Generated JavaScript Causes HTML Page to Contain Illegal HTML

• Key: VALIDATOR-210
• Type: Bug
• Status: Closed
• Resolution: Fixed
• Priority: Minor
• Assignee: Niall Pemberton
• Reporter: Neil Sherman
• Component/s: JavaScript
• Affects Version/s: 1.3.0 Release
• Fix Version/s: 1.3.1 Release

Description

Various JavaScript functions contain JavaDoc comments at the start such as:

/*$RCSfile: validateMaxLength.js,v $ $Rev: 376673 $ $Date: 2006-02-10 13:42:31 +0000 (Fri, 10 Feb 2006) $ */
/**

• A field is considered valid if less than the specified maximum.
• Fields are not checked if they are disabled.
• <p>
• <strong>Caution:</strong> Using <code>validateMaxLength</code> on a password field in a
• login page gives unnecessary information away to hackers. While it only slightly
• weakens security, we suggest using it only when modifying a password.</p>
• @param form The form validation is taking place on.
  */
  function validateMaxLength(form) {

This causes the W3C tidy application to report the following:

"<" + "/" + letter not allowed here
Cause:

The 2 characters "</" have been detected in a wrong place.
Solution:

In most case, this is due to wrong javascript:

BAD <document.write("</h1>");
GOOD <document.write("<\/h1>");

References:

W3C faq: http://validator.w3.org/docs/help.html#faq-javascript
HtmlHelp: http://www.htmlhelp.com/tools/validator/problems.html#script

And thus produces illegal HTML.

The proposed solution is to remove the offending tags.