Validation

By Neal Thomas, updated by Duane Taylor
January 2001

Any workflow system for placing content online needs to have a validation component. Content for Web sites is routinely vetted through editors in your organization before it is put live on a Web site. It is checked for spelling, syntax, tone and accuracy. The same process is required for the layout code and hyperlinking of a Web page or Web site.

There are two options for performing site validation. The first is to use an online validation service such as Doctor HTML. To check a page, the page must be placed on a web server the URL provided to the validation service. The page is retrieved and checked for proper syntax: it will verify that the HTML used is correct; it will check the integrity of the internal and external links; it will often check for spelling errors; and it will usually give some idea of how large the pages are, giving a rough estimate of how long users can expect to wait to load pages. This information is generally supplemented with tips on how to fix errors.

The second option is to purchase site validation software. HTML editors such as Allaire HomeSite offer excellent validation features, marking errors for easy correction and explaining them in the context of HTML 4.0 specifications. There is also server management software that offers integrated HTML syntax and link checking.

Validating the Web pages to ensure they are HTML 4.0 compliant will ensure they are:

• correctly indexed by search engines;
• accessible to as many users as possible;
• free of any bad links that could cause a user to get lost or frustrated; and
• rendered correctly on screen.

To learn more:

• Doctor HTML http://www2.imagiware.com/RxHTML
• NetMechanic http://www.netmechanic.com
• Bobby http://www.cast.org/bobby
• W3C HTML Validation Service http://validator.w3.org