Using a valid Doctype

Wesley · January 3rd, 2008, 06:14 PM

Hey,

I've just tried validating a page and it's said that my site does not have a valid doctype. I have tried lots of different doctypes and none seem to work. Can someone take a look at my source code and tell me what doctype is best suited?

Thanks in advance.

my site is www.weightgain4you.com

Stuart · January 3rd, 2008, 06:20 PM

Actually, it does have a valid doctype, just a whole bunch of code errors!

124 Validation Errors

However, I suggest switching to Strict, Transitional is not good.

Wesley · January 3rd, 2008, 06:24 PM

Thats great, nice one.

I have seen that I had 124 errors but I just figured that it was the wrong doctype or something (I've tried a few). How come transitional isn't so good? I also use java, css, and php on the page, will this not effect what doctype it will be?

Thanks
Wes

Wesley · January 3rd, 2008, 06:27 PM

Just seen this, what does it mean?

No Character Encoding Found! Falling back to UTF-8.

Stuart · January 3rd, 2008, 06:29 PM

Well, first of all, the validation errors are small issues in your code. The doctype doesn't fix incorrect code, it just tells the browser how to read it. So, you still need to fix your code.

Second, using HTML 4.01 Strict is the best choice since Transitional is a bad doctype! Why? Because it's a bugged up, crappy duplicate of Strict. Transitional is full of bad standards! Strict is just better!

Stuart · January 3rd, 2008, 06:31 PM

The character encoding should be set in the <head> like this:

HTML Code:

<meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=utf-8">

And the Strict doctype looks like this:

HTML Code:

<!DOCTYPE HTML PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.01//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/html4/strict.dtd">

Cheers

Wesley · January 3rd, 2008, 06:35 PM

Thanks. Can you check the source code for me now and see if it's correct?

dab42pat · January 3rd, 2008, 06:38 PM

Try adding this in your <head>

HTML Code:

<meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=iso-8859-1">

that should cure one problem.

Wesley · January 3rd, 2008, 06:39 PM

yea thanks I've already done that

dab42pat · January 3rd, 2008, 06:43 PM

not quick enough on the keyboard

Wesley · January 3rd, 2008, 06:44 PM

no worries

Wesley · January 3rd, 2008, 06:49 PM

How would I write the code to correct some of the problems? I look at the first error on the validation page and it says it is written incorrectly and that there is no attribute height in the document type. This is the only way I can write the attributes using dreamweaver, isn't it?

Thanks,
Wes

Stuart · January 3rd, 2008, 06:50 PM

To see the errors, check this link: W3C Validator

Wesley · January 3rd, 2008, 06:55 PM

I can see the errors, but can you just take a look at the first one and explain to me how I can correct it? It's the only way I can write it using dreamweaver.

Thanks

dab42pat · January 3rd, 2008, 07:05 PM

How can I explain this.

The height attribute is deprecated and can be achieved using CSS, thus validating that part of your code.
If I am wrong Swagner please tell me.

Stuart · January 3rd, 2008, 07:13 PM

Pat, that is quite correct. The height attribute is not allowed since it is bad code.

Wesley · January 3rd, 2008, 07:13 PM

I aint that great at css, and what do you mean the attribute is deprecated?

Wesley · January 3rd, 2008, 07:13 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by swagner

Pat, that is quite correct. The height attribute is not allowed since it is bad code.

Does this mean I can just delete it?

dab42pat · January 3rd, 2008, 07:23 PM

Yes you can delete it, but you may have to change your CSS to compensate for it.
Looking at your code you may have a lot to learn CSS wise but we are her to help.

So keep on asking.

Pat

PS. Am now drunk and going to bed.

Wesley · January 3rd, 2008, 07:28 PM

Thanks for your help. How you can talk about this stuff drunk I don't know ;0) Now I know why you said you were'nt quick enough on the keyboard.

I'll take your word for that! I'm sure I'm gonna be asking a hell of a lot more questions in here, don't worry about that

What problems will I get if I just keep my source code the way it is and not correct the errors?

PS. Thanks for your help, both of you.