Thank you for choosing the Joomla! module w3c Validator Module

This module is Open Source under the GNU/GPL license and is free for use without warranty.

This module is designed for Joomla! CMS version 1.5 Native and will not work with Joomla! 1.0.

This module displays the, "Valid XHTML and "Valid CSS" logo links in the position of your choosing as determined by your template xml and php files.

This module can either display text links, or blue or gold buttons based upon the parameter you set in the back-end (please review installation instructions below). It is recommended you fully test and validate your code prior to displaying this module. You must also agree to the logo usage guidelines as outlined by The World Wide Web Consortium. This module was not designed nor developed, nor endorsed by w3c.org. Please review the logo usage guidelines prior to use by Clicking Here>>. Florida Host Web, Inc is not affiliated to w3c.org, "w3c"® is a registered trademark of The World Wide Web Consortium.

Look at the bottom of this page (below the copyright) for a sample of what the module displays on the front end.

You will notice we chose "gold" for our buttons, however we can easily choose, "Blue" in with the module parameters. You may also select from several different versions including CSS level 3!.

INSTALLATION INSTRUCTIONS:

Notice: This module is native to Joomla! 1.5 and will not work with Joomla! 1.0

Installation is pretty straight forward using the core Joomla! installation process. Simply download, install and publish in the position of your choosing. Then select either "Yellow" or "Blue" for your button color choice and save.

Step 1

Download the file from the "Downloads" section of this site.

Step 2

Log in to your Joomla! Administrator Panel.

Step 3

Click on the menu, "Extensions". Select the option, "Install/Uninstall".

Step 4

Under the first tab, "Install" (this should be automatically selected by default), the first box says, "Upload Package File". Upload the file, "mod_fhw-w3c-validator.zip". The installer will tell you that it was a successful installation.

Step 5

Click on the top navigation menu, "Extensions" again. Select the option, "Module Manager".

Find the w3c Validator Module in your Module Manager (under the "type" column the file name is, "mod_fhw-w3c-validator"

Step 5

Enable the module by clicking on it and selecting, "Yes" next to enabled. Select, "No" next to, "Show Title". Select your position where you want to display your new module. The positions are controlled by your template PHP and XML files. It is recommended that you display this somewhere at the bottom of your site.

IMPORTANT! Click on "Apply" to make all the params visible. There is a bug in Joomla preventing this on the initial install.

Step 6

By default, the module will automatically insert your domain name in the buttons, however you may manually input your domain name in the param. If you don't enter the full path to your Web site, this module does not work (ie: www.mydomain.com). Select the color and style of your validator buttons or select the text option, with the drop-box under the "parameters" section on the right side.

The new window is written in JavaScript so it will work with both strict and transitional, however if folks have JavaScript turned off, the validation will open in the same window.

Special thanks to, Christer Toivonen for updating v1.0 to v2.0.1 adding the target attributes!(Note: we have since removed this feature since target attributes do not validate strict and replaced the target with onclick.

Click on "Save" on the top right of your screen and you're done with installation!

Testing your validated code

It is recommended that you test your code for validity on a test site prior to making these buttons live on your live site. It is also recommended you publish this module on one page at-time starting with the "Home Page". Test each page by clicking on this modules displayed logos. w3c.org will let you know if you need to fix some validation issues and give you tips on how to fix them. Furthermore, if you have several 3rd Party components and modules installed on your site, it is recommended you limit displaying your module to the Home Page as these 3rd Party extensions may not validate at no fault of your own.

Common coding errors to look out for before you validate:

AMPERSANDS Joomla links typically have a & symbol embedded in the link. Unfortunately to properly validate to w3c standards all ampersands, including the ones inside your links must be written as & and not &. For example, if your link is http://www.yoursite.com/index.php?option=com_content&sectionid=3&task=edit&cid[]=12, you must convert all three ampersands from & to & creating the following result: http://www.yoursite.com/index.php?option=com_content&sectionid=3&task=edit&cid[]=12. Fortunately, any links generated automatically by Joomla! via menus or components already convert ampersands from & to &. The only time this will really be an issue is when you embed an ampersand into an article.

VALIGN Rather than using the "valign="top" substitute this instruction with CSS. ie: style="vertical-align: top;". The same goes for most other attributes. Using CSS wherever possible will ensure a validated page.

Please visit our Forum by clicking here for general discussion of validation tips or visit, www.w3c.org for more validation tips.