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I'm trying to see if there is a tool out there that will automatically
create valid XHTML. At the company where I am curretnly contracting, the
Help system (for a web application) is XML driven, with the content in valid
XHTML. The twist is that we actually create all the content after the
starting <body> tag and before the ending </body> tag. (In other words, if
we create HTML files in "standard" tools, we comment out the starting HTML
and head content and the end </body> and </html> tags.)
I've been searching for WYSIWYG tools that create valid XHTML without much
success. Even Dreamweaver 4, which I live for most web work, won't do XHTML.
We end up doing most of our work in HomeSite.
I've been looking at a couple of tools, Hypertext Builder X and XMetaL 2,
but both seem to be very difficult to use and understand. And I'm a pretty
techie person.
Some of the characteristics that must be part of the resulting files are:
- All enclosing tags must have an end tag (including <p> and <li>)
- Attributes must be in double quotes
- Single tags must be formatted correctly (such as <br /> and <hr />)
- The XHTML must be "clean," that is, no extraneous, authoring-too-specific
tagging (like you get from Word's or RoboHTML's output)
Our links are also JavaScript functions, so a tool that would make inserting
customized JavaScript would be a huge bonus. (Currently, I just have a cutom
button in HomeSite to insert the proper JavaScript.)
Any pointers to potentially useful tools would be appreciated.
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--
"I don't entirely understand it but it is true: Highly skilled
carpenters don't get insulted when told they are not architects,
but highly skilled programmers do get insulted when told
they are not UI designers."
- anonymous programmer quoted in "GUI Bloopers"
Chuck Martin
User Assistance & Experience Engineer
twriter "at" sonic "dot" net www.writeforyou.com
*** Deva(tm) Tools for Dreamweaver and Deva(tm) Search ***
Build Contents, Indexes, and Search for Web Sites and Help Systems
Available 4/30/01 at http://www.devahelp.com or info -at- devahelp -dot- com
A landmark hotel, one of America's most beautiful cities, and
three and a half days of immersion in the state of the art:
IPCC 01, Oct. 24-27 in Santa Fe. http://ieeepcs.org/2001/
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