HTML tidy

[roedygr]

I tried out HTML tidy, but it ruined my HTML by splitting at = signs. I decided to read up on how to configure it, perhaps to break it of that nasty habit.

I read the docs that came with HTML Validator. I was confused. I first thought profiles were external files, referenced by the tidyprofiles.xml file. I fruitlessly scanned by disk looking for them. The example profiles were so short I figured the bulk must be somewhere else. It turns out normally profiles are embedded in the file. A note to that effect would be nice.

I then went to the HTML tidy site. I became spitting angry with these unrepentant geeks. They did not even explain what their program does, or what languages it works on. There were no instructions on how to use it, or how to configure it, just some cryptic reference docs. There were no examples.

It is utterly useless as is. It needs needs some sample annotated profiles (perhaps enough so most users can just select a pre-configured profile) so that people don't have to spend a week studyng the source code to figure out just what the heck you have to do to get an indented listing. It looked to me simpler to write my own program from scratch than make sense of those reams of microtrinvia. The authors have no sense of reality or relative importance.

They are flipping nuts. They have gone way way overboard in complexity for a very simple result.

SNARL!!

[Albert Wiersch]

I tried out HTML tidy, but it ruined my HTML by splitting at = signs. I decided to read up on how to configure it, perhaps to break it of that nasty habit.

I read the docs that came with HTML Validator. I was confused. I first thought profiles were external files, referenced by the tidyprofiles.xml file. I fruitlessly scanned by disk looking for them. The example profiles were so short I figured the bulk must be somewhere else. It turns out normally profiles are embedded in the file. A note to that effect would be nice.

I've added this to the documentation about HTML Tidy profiles:
NOTE: HTML Tidy profiles are all contained in the tidyprofiles.xml file. Each profile does not have a separate file.

I then went to the HTML tidy site. I became spitting angry with these unrepentant geeks. They did not even explain what their program does, or what languages it works on. There were no instructions on how to use it, or how to configure it, just some cryptic reference docs. There were no examples.

Here's the reference page I use:
http://tidy.sourceforge.net/docs/quickref.html

I agree that examples would, of course, be nice.

Unfortunately there does not seem to be an option to keep HTML Tidy from wrapping at equal signs. HTML Tidy certainly does have its limitations. I do not use it myself. However, I do see how it can be useful/helpful in certain cases.