Extra Div when validating but only way it works

[Dreamcontest]

Hi everyone the page in question is

freestuffgeek.com

There is an issue with code from a 3rd party when validating that i have attempted to contact but this post is about the 'extra' div.

I can't for the life of me figure out why this extra div is causing the problem in the validatior.

Line 516, Column 47: end tag for element "div" which is not open

</div>  </div><div class="clear"></div></div>

This causes

<div id="mainy">

The green background that is through the whole top section of the site to end and then allows the bottom

<div class="pageEdge">
<div class="pageBottom">

Etc to display the footer correctly. Removing that extra </div> doesnt terminate the mainy but validates?


an extra pair of eyes would be great!

[webprutser]

Maybe thinking too simple, but the comment seems obvious to me. You open a div then close it two times, so looking to it at that way an "end tag for element "div" (is used for a tag) which is not open".

A quick count of opening and closing tags of div's in your page learns that there is an equal amount of them, but I find your code a little hard to read. Being not familiar with your intentions there seem to be "empty div's" and a lot of nested div's, so someone (like me) that is new to the code easily looses track.
Maybe validating is a matter of looking at the structure of your page.

[Dreamcontest]

this is a complicated template system built on outdated code yes... ive tried to go through it and find out where the extra div etc is.. but with no luck...

i hope someone else might have a glance through and see if they see it :)

[SuzyUK]

ive tried to go through it and find out where the extra div etc is.. but with no luck...

I've tried looking at this twice with no luck.. even I can't match all that in my head - over 2000 lines! ;)

you mention about the 3rd party code.. have you actually tested and validated this 3rd party code in a blank HTML page to prove it's actually that that is generating the wrong code? did your page validate before adding this code?

Removing that extra </div> doesn't terminate the mainy but validates?

it's because it's not mainy that's the problem..

----- much later, 3rd time lucky

a) you need to pay me lots of money for this :)

and

b) search your source for the line (it's around line 100, despite the fact the validator can't reconcile it until line 513)

<div style="padding:2px;" /> &nbsp;</div>

c) find where your template is generating that code and change it to:

<div style="padding:2px;"> &nbsp;</div>

i.e. remove the self closing "space/" from the opening tag

PS: this wasn't just a glance, that's why you now owe me lots of money! :)

[Dreamcontest]

OMG SUZY! Suzy suzy suzy... i thank you completely!

That completely makes sense why the validator wasn't finding it... oi oi!

100% errors that remain are from the Text link ads generated code which sadly generates <TABLE> instead of <table> I emailed their support about it so hopefully they will make the code XHTML compliant.

Anyway... very much thank you again to suzyUK. You are seriously my hero :)