Getting Started

Most of CSE HTML Validator is self explanatory and conforms to standard Windows GUI operation so that it is not difficult to "jump in" and begin using HTML Validator to check your HTML documents. But first, you may want to learn about the features of HTML Validator's integrated editor, which you'll probably be using to edit and correct the problems that HTML Validator finds in your documents. If you are using the professional version, then you don't have to use the integrated editor. You may instead choose to use an editor or application that integrates with CSE HTML Validator Professional.

Validating Your Documents

To validate a document on your hard drive or on a network drive, first open the document in HTML Validator's integrated editor by choosing File | Open or clicking on the Open toolbar button on the main toolbar. If you are using the professional version, you can also double click on the file that you want to open using the Shell tab in the resource window. When the document is loaded into HTML Validator's editor, you can then validate the document by doing one of the following: 1) selecting Tools | Validate from the main menu, 2) pressing F6, 3) bringing up the editor window's or Results Window's context menu and choosing Validate, 4) pressing the Validate Document toolbar button on the main or small toolbar (the small toolbar is only available in the professional version), or by 5) pressing Alt+Up or Alt+Down if the document hasn't been validated yet (new to Pro v4.05 and Lite v2.01).

The results of the validation will appear in the Results Window. If you are using the professional version, select the Messages tab in the Results Window to see the validation messages. If you are using the lite version, there are no tabs that you can click on in the Results Window. Click on a message in the Results Window to view the complete message in the text box and to make HTML Validator position the cursor at the character and line position of the document that caused the message to be generated. Note that not all messages when clicked will cause the cursor to be placed in your document because not all messages have an associated character and line number. Some messages, such as comments, do not have an associated line number. In CSE Pro v4.05 and CSE Lite v2.01 and later, you can quickly navigate through the messages using Alt+Up and Alt+Down (Up and Down refer to the cursor keys).

CSE HTML Validator Professional v4.50 (and above) adds a Grouped Messages tab in addition to the Messages tab. This helps to separate more important messages, such as errors and warnings, from the less important messages. Error and warning messages will normally be concentrated in the Messages tab while less important messages are normally concentrated in the Grouped Messages tab. The Grouped Messages tab also groups messages by category for easier viewing. If you would like the messages that appear in the Grouped Messages tab to also appear in the Messages tab, you can check the option to do so in the Editor Options.

CSE HTML Validator Professional v5.00 (and above) adds a Styles tab that shows messages generated by the new CSS style checker. The style checker may be disabled in the Validator Engine Options. If it is disabled then no messages will appear under this tab.

After you look at all the messages and edit the HTML document to correct any problems that are found, you can revalidate the document to update the validator messages and see if the changes that you made changed the validator messages and/or fixed any errors or warnings that you may have had.

The numbers in brackets that you see in front of some of the validator messages (like "[10]") refer to flags that you can turn off (disable) or turn on (enable). By default, all flags are enabled. If you see a message that you do not want to see anymore on all future validations, then you can bring up the pop-up menu on that message and disable the flag (the pop-up menu is usually shown by right-clicking the mouse on the validator message). Disabling a flag will normally cause the message not to appear again. You can always enable any flags that you disable by going to the Validator Engine Options. This capability is a powerful customization feature of CSE HTML Validator Professional and is not included in the lite version. Learn more about this capability and what the flags do.

You cannot print a validation report from HTML Validator unless you use the Batch Wizard (see below). However, you can copy the messages to the clipboard by selecting that option to do so in the pop-up menu of the Results Window and you can print the source document using File | Print.

To view and/or check the links (professional version only), select the Links tab in the Results Window. Note that the links only appear after validating a document. Press the Check Links button to check the links (this button looks like a normal triangular "play" button). When the check is finished, HTML Validator will place a red square in front of all the links that HTML Validator believes to be bad. A yellow square will be placed in front of redirected links. If HTML Validator does not know how to check a link then HTML Validator will place a blue square in front of the link. Note that HTML Validator will only check local file or HTTP links and will do a syntax check on email addresses (email address syntax checking can be disabled). CSE Pro v4.50 and above can automatically press the Check Links button for you to check links in the background while you work, if the option to do so is enabled in the Editor Options.

CSE HTML Validator Professional v4.50 and above adds colored squares to the tab names in the Results Window to help you determine the severity of the content of the tab. For example, a red square in front of the tab name indicates error messages or bad links, a yellow square indicates warning messages or redirected links, and a blue or green square indicates no errors, warnings, or bad links were found. You should view the contents of any tab with a red or yellow square in front of it.

Validating a URL (Pro, Std, Lite)

If you would like to check a URL and you are using the professional or standard edition, then you must first load the document into the editor. You can do this by choosing File | Open from the Web. You will need a network connection when opening documents from other computers. Once the document has been loaded into the editor, you simply validate it as if it were a document that you opened from a local disk. However, editing and saving the document will not change the document that was sent from the server. You will have to change the original document that is normally located on the HTTP server. Often times this is done by uploading the file to the web server by using an FTP program.

Notes

You can easily "reload" the document from the web by choosing Reload from the context menu or from File | Reload.
Currently Open from the Web only supports HTTP requests. HTML Validator does not support HTTPS requests using Open from the Web.

Using the Batch Wizard (Pro, Std, Lite)

You can use the Batch Wizard (accessible from Tools | Batch Wizard or by pressing F2) to generate a validation report in HTML format. The Batch Wizard can generate single or multiple page reports for one or more documents. If you wish, you can then print out the validation report using a web browser.

CSE HTML Validator Professional v4.05 adds additional menu options that allow you to quickly validate documents that are open in the editor with the Batch Wizard. For example, choosing Tools | Validate with Batch Wizard or pressing Shift+F6 will quickly validate the current editor document with the Batch Wizard and allow you to see and print the HTML report generated by the Batch Wizard. This is simply another way to see the results of a validation. To validate all open editor documents, choose Tools | Validate All with Batch Wizard.

CSE HTML Validator Professional v4.50 and above adds the ability to follow links when using the Batch Wizard. This lets you use the Batch Wizard to easily check an entire site or part of a site by only adding one target and then following the links in that target. Another new feature is the Link Check tool that functions only as a link checker and not a validator. This lets you check the links of a site without having to validate the pages and generate validation reports. Note that the Batch Wizard is designed to check only small to medium-sized web sites. If you have a large site, you should check it in parts.

FAQ

If you have a question using CSE HTML Validator, then you may want to visit the Support Page or the Frequently Asked Questions Page on CSE HTML Validator's web site.

[ Contents ]