7 replies to this topic

[-=seth=-]

Is it possible to use doctype xhtml1.0 Strict, then have javascript in the page content (with lots of = and ? in the javascript coding) and still make the page validate to w3c requirements or am I wasting my time trying

Also am I worrying over nothing, I understand search engines ignore javascript, if w3c picks up errors and it in the javascript, should I simply not worry about it

thanks in advance for your help and suggestions

[mal4mac]

Strict barfs on too many goodies, I would stick to transitional if you want an easy life. Search engines don't like strict more than transitional and users will not see the difference so worrying about this is worrying about nothing for most web developers. If you have a serious theoretical interest in the future of the web then you might want to make the effort to make pages strict "when possible". But this will have as much impact on your profits as studying Ancient Greek.

[Akuta]

Yes, I believe you can validate XHTML pages with javascript in them as long as you remember to escape all occurrences of </ with \ resulting in <\/

[MaKa]

Or simply place all your javascript in an external file, that's what I did for my latest site.

[linux_lover]

Actually the right way to do it is to wrap your code in CDATA tags e.g.

CODE

<script>
<![CDATA[
// Your javascript code
]]>
</script>

Everything inside a CDATA section is ignored by the XHTML parser.

[W3Daryl]

I personally use XHTML Transitions unless specifically requested otherwise by a client. Strict has a lot of rules which conflict with some SEO Practicies. My biggest complaint about Strict is they removed the target="_blank", you can use Javscript to open a new window with a rel="external", but then you stuck if you want to put a rel="nofollow" on the links. I also place as much javascript as possible in external files. Cheers.

[chrishirst]

"they" haven't removed the target attribute at all.

It is still perfectly valid in the DTD where it has any meaning and where it has only had real meaning since the very first days of HTML, and that is the Frameset DTD.

In any thing other than a frameset there can be no valid target frame.

[torka]

Which, of course, has done nothing to stop many of us with a huge pragmatic streak from employing this lowly attribute in ways it may never have been intended, simply because it works very neatly to do something we find on occasion to be useful.

--Torka