Re: DOCBOOK: HTML problems

[Matthew Braun <mbraun@urbana.css.mot.com>]

Tim Waugh <twaugh@redhat.com> writes:

>This file (test.sgml):
>when processed with 'db2html test.sgml' on a Red Hat Linux 7.1 system
>produces t1.html, which has the appended errors when validated using
>validator.w3.org.

>Document Checked
>o File: t1.html
>o Character encoding: unknown
>o Document type: HTML 4.01 Strict

> Below are the results of attempting to parse this document with an
>SGML parser.
>
>Line 12, column 8:
>  BGCOLOR="#FFFFFF"
>          ^
>Error: there is no attribute "BGCOLOR" for this element (in this HTML
>version) (explanation...)
>
...
> Sorry, this document does not validate as HTML 4.01 Strict.

Uh...was there any claim that the stylesheets produced HTML which validated
as _strict_ HTML 4.01?  (Looking over an old version of them, I don't see
any designation of the vintage of html they produce.)

The reason for the warning above is that strict html 4.01 has no bgcolor
attribute.  Where did it go?  The "HTML 4.01 Strict DTD" states:
 <!--
     This is HTML 4.01 Strict DTD, which excludes the presentation 
     attributes and elements that W3C expects to phase out as 
     support for style sheets matures. Authors should use the Strict
     DTD when possible, but may use the Transitional DTD when support
     for presentation attribute and elements is required.
...

When using Strict HTML 4.01, properties such as text colors are specified
in Cascading Style Sheets.  Such html will only be displayed "as intended"
on browsers which support CSS correctly.  Mercifully, the number of such
browsers is increasing, but they still aren't as common as anyone would
like.

Seeing as the only CSS file in docbook-style-dsssl-1.64-2 is "docbook.css",
and that's in the test directory, it seems unlikely that they do produce
valid "strict" html.

If an author isn't ready for "strict", W3C recommends the "transitional"
DTD, which still allows such constructs.  Perhaps the docs will validate
under that DTD, if you want to give that a whirl.  

(Just checking the "quality" of the html code the stylesheets produce, or
something?)

					m@

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