[ic] interchange html4 validation problems

Fri Jun 8 08:57:38 2001

On Fri, Jun 08, 2001 at 09:46:01AM +0100, Murray Gibbins wrote:
> Mike Heins wrote:
> 
> > Virtually every existing CGI program uses ampersand to separate parameters,
> > as that was defined in the original CGI spec.
> > 
> > This is actually quite absurd of the HTML4 validation suite.
> > It of course doesn't have anything to do with mv_pc=.... -- it would
> > apply to any URL generated by Interchange -- or Google -- or just
> > about anyone. So in order to comply with their validation suite, they
> > are saying that the thousands of existing CGI programs should be modified --
> > instead of building in a switch which says "ignore this".
> > 
> > We won't be complying with HTML 4 in this way any time soon. If ever.
> 
> It seems strange to me that in previous releases of minivend you have correct
> URL html syntax. 
> You were compliant then why not now? I was talking to Mr.Tweedie in the pub last
> night about this too. Maybe this needs to be brought to the attention of /. or
> someone else even higher up in RH.

The & as a query string delimiter has been around since day one.  Maybe
you were not validating HTML4?  Or is GET deprecated entirely?

Go to google and search on something with more than one word.  Go
to any other dynamic site and check out the same.

Look at all your perl CGI libraries (I say perl because those are
the easiest ones.)  Then look at your C CGI libaries.  

BTW, if my memory serves me right, vignette or openmarket has a patent
on separating elements in query string with ';'.

> Otherwise people in the UK are going to get into trouble. It is now the law here
> that public sites ( i.e. shopping sites) be accessible to the disabled. This,
> more often than not requires valid html to pass the "bobby" test.

Don't worry about that.  It is UK policy to support only Microsoft and IE; see
the slashdot article maybe a week ago about the new gov't sites.  :-)  You
won't be able to use IC until it is ported to Windows anyway.

-s
cfm

--

On a more serious note, the portion of the spec you quoted implied that sites
could use pretty much whatever they wanted for delimiter.  Talk about standards.
You might use '|' but I would prefer either tabs or nulls.  I guess we could
work that out at the WTO.

-- 

Christopher F. Miller, Publisher                             cfm@maine.com
MaineStreet Communications, Inc         208 Portland Road, Gray, ME  04039
1.207.657.5078                                       http://www.maine.com/
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