W3 Validator Help

How fast is the W3 validator? Do they respond quickly? What did you guys say? This is my first time...nervous.:(its just a SGML markup validator, or in your case css validator, its actually a program, not people.
it just checks ur errors, lack of doctype, of character-set, etc...
<!-- m --><a class="postlink" href="http://validator.w3.orgthis">http://validator.w3.orgthis</a><!-- m --> is their online help and docs, u may wanna take a look
<!-- m --><a class="postlink" href="http://validator.w3.org/docs/help.htmlWhat">http://validator.w3.org/docs/help.htmlWhat</a><!-- m --> does this mean?

Line 11, column 37: document type does not allow element "div" here; missing one of "object", "ins", "del", "map", "button" start-tag

<a href=http://www.webdeveloper.com/forum/archive/index.php/"index.html"><div id="front"><br /></div></a>

The mentioned element is not allowed to appear in the context in which you've placed it; the other mentioned elements are the only ones that are both allowed there and can contain the element mentioned. This might mean that you need a containing element, or possibly that you've forgotten to close a previous element.

One possible cause for this message is that you have attempted to put a block-level element (such as "<p>" or "<table>") inside an inline element (such as "<a>", "<span>", or "<font>").

You can check it out at www2.onu.edu/~j-smith.6Originally posted by gumbystation

One possible cause for this message is that you have attempted to put a block-level element (such as "<p>" or "<table>") inside an inline element (such as "<a>", "<span>", or "<font>").

here you have it,
its not allowed to have block elements(divs) inside an inline element, as an anchor.crude...so is there any way around that then? I have links inside of my <div> ... so what do I do from there?To expand on what LiLcRaZyFuZzY wrote, in all versions of HTML up to XHTML 1.0, block level elements cannot be contained by inline elements. To know the difference between the two, two DIVs are stacked on top of one another like blocks on screen by default, as are <p>, <table>, <h1>, <ul>, etc. The <a> tags, on the other hand, get placed side by side with other <a> tags on a line, and wrap to another line when there isn't enough room. Thus <a> tags are inline.

You can have

<div>
<a></a>
</div>

but not

<a>
<div></div>
</a>

If you want an <a> tag to take up a certain width and height, the answer isn't placing a block element inside of it like you did. You can make an <a> tag a block element using CSS:

#mainNav a {
display: block;
}

Markup validators only go by the default properties for HTML tags. Even with display: block; set in the CSS for an <a> tag, the validator will still complain about a DIV inside an <a> tag.

It's not that you've done something illegal. It just isn't according to the document type declaration: inline elements cannot contain block elements.

I believe in XHTML 1.1, inline elements can contain block elements.

Now if you want more "fat" tags inside an <a> tag, like you want to put more than one background image in a link, use the SPAN tag:

<a>
<span>Link Text</span>
</a>

SPAN tags are inline by default and will pass the W3C validator. Then just add some CSS to make the SPAN tags a block element too:

#mainNav a span { display: block; }


In short: DIV tags group inline and block elements together and SPAN tags are only meant to group inline elements.Thanks, that will take me a bit to do. And the Validator okayed my CSS. :D Makes me happyYes <ins> and <del> are two of the odd ones out.


At the moment you the Validator says you have 11 errors:

Esseantlliy <LINK REL="shortcut icon" href=http://www.webdeveloper.com/forum/archive/index.php/"favicon.ico"> should be closed and lowercase: <link rel="shortcut icon" href="favicon.ico" />

This: <a href=http://www.webdeveloper.com/forum/archive/index.php/"index.html"><div id="front"><br /></div></a> probally should be:

<div id="front"> <a href=http://www.webdeveloper.com/forum/archive/index.php/"index.html"></a> <br />


Your nested list is missing a <li> before the <ul> for class nav and obviously requires a </ul> after lower down the page to close the nest.

You have a duplicated id value; id="copy" which is illegal

Other than that most of the other errors are knock on effects from these ones.
 
Back
Top