Validator not working in CS5

[hmhamed]

Hi everyone,

I just installed CS5 (was previously using CS4) and I'm having trouble getting the Validator (in the results tools) to allow me to scan a html page for code errors.  Is there something I need to turn on or change to make it work?  The "validate current document" option is greyed out and I love using that tool.  Someone please help!!!  Thanks

[timarian]

Have done that already Beth. Here's hoping that Adobe listens. Everyone that feels the same way - please submit the request.

Also, even though this is Adobe's community forums, they're hosted here so that Adobe can monitor what everyone is saying. I'm not sure how you would know that Adobe doesn't watch these forums closely (though they may not post much). For their own sake, I hope they do.

[hmhamed]

Hi Beth,

I already put a request in as well...thanks for giving the link though - hopefully others will use it to let Adobe know how they feel.

[The_Real_Thorzdad]

I can't believe no one at Adobe sees the lack of an html  validation tool in a web development app as anything other than a  failure to deliver simple, basic fuctionality. Their response to this lack of  what should be seen as basic functionality (use someone else's  validation tool, i.e. W3C) is also unbelievable. It's as if the Photoshop team left out the jpeg encoding function and required you to go to a website in order to save your images as jpegs. Basic functionality.

I've read that the reason they decided not to  include html validation is that the existing tool was buggy and  inaccurate. So, fixing it was never an option? Heck, Adobe could have  lifted the validation tool from GoLive CS1, for pete's  sake, and had a good, easy-to-use, and accurate html validator. Instead,  we have this crippled product and an inconvenient, kludgy workaround. Very disappointing.

[Guest]

I'm having the same probelm.  It looks like it is deprecated.  Why  would a major HTML editor not have an HTML validator in it?  This is the last time we will be buying DreamWeaver unless we get ithe validator back in a patch.  We work behind a firewall.  There's no way we can send our HTML to an outside URL and get a response.  Now what?  $400 for nothing.

[Randy Edmunds · Accepted solution]

I just installed CS5 (was previously using CS4) and I'm having trouble getting the Validator (in the results tools) to allow me to scan a html page for code errors.  Is there something I need to turn on or change to make it work?  The "validate current document" option is greyed out and I love using that tool.  Someone please help!!!  Thanks

The Validator will no longer be developed, but the CS4 functionality can be installed as an extension. Until this extension get uploaded to the Exchange, you can download it from here:

http://redmunds.host.adobe.com/extensions/dw/validatorDWCS5.zxp

Note that all of the data used by the Validator is stored in .vtv files (XML format) in the Configuration/TagLibraries/Validator folder, so you are free to update this data as necessary.

Regards,

Randy Edmunds

Dreamweaver Development

Adobe Systems, Inc.

[The_Real_Thorzdad]

Thanks for the update and link, Randy.

Might you be able to explain the thinking that went into Adobe removing and halting development of the validator in DW?

[Randy Edmunds]

Might you be able to explain the thinking that went into Adobe removing and halting development of the validator in DW?

The overwhelming majority of users that we have talked to prefer and use the W3C Validator.

Randy

[timarian]

Thanks Randy for the validator extension... that's a life saver. Within just the last few days alone, I can't tell you how much time I've wasted soley because the validator desn't work. I had to use W3 in the interm, but the development process is ridiculously slow and the site does an abosolutely TERRIBLE job explaining locations of errors. With DW, this is not a problem.

As an extremely-long time user of DW (since way back in the Macromedia days) have to say that I wish I was one of those developers that you talked to. To me it seems like such a tiny bit of work keeping an invaluable time-saver integrated within DW working. I am grateful that I can at least use the extension, but seriously, would it kill you guys to keep the validator tool supported? I think not. Extension aside, to pay $800-1300 for software that doesn't even have this basic functionality is disappointing.

[Guest]

Thank you very much for providing the extension.

Like all the developers I know, I find the Dreamweaver validator very efficient to use often during development and then validate using W3C before final launch.

I suggest Adobe consider changing their methodology for selecting their focus groups to insure they represent a better cross-section of their user base.

Thanks again!

[MurraySummers]

I suggest Adobe consider changing their methodology for selecting their focus groups to insure they represent a better cross-section of their user base.

You're welcome to make this suggestion to Adobe here - http://www.adobe.com/cfusion/mmform/index.cfm?name=wishform

I have to say, though, that it was us who pushed Adobe to remove this because the DW validator was never as comprehensive or reliable as the W3 one.  The decision was to spend resources on extending/enhancing/correcting that built-in validator, or to spend them on other more important features (as it is always).  We pushed them to choose the former.  I would still do so.

[Codefinger]

Understandable point of view Murray, and good on you and others for pushing rich feature development, though I will say that most people I know, or have read comments/posts/emails from wrt the DW validation tool are all of a similar mind; "It's a fantastic, convenient first step toward validation".

We know it isn't comprehensive, we know it isn't 100% accurate, but it is useful, within the IDE, and picks up basic errors *while you're working on files*.

Let's compare this "convenience feature" to something like Templates - I use them sometimes (when a website is manageable in size) because I can easily go through pages and re-apply them to a Template because, let's face it, Template updates don't always work. I can understand the trade-off between devoting time to improving the DW validation tool and fixing Template bugs. I can't understand the trade-off if it is forwards porting the DW validation tool to a new version of DW, but *not improving it*.

Time vs Money vs Features.

I wish it weren't an issue!

[Guest]

Randy Edmunds

Note that all of the data used by the Validator is stored in .vtv files (XML format) in the Configuration/TagLibraries/Validator folder, so you are free to update this data as necessary.

Thank you very much for the link and information -- I was delighted to be able to get my DW-CS5 Validator working. BTW, I and many like me like to validate locally regardless of the type of site being worked on [static/dynamic].

[hmhamed]

Hi Randy,

Thanks very much for supplying us with this information and extension!  I find having the validator within the program it very convenient.

[foojitsu]

hmhamed wrote:

Hi Randy,

Thanks very much for supplying us with this information and extension!  I find having the validator within the program it very convenient.

Agreed 100%!

And why is the Validator button there if that feature has been taken out?

[HTMLValidator.com]

Hello,

I'm the developer of CSE HTML Validator. There is actually a BETA version that can be used for free until August 1, 2010, so this is great for anyone who wants to try it out. You can download it here:

http://www.htmlvalidator.com/beta

I'd also be happy to work with anyone on a Dreamweaver extension to better support CSE HTML Validator. Please contact me if you are interested in working on this and have experience with Dreamweaver extensions. I do not have or use Dreamweaver but would eventually like to have an extension that makes it easy to use CSE HTML Validator from within Dreamweaver.

[-_Simon_-]

Hi,

I guess you know already, but Tomohiro Ueki  developed an Extension which allows files to be passed to CSE HTML Validator Pro via the Sites|Reports menu in Dreamweaver - this would cut out a few steps, allows multiple files to be checked in a single operation, but I haven't managed to get it working with the beta version you mention.

Details on the extension here:

http://www.adobe.com/cfusion/exchange/index.cfm?event=extensionDetail&extid=328922

It would be great to see the CSE Validator integrated into the workflow as has been achieved in PhpEd, even greater if Adobe pick up the tab for this as NuSphere do.....

Simon

[lkupersmith]

That's the extension I referred to in an earlier post in this thread. I didn't bother naming or linking to it since it's obsolete. It has not been compatible with Dreamweaver since version 4. That was back in 2001.

[HTMLValidator.com]

It would be great to have an updated CSE HTML Validator extension that works with CS4 and CS5. I would be happy to assist development on the CSE HTML Validator side, but I would need to work with someone who knows Dreamweaver extensions for the Dreamweaver side. If anyone is interested in this or knows someone who might be, then please let me know and I will get in touch with them! Hopefully something simple but effective would be easy to do.

[-_Simon_-]

It installs fine on CS5 and finds the various paths, imports profiles etc correctly, I think its just that it was written for a much earlier version of CSE.

[lkupersmith]

Doesn't work for me. Installs, but upon running the report I get the following error and it freezes Dreamweaver:

---------

"A validator DLL error occurred.

CSE HTML Validator Professional DLL error in function

or function call for CSEGetInterger():

bad handle."

---------

From what I remember, this is the same error that started appearing as far back as Dreamweaver MX.

What version of CSE HTML Validator are you using? I currently run v9.03.

[Guest]

We are using 9.03 at work on XP and VISTA machines. I'm using the

beta version at home on a Windows 7 machine. They are all running OK.

Quoting lkupersmith <forums@adobe.com>:

Doesn't work for me. Installs, but upon running the report I get the

following error and it freezes Dreamweaver:

Š

[Codefinger]

@dreptile: Agreed. The DW validator was a great first step.

The number of times I've found validation errors using validator.w3.org, after using DW first, still probably numbers in the 10's - and I've been re-developing HTML for far too long.

@Everyone: If it's gone, and there's no solution on the horizon, I realise I can go straight to the w3 for validation... but how about 'Validate selected files' and 'Validate entire local site'...? Does the w3 validator have anything like this? What am I missing? If not, then this is just plain cruel. This, coupled with Google Chrome's security feature which (at the minute) denies the Web Developer ext. the ability to validate local files... I'm nearly crying here.

@Beth: Many thanks for that bug submission link - I shall fill it out appropriately.

@Randy: Thanks also for that extension... have installed it on XPSP3, CS5 (obviously) and I can confirm that it brings back what I enjoy.

@Adobe: You let me down in some bad ways, but you always make up for it. It's just that my poor fingers are getting older, and my boss tells me that inefficiency is not acceptable.

[Guest]

Adobe have released the Validator as an extension for Dreamweaver CS5 --- just as Randy had stated.

[Validator extension for CS5 now available@http://forums.adobe.com/thread/661022?tstart=0]

{message:id=661022}

Message was edited by: DavidMozer

[fireshop]

I found this annyoing as well. It might not be the best validator out there but it's convenient in the early stages of coding where you can spot those extra div's, tr's and typos. If this was abandoned because people prefere W3C validator, why not just incorporate this into DW? Going to seperate program/web page just to validate defeats the purpose of using Dreamweaver as a developer tool!

[Guest]

Who wants W3C Validator? Yuk! We want the old validator back. So far the

best way around it is to stay with cs4. That's what my office is planning

to do.