Software Development
I’m including these XHTML, CSS, and validator resource links because getting the information you need to do your job can be a constant challenge. There are plenty of valuable references online, but it can take hours to find what you really need. Save yourself some time by checking out my list of online resources that I find useful for XHTML, CSS, and their respective validators.
XHTML development
XHTML resources
The W3C is the authoritative source of information on the XHTML standard. Here are two must-read XHTML links from the site. The official XHTML 1.0 and XHTML 1.1 recommendation documents.
If you find the W3C documents to be heavy reading, you may find the following links more accessible.
W3Schools’ XHTML 1.0 tags reference page. Index DOT Html’s HTML/XHTML tags reference page. W3Schools’ XHTML tutorial. New York Public Library’s style guidelines for using XHTML and CSS. Although this was specifically created for the branch libraries, it’s a good overview for anyone. Web Standards Project’s HTML and XHTML reference sheet, which also includes templates for properly structured HTML and XHTML documents. (Be sure to check out the rest of the site while you’re there.)
XHTML utilities
HTML Tidy Library Project page at Source Forge. HTML Tidy is a free, downloadable utility that can automatically correct code syntax in HTML and XHTML files and includes the ability to convert HTML to XHTML. It’s available for Windows, Mac, Linux, etc., command line interface. Online version of HTML Tidy, hosted by the W3C. It’s free and for Windows only. Macromedia Dreamweaver is already the leading Web design software. The newly announced MX 2004 version includes continued support for XHTML and dramatically improved CSS features. It also includes code validation.
XHTML validation
Validators are to XHTML code what spell checkers are to regular text documents. In some ways, code validation is more important than spell checking because syntax errors in code are harder to spot and can render your page unreadable. Always validate your code.
Check out the following resources on validators and validation.
W3C’s MarkUp Validation Service checks HTML and XHTML files for valid syntax and compliance with recommendations. Web Design Group’s HTML Validator is similar to the W3C validation service but has more submission options.
CCS development
CSS resources
The W3C is also the ultimate authority on CSS, so be sure to check out these links.
The official recommendations are CSS 1, CSS 2, and CSS 2.1.
Eric Meyer, one of the leading authorities on CSS, features some extremely helpful information on his site including links to W3C CSS recommendation documents with a frames-based index added. Meyer’s demonstration site, which contains examples of page design techniques using CSS.
Here are additional quick reference pages and tutorials that make it easier to get to information on specific selectors and properties. You’ll also like the sample sites that demonstrate working CSS layouts. Index DOT Css’s references, which also include tables showing browser support for CSS properties. CSS tutorials by W3Schools, Style-sheets.com and Western Civilisation. The OPAL Group’s online tool explains CSS selectors/rules; upon entering a URL or a sample of CSS code, you can read a plain language explanation of exactly what the styles will do. BlueRobot’s Layout Reservoir, which is an assortment of sample CSS layouts with viewable CSS style sheets that can be copied. MaKo’s CSS FAQs for an overview of typical questions.
CSS utilities
Bradbury Software’s TopStyle Pro is a very capable editor for CSS style sheets that can also edit XHTML and HTML files. It features integration with HTML Tidy and W3C HTML Validation Service. There is a Windows-only, free trial available, as well as a free lite version. Macromedia Dreamweaver is already the leading Web design software. The newly announced MX 2004 version includes continued support for XHTML and dramatically improved CSS features. It also includes code validation.
CSS validation
Validators are to CSS code what spell checkers are to regular text documents. In some ways, code validation is more important than spell checking because syntax errors in code are harder to spot and can render your page unreadable. Always validate your code.
Check out the following resources on validators and validation.
W3C’s CSS style sheets validation is where you can validate a URI, upload a file, or cut and paste code into a form text area. A downloadable version is also available if you can deal with building and installing from source code. A Real Validator is a stand-alone HTML validator for Windows, with results similar to the WDG validator and supports XHTML 1.1, shareware. Validator-Lite is a stand-alone HTML validator for Linux/FreeBSD; it’s open source and is available as source code or binaries. CSE HTML Validator is a commercial HTML/XHTML and CSS validator program for Windows. W3C’s CSS test suites is a set of documents that tests how a browser renders CSS 1 style rules.
Pascal
I’ve written a program which started life as a terminal emulator. It has evolved into a script processor which will run up to eight scripts on eight separate com ports. It runs in pure DOS or any virual DOS box. Read the ScripPro Manual in either XHTML or MS Word format. Download ScripPro here and put it to work for yourself.