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Site-Checker-Documentation

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Site-Checker V1.01: Documentation

Call: java -jar sitechecker.jar [-nss] [-nocanci] [-tf modefile]
Under Window one uses best the contained batch file (Site-Checker.bat) to start the program. Last references are in the README.txt.
Programmed with: JDK1.5.0 update 2 (does not run on older versions)

Documentation
This documentation is divided into the following sections:
- Introduction
- Functionality
- Template-mode
- Starting-parameter
- Comments
- Support
- Versionhistory

Introduction
Automatic validating from HTML sides is very good for finding syntactic errors, like e.g. wrongly nested tags. The moreover one should be guaranteed by the W3C-conformity that the sides on all current browsers are correctly represented. By examining the presence of descriptions for pictures, pictures can be found better by Google-picturesearch (http://www.google.com/imghp). Who attaches thus importance to good and syntactically correct HTML sides, does not come around validating.
Since with the services in the net only validating from individual sides and/or validating on the part of those are already up-loaded is offered, and I after longer searches did not find a program, which can validate automated a complete local Internet presence, I decided to develope such a program.

Functionality
With this program one can automaitcally validate complete internet-presences that are exists of HTML files. Here the W3C Markup Validation Service (http://validator.w3.org/) is used. Thus one must be connected to the internet during the execution of the program, since the HTML files which can be validated are first up-loaded and the results are afterwards downloaded.
At the upper edge of the GUI (user surface) the local master directory of the Site can be entered or set comfortably by selection of files. Here one selects thus that directory, which contains the complete Site. In the remote field one can, for own orientation, note the associated Internet address.
The selected Site and their directory structure are visualized completely in a tree. Files, directories or complete subtrees can be selected. This selection state is visualized in the tree coloured and by text styles (normal, italic).
When validation started, all selected files, which, since the last storage of the validation results, have changed and as "not valid" or "unchecked" were classified, validated. With an incorrect HTML side the error description is indicated immediately and the error in the tree-like representation of the Site is marked. A red X means "not valid" and a green V "valid". Over a "Revalidate"-Button the file, after accomplished changes, can manually again be validated.
The Validation state of a Site can be over the "load"-Button loaded or over the "save"-Button stored. Here a file is provided named "validation state.bin" in the Site directory. The complete Site can be shifted on the hard disk at will, without losing the validating results. Naturally only if one shifts "validation-state.bin" with.
If one wants to set the complete direcotry tree to "unchecked" and put all validating information back, one can use the "Clear"-Button. To note it is here however that then all files must completely again be examined.
When pressing "Mark"-Button all files are selected, whose contents changed since the last storage of the validating results and/or not "valid". The files thereby first examined whether the modification date has changed. If this is the case on the basis of a MD5-Hashs examined whether contents changed. If both applies, the file is selected.
The "Refresh" - Button serves to load the directory tree again. This is necessary, if one creates at run-time of the program new HTML sides or directories, within the directory structure. Because the directory structure becomes completely scanned only at program start or when changing to another directory structure.
Over a context menu in the tree (right-click on a node) different options stand to the selection. Thus one can be able to indicate the validation result ("show result") and the HTML-page ("Show HTML"), exclude certain ranges from the "Mark"-function ("Exclude from Mark") and set the validation state manually ("Set to "xxx""). To consider is here that except "Show result" and "Show HTML" everything refers to the complete subtree. If one sets thus a file by means of "set to 'not valid'" to invalid, then all files and directories underneath this file are set to invalid. The "Exclude from Mark" has the purpose that one can exclude, e.g. on the homepage existing JavaDoc, which is usually not completely W3C-conformal, of the marking by means of "Mark"-Button. By "Show HTML" one can also examine whether the recognition of templates correctly functions, since only the recognized processible ranges becomes syntax-highlighted.

Template-mode
Momentarily the Site-Checker supports "Macromedia Dreamweaver MX 2004" (nested) templates. One activates this mode over the starting parameter " -tf DWMX2004" (DWMX2004-tags.txt loaded).
This mode means that during the change of a template not all sides, which are based on the template again must be examined. Thus e.g. by pressing the "Mark"-Button in this case only the template becomes marked.
This is obtained because the MD5-Hash is computed only over the processible ranges of the HTML side. Thus files, which are based on a template, become selected when pressing "Mark"-Button only if the processible ranges changed. Identical applies also to the current validation-state of the appropriate files, which means that these are not set from "valid" to "unchecked".
Around to validate the Dreamweaver Templates themselves a small cheat required during the transmission. Thus a template file with the name is e.g. "main.dwt" conveyed as file with the name "main.html" to the validator. If one would not make this, one becomes back as result from the validator "File format not supported. File cannot be validated.". Since the Dreamweaver templates in the reason are however normal HTML files and only are provided with Template comments, validating is actually no problem.
So that the template mode functions also with other programs than "Dreamweaver MX 2004", at least the principle of the marking of processible ranges must be alike in the HTML source text. Indeed by HTML comments.
Since I am not occupied in FrontPage, GoLive, etc., I can unfortunately offer no appropriate functionality for these programs. Who would like can convey a template file and a file which is based on it by email and I than will look at it.

Starting-parameter
Explanation to the parameters with the call of the program:

Parameter	Effect
-nss	Indicate no SplashScreen (information window) with the start of the program
-tf modefile	Activate template-mode. Here the file "modefile" is loaded, which contains the appropriate information for the recognition of processible ranges in templates. If one omits this parameter when starting, then the template-mode is deactivated. The following files stand momentarily to the selection. - "DWMX2004-tags.txt": Macromedia Dreamweaver MX 2004 - "DWolder-tags.txt": Macromedia Dreamweaver [MX] (older version) Who does not use Dreamweaver, can the mode nevertheless activate. Since the template-comments in the HTML files are then missing, the program regards the file as a file been based on no template. It becomes problematic then only if one builds HTML-comments (<!-- -->) in the Dreamweaver-template-style, which however is extremely improbable.

Comments
There I have not the possibility to affect the kind concerning responding services, can it be possible that the entire program does not function in the near future any longer, because changes of the offerer were accomplished. Around this to prevent I stored all data that have to do with the transmission in the files "transmit.txt" and "checker.properties" (with the first program start one produces). If the service should be changed, then theoretically only these 2 files would have to be updated. I will then make these files available for download as fast as possible on this homepage.
The representation from HTML sides (thus the validation results) in Java does not correspond accurately to the representation in a current browser, there is a problem when importing CSS files (e.g. base.css). Therefore I put down these in the directory "validator.w3.org" and merged these manually into the result pages.
Support In order to improve the quality of this program, I would be pleased about emails in those me errors communicated. However you should indicate to me in the email like one can reproduce the error, which is not to be explained always simply. Indicate "Site-Checker" at the best in the subject of the email.
Who has suggestions or improvement suggestions, this can likewise communicated to me.
All ingoing emails are read, and the appropriate errors repaired if necessary in future versions.
You find my email address on the Contact-side.

Versionhistory
V1.0: first published version

JSWins (JavaScript-Desktop-System)