The configuration file (htmlvalV100.cfg) contains the tags, attributes, attribute values, tag name programs, and more that CSE HTML Validator uses to validate a document. This includes many, but not all, of the validator messages that it is capable of generating. Many of the tag name programs use "flags" that let you easily customize the validations. What do the flags do?

The configuration file can be edited using the Configuration Editor (which is only in the professional edition). Most people do not have to use the Configuration Editor, which can be confusing at first because it is very powerful. CSE HTML Validator should work great in its default configuration without any altering of the default active categories and without changing any of the flags. If you want to "fine-tune" it, however, then you can. The following information will help you decide what categories and flags you want active if you do decide that you want to "fine-tune" it.

NOTE: If you make any changes to the configuration file, then it is highly recommended that you save your modified configuration file using a filename other than the default. The default file is overwritten during installs and updates. If you do not use a different filename to save your changes, then your changes may be lost at the next install or update.

About Categories

CSE HTML Validator comes with an included configuration file that supports many different 'categories' of tags. Support for HTML 4.01, HTML 4.0, XHTML 1.0, XHTML 1.1, Netscape extensions, Microsoft Internet Explorer extensions, SMIL, RealText, WML, XHTML and more is already included. Note that some categories such as SMIL, RealText, and WML are only supported by the standard and professional editions.

An important characteristic of the included configuration file is that the categories are built upon one another. This means that if you want to validate against HTML 3.2, then the HTML 2.0 category, in addition to the HTML 3.2 category must be active. To validate against HTML 4.0 (or XHTML), the HTML 2.0, HTML 3.2, and HTML 4.0 categories must all be active (HTML 4.0 cannot be the only active category). This is because the HTML 4.0 category requires the HTML 3.2 category as its "foundation", and the HTML 3.2 category requires the HTML 2.0 category as its "foundation".

To validate for Microsoft Internet Explorer (Microsoft IE), the HTML 2.0, HTML 3.2, and (for Internet Explorer 4.0+ only) HTML 4.0 categories must be active as well as the categories for the Microsoft IE extensions that you wish to use. If you make the Microsoft IE 4.0 Extensions category active, then you must also make the Microsoft IE 3.0 Extensions category active.

A similar situation applies for Netscape extensions. You will have to select the Netscape extension categories that you wish to validate against, as well as the HTML 2.0, HTML 3.2, and other "foundation" categories that Netscape supports.

The WebTV category requires at least the HTML, Microsoft IE Extensions, Netscape Extensions, and Tables categories active for full support.

The SMIL category only requires the Element Identifiers category active if you will use the ID attribute. Other categories may be deactivated. The tag name program for the SMIL tag automatically disables most categories, so you don't have to disable any categories for SMIL syntax checking.

The default is for most categories to be active. If needed, categories that are not active may automatically be made active by a tag name program when a document is checked. Therefore, depending on how a specific category works, a non-active category may still allow syntax checking of that category even if it is inactive.

Category Notes

Lite Edition

CSE HTML Validator Lite does not support tag name programs, one of the most powerful features of the standard and professional editions. Because it does not support tag name programs, the following information about the validator flags does not apply to the lite edition. The lite edition will never generate any of the messages that you see below. If you are using the lite edition, consider upgrading to the standard or professional edition so that you can see many more messages and benefit from significantly improved syntax checking.

Notes