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Validating Links, Incorrect Case error seems false

Posted: Sat Jun 18, 2005 11:57 pm
by c24m48
I've only just begun playing with the Validate Links feature -- very neat. However, I have a problem.

Within my own Web site, all links are relative. I develop on my C: drive (with numerous backup copies of the data on my C: drive), and FTP up to my ISP. Because all the links within my own Web site are relative, no adjustment whatsoever is needed when they are FTP'd to my ISP. Similarly, I do not use <base href= .... because it seems unnecessary, and because it seems that if I used it then I would have to adjust it before FTP'ing up to my ISP.

My Web site on my C: drive is stored in a directory (and numerous subdirectories) under My Documents under my userid (this is Win/XP). All my directory names for my Web site and all my html file names for my Web site are lower case. Or at least they look lower case in Windows Explorer. I'm never quite sure what Windows does with the names when it hacks them into 8.3 format behind the scenes. All my href links are lower case. However, CSE HTML Validator declares what appears to be 100% of my internal links to be Incorrect Case errors. All external links seem to validate just fine.

It only takes two files to illustrate the error, say a main page called index.html and a second file called xyz.html, with a link from index.html to xyz.html. <a href="xyz.html">Click here for xyz</a> will produce the error message, which I believe to be false.

Are there any suggestions as to what I am doing wrong to get these Incorrect Case error messages?

Re: Validating Links, Incorrect Case error seems false

Posted: Tue Jun 21, 2005 6:25 am
by Albert Wiersch
c24m48 wrote:Are there any suggestions as to what I am doing wrong to get these Incorrect Case error messages?
Hello,

Sometimes it is tricky to check this since Windows is not case sensitive. Make sure you are opening the document using the correct case - even though Windows is case insensitive. If it is using the 8.3 format, then that may be the problem. Try opening the document a different way so that the 8.3 format filename is not used. Does the full path and filename that CSE displays for the document appear correctly (regarding case) in CSE's title bar?

Also, you can turn this feature off if you are having too much trouble with it. The option is in Options->Validator Engine Options, Network Tab.

Posted: Tue Jun 21, 2005 11:52 pm
by c24m48
You advice was very insightful.

First of all, when the links validate correctly, it is the case that the file name displays correctly in CSE's title bar. When the links validate with a false "incorrect case" error message, it is the case that the file name displays in CSE's title bar as a wierd, hacked up 8.3 name. So I can tell ahead of time whether the validation of the links is going to work correctly or not simply by looking at the title bar.

Second of all, I can control whether I am going to encounter the problem by the way in which I invoke CSE. If I simply start CSE and do a File -> Open, then all is well. The title bar is correct, and links are validated correctly. However, if I first start IE, and then within IE do a File -> Edit with CSE HTML Validator, the the title bar is the wierd, hacked up 8.3 name and the validation of the links gives the false "incorrect case" error message.

This sounds to me like a strange Microsoft-ism. I have no idea if there is anything I can do to get around the problem, nor do I know if there is anything that could be done within the programming of CSE to get around the problem.

Trouble is, I much prefer to start IE first and to invoke CSE from there. That way, the only thing that I have to do to see if my changes to my HTML file are correct is to CTL-S in CSE and then click Reload in IE. I keep both windows open and switch back and forth. It's a very nice way to work. Unless there is a fix or bypass, I guess I'll just have to work the other way whenever I want to check my links.

Re: Validating Links, Incorrect Case error seems false

Posted: Sun Mar 05, 2006 12:49 pm
by paulp575
c24m48 wrote:I've only just begun playing with the Validate Links feature -- very neat. However, I have a problem.

Are there any suggestions as to what I am doing wrong to get these Incorrect Case error messages?
You're not doing anything wrong!

Beware though, that some web servers use operating systems other than Windows, and as such, case does make a difference! I found out this the hard way when I first started doing web pages.

I have established a standard to ensure I do not run into problems! You may want to do the same to ensure you do not have these type of errors. Occassionally I get one - it's confusing as I think the error is a missing link, but further checking reveals it's an incorrect case problem!