have one
reasonable remark, but all their other remarks indicate that 
they are HTML ignorant.

Len wrote:
"Yes, it's true that the validator shouldn't be criticized 
for being "overly strict", but there's another point they 
also make, that the error messages are cryptic:

When tag attributes aren't surrounded by quotes, W3C reports
"An attribute value must be a literal unless it contains only name
characters." Ampersands in URLs (technically a no-no, though
quite common) are met with cryptic "General entity not defined"
reports."

Len"

There are two thing here.
1. Messages are unclear. Check the WDG validator [1], it gives 
    better message for both missing quotes and undefined entities.
    It uses nsgmls like W3C and WebTechs. So these two features 
    (strictness and lack of clarity) are logically indepent.
    A possible next step for WAI / W3C is to compose friendly messages
    and allow the user to choose between nsmgls messages and friendly 
    one's.

2. They claim that it is technically invalid (a no-no) to write ampersands 
    in URLs but there is no choice (quite common), and they congratulate 
    WebTechs for allowing this (in a sentence that Len didn't quote). 

   This is wrong. ampersands in URLs are allowed but 
   they must be escaped. Escaped ampersands in attribute values 
   including URLs are widely supported by browsers. The behavior 
   of webtechs that allows authors to get away with errors is criticized 
   by many including Liam Quinn and Alan Flavell.
   (I appologize for not giving reference)

They also complain that the validator errs when it flags 
an error "element P not allowed here" where here is as a 
child of TABLE. This error in the HTML actually exists on 
the very page of the survey [2] They should actually criticize 
the other "validators" for not finding this serious syntax error.

[1] http://www.htmlhelp.com/tools/validator/
[2] http://webbuilder.netscape.com/Authoring/HtmlValid/ss06.html

Nir Dagan, Ph.D.
http://www.nirdagan.com
mailto:nir@nirdagan.com

"There is nothing quite so practical as a good theory." 
-- A. Einstein

Received on Monday, 16 November 1998 17:34:24 UTC