Linking in XHTML 2.0

As a fundamental part of the Web, hypertext linking has been the subject of repeated attempts at standardization beyond the basic format allowed in simple HTML. Such attempts can be characterized as efforts to balance machine processing ability with authoring convenience. The latest specification in this area, XHTML 2.0, just might have gotten it right.

Dubinko, Micah. IBM (2005). Articles>Web Design>Standards>XHTML

Migrating from HTML to XHTML and XML - Part II

This is the second part of a two-part article describing a detailed methodology for migrating HTML files to the structure and flexibility of XHTML and/or XML.

James-Tanny, Char. WritersUA (2006). Articles>Web Design>Standards>XHTML

Put XHTML 1.0 Strict and Transitional to Work  

As its name suggests, XHTML--which is considered the successor to HTML 4--is a combination of HTML and XML. By combining the power of XML and HTML, XHTML makes Web content more accessible to devices such as phones, handhelds, and televisions. XHTML 1.0 is broken up into what the W3C refers to as three flavors: Strict, Transitional, and Frameset. In this article, I focus on the two most useful, Strict and Transitional.

Morton, Shawn. TechRepublic (2003). Articles>Web Design>Standards>XHTML

The Trouble with Web Standards

You may mistrust web standards because of bad experiences with buggy browsers. Or you might have converted a site from HTML to XHTML, only to discover that their layouts suddenly looked different in standards-compliant browsers. Don't give in to the dark side! Web standards are here to stay.

Zeldman, Jeffrey. Creative Pro (2007). Articles>Web Design>Standards>XHTML

XHTML and the Escape Codes

But one of the lesser known differences between HTML and XHTML is that attributes within tags (such as the href attribute within a link tag) must use 'entities' for special reserved characters. For example, within mark-up, & has a special meaning. Greater than and less than signs (> and <) also have a special meaning, as they are used to define tags.

HyperWrite (2004). Articles>Web Design>Standards>XHTML

Use Only Block-Level Elements in Blockquotes

The blockquote element is not allowed to have text or inline elements as direct descendants. Only block-level (and in HTML 4.01 Strict, script) elements are allowed unless you use a Transitional Doctype, in which case both block-level and inline elements are allowed. But there are plenty of sites that use a Strict Doctype and still have blockquote elements that contain inline elements.

Johansson, Roger. 456 Berea Street (2007). Articles>Web Design>Standards>XHTML

The Sagacity in Validation

In one of my introductory articles I stated that I do not care much for validation, yet I use well-formed XHTML 1.0 Strict (no less) as my preferred standard and CSS for layout purposes. If so, why on earth would I claim not to care about, or ignore, validation?

Hilhorst, Didier P. Nundroo (2004). Articles>Web Design>Standards>XHTML

Web Design Going in the Wrong Direction?

There’s way too much talk about CSS and XHTML and Standards and Accessibility and not enough talk about people. CSS and Standards Compliant Code are just tools — you have to know what to build with these tools.

Signal vs. Noise (2004). Articles>Web Design>Standards>XHTML

Web Development Mistakes

When I visit a website, especially if it’s the site of a competitor or a prospective client, I like viewing source and take a look at what’s under the hood. It’s one of my not-so-secret obsessions. And I am way too often absolutely disgusted by what I see. The web is overflowing with sites that use horribly invalid, broken, and inaccessible markup.

456 Berea Street (2004). Articles>Web Design>Standards>XHTML

The Road to XHTML 2.0: MIME Types

Here's a dirty little secret: browsers aren't actually treating your XHTML as XML. Your validated, correctly DOCTYPE'd, completely standards compliant XHTML markup is being treated as if it were still HTML with a few weird slashes in places they don't belong (like
and ). Why? The answer is MIME types.

Pilgrim, Mark. XML.com (2003). Articles>Web Design>XHTML>Standards

Recommended List of DTDs You Can Use in Your Web Document

When authoring document is HTML or XHTML, it is important to Add a Doctype declaration. The declaration must be exact (both in spelling and in case) to have the desired effect, which makes it sometimes difficult. To ease the work, below is a list of recommended declarations that you can use in your Web documents.

W3C (2007). Articles>Web Design>Standards>XHTML