Roxy

"Valid coding, what does that mean?"

The age old question (not literally) that most people ask when they see websites that say valid XHTML or valid CSS.

Just like almost everything in life, things grow and change to adapt or better itself in order to appeal to people or certain "functions". HTML particpates in these changes. Believe it or not with so many new devices being created to support internet, IM, and email, not all them can actually read the same way as a simple computer can. So what do engineers, programmers, and developers do in order to fix this? They change or upgrade the way certain languages are read.

It's almost like adding a new work or letter to then English dictionary, only your adding a new tag or point within HTML.

"But my coding works perfectly fine, why do I need to "update" it to XHTML?"

Good question, and fortunately there are many great answers for it.

One of them being for better usability and functionality between your website and the user. As you may have noticed (or not) browsers function very differently from each other. Some HTML codes are actually rejected from one browser and then accepted from another (cross-browser compatibility). It all has to do with the changing of times. Meaning while one browser sticks to the old ways, another is upgrading to conform with the many devices and platforms out there.

Another answer would be for cleaner and easier to edit coding. Why have a million and one tags, when you can create the same function or style and have it all in one?

"So how do I go about validating my coding, are there any sites that can help me?"

As a matter of fact there is! This is a website that once you go to it, you must bookmark it. Why, well lets just say the guys of this website are what make X-HTML, CSS, XML, and all that jazz actually happening. No there aren't the creators of the internet, but they do want to help everyone who does use the internet to "lead it to its full potential".

Link: World Wide Web Consortium

Clicking on the "HTML Validator" link on the left hand sidebar will get you started. Once you have entered your website's address and click validate, a list of errors will appear. (let's hope it isn't too much) This is also a great way to check your coding for little mistakes like open tags, one too many closed tags, or even typos!

So, I've validated my coding, now what?

Sit back, relax and know that your site is clean. Don't be surprised to probably see extra traffic rolling into your site! :wink:

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Roxanne


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