Forum Moderators: open
We were reviewing a site that displayed the W3C HTML/XHTML and CSS icons. The HTML/XHMTL icon contained the W3C referer string which automatically validates the page based on the referring URI. All was fine, the site was built in XHTML.
We then decided to click the CSS icon and noticed that it took us to the W3C CSS Validator instead of the validation output for the CSS. So, we copied the URI of the page in question and pasted it into the CSS validation field and viola, there was an error.
The error was not being recorded through the normal XHMTL validation routine. It could only be found by validating the CSS from the referer string. What was the error? There was a space missing between two attributes in an anchor tag. Again, this was not being detected with the normal method of validating the XHMTL via the referring URI.
URI to use when validating HTML/XHTML based on referring string.
[validator.w3.org...]
URI to use when validating CSS based on referring string.
[jigsaw.w3.org...]
Is this a bug with the XHMTL validator or is this the intended behavior? I've also found some issues with certain character entities like the Copyright symbol.
To summarize the above...
The XHMTL validated based on the referring URI. The CSS validated when entering the direct URI for the CSS file.
The XHMTL did not validate when attempting to validate the CSS file based on the referring URI. Did that make sense? ;)
While I haven't run into this situation my instinct is to go with what each validator is designed to validate. The XHTML validator isn't necessarily looking at CSS - especially inline CSS while the CSS validator should be. And is the CSS validator capable of seperating HTML docs from XHTML docs? In otherwords, is the error the CSS validator picked up on a lack of being able to understand XHTML?
Seeing as the CSS validator picked up a spacing error - which I assume you checked and concur with - make the change and see if the XHTML validator gives you any new information. Likewise with the CSS validator.
While I haven't run into this situation my instinct is to go with what each validator is designed to validate.
That has been my assumption so far when validating HTML. It appears that with XHMTL, there are some issues there.
In other words, is the error the CSS validator picked up on a lack of being able to understand XHTML?
That is what I'm questioning. Whether or not there is a discrepancy with the XHMTL portion of the validator.
Seeing as the CSS validator picked up a spacing error - which I assume you checked and concur with - make the change and see if the XHTML validator gives you any new information. Likewise with the CSS validator.
As soon as the spacing error was corrected, the CSS validated based on the referring link. There are two ways to validate CSS...
1. Enter the direct URI to the CSS file using the W3C CSS validation service here...
[jigsaw.w3.org...]
2. Use the W3C referer link and validate the CSS from the resource URI...
[jigsaw.w3.org...]
Using option #2 produces results based on the referring URI and the CSS file combined. This appears to only happen with XHMTL and not HTML.
[edited by: tedster at 9:46 pm (utc) on Jan. 12, 2004]
[edit reason] correct the second URL - thanks, g1smd [/edit]
LOL - that's what I get for looking up from the grindstone only occassionally.
