HTML validation and CSS validation are controversial issues with some people. This article discusses some of the issues that have come increasingly to the fore in web development. The article will also provide a practical method that overworked webmasters can use to improve their website.
What does Validating HTML or CSS Mean?
For those who are unfamiliar with what validating a web page means, it basically refers to using a program or an online service to check that the web page that you created is free of errors. In particular, an HTML validator
{Update: We inferred logic where there was none. The W3C has not changed the behavior of its validation service per the rationale explored below. The service is simply broken. Presumably it will get fixed. Meanwhile, many valid CSS sites will be incorrectly labeled invalid. Don’t start redesigning just yet.}
The W3C’s CSS validation service has changed the way it interprets CSS authoring practices. Many sites that were designed valid no longer validate. The change in behavior affects sites that use the box model hack to compensate for the
Those who are against a blanket rule about validation often cite the following reasons:
1.
Validation is No Guarantee that Page Works
Even if you validate your code, you still have to test it in the various browsers. Having code with no syntax errors does not mean that the HTML or CSS code does what you want. Hence some of the proponents of this view argue that the main goal when designing a web page is to make sure it is viewable and usable by your visitors, not some esoteric goal of standards compliance.
2.
Time Constraint for
For some, the process of validation gets in the way as they create web content. That's a fairly dangerous attitude.
Integrate validation into your creative process. Once that becomes part of the way you do things, you'll thank me for it. As I like to say, "Validate early and often."
There are three real good reasons why you want to validate your work. Each of them support the principle of adherence to specifications.
1. It Helps Resolve Cross-Browser, Cross-Platform And Future Compatibility Issues
By creating files that are syntactically
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