RE: http-equiv="refresh" redirects ignored in markup validator

Agree with Lars.

Would really like to know why that W3C page links to an apache
url-rewriting guide filled with regexp examples, rather than
information on the Apache Redirect (older RedirectPermanent and
RedirectTemporary) directives in .htaccess files, which are what's
really needed here.

http://httpd.apache.org/docs-2.1/en/mod/mod_alias.html#redirect

(Of course, how to specify generation of 301/302 http codes depends on
your choice of webserver/environment/braindead scripting environment,
so you can't blame the W3C for not giving information in detail.)

L.


On Mon, 28 Jul 2003, Lars Holst wrote:

> Hello Olivier,
>
> Thanks for the quick feedback.
>
> In my case, the redirect acts on the top level URI, and does not break the
> back button. Try for yourself. So that argument doesn't hold.
>
> But let's suppose it did:
>
> >Please read <http://www.w3.org/2001/06tips/reback>: <meta
> >http-equiv="Refresh"> is not a recommended (i.e, it's ugly) way to do a
> >redirect. The Markup validator does supports the recommended HTTP-based
> >redirects.
>
> I read the page. I'm sorry, but it's got to be one of the worst links I have
> followed for a long time.
>
> "Use the power of HTTP! There's a feature in HTTP that allows you to
> redirect, in a clean and transparent way, viewers of a page to another page.
> It's not even complicated."
>
> There's a feature? Really? If it's not complicated, why not tell me straight
> away? As it is, I am given a set of links, none of which help me find out
> what I should do. This is the very essence of bad practice, if anything. I
> wonder who will benefit from such a "pointer"? Clearly not amateur web
> developers like myself, or anyone who values their time.
>
> >Not sure about this either. If someone tries to validate a file, the
> >validator should probably validate this file, not whatever it refreshes
> >to after n seconds (I know, the case n=0 is a limit case but better
> >forget this practice anyway).
>
> Why? The redirect is there for a reason, right? I really don't see why it
> shouldn't follow it.
>
> I do appreciate your pointer, but I'd be even more grateful for a link to a
> page that actually explains the HTTP-based feature that I should use.
>
> Thanks,
> Lars

<http://www.ee.surrey.ac.uk/Personal/L.Wood/><L.Wood@ee.surrey.ac.uk>

Received on Monday, 28 July 2003 11:09:25 UTC