Re: [VE][247] Add Subject Here

2011-11-17 0:31, Ville Skyttä wrote:

>   I've changed the explanation in validator's development version to this:
>
>      The sequence <FOO />  can be interpreted in at least two different
>      ways, depending on the DOCTYPE of the document.

It doesn't really depend on the DOCTYPE at all. It depends on whether 
the document is parsed as SGML, as XML, or as something else. And, in 
theory, on the SGML declaration (controlling whether and how markup 
minimization is allowed), but that's fixed in the validator I presume.

>      For example for
>      HTML 4.01 and earlier, the '/' terminates the tag <FOO (with an
>      implied '>').

This applies to SGML-based HTML.

>      However, since many browsers don't interpret it this
>      way, even in the presence of a "strict" DOCTYPE, it is best to
>      avoid it completely in pure HTML documents and reserve its use
>      solely for those written in XHTML.

The world "many" is misleading (as this applies to all known browsers,
unless someone can dig up the rumored Emacs-based line mode browser,
or something, that may have implemented this part of SGML by the book).
And so is the reference to "strict".

Assuming that the explanation is issued only when the error 
(NET-enabling start-tag requires SHORTTAG YES) has been detected, it 
could be something like this:

"A tag of the form <FOO /> is formally correct but should not be used
in HTML (as opposite to XHTML). The validator treats it very differently
from what you expect, and this causes many confusing error messages.
Remove the '/' character."

Is that too direct? But it describes the real problem, or at least 
addresses it. Browsers are not the problem here.

Yucca

Received on Wednesday, 16 November 2011 23:07:13 UTC