I know there are extensions for Firefox to check CSS, HTML, etc., but is there a good, free program that will check code for missing opening/closing markers (</td>, </p>, etc.)? I would also like it to check in the code to see if there are size problems, i.e. a picture larger than the cell it's in, or a cell that's larger than the table it's in.
Most tools used for helping people write HTML will include this type of functionality - VWDE underlines HTML elements that have errors with a mouse over to say the error (missing close, capital letters, invalid attribute etc) and from memory DW does the same.
I am not familiar with softwares offering validation. I know that GoLive has an autocomplete function of some sort, for example you typed in <div> it will automatically typed in </div> so that you can go on working without having to forget to close the div. It also provides color codes for you to know if you did something or not. Other than that, no I don't know any software for that function. You can always drop by the validation website of w3c for that.
I use Opera for most of my 'utilities' because you can send to the online validation (even local files) via ctrl-alt-v... I also have custom buttons set up to launch the current page in standalone copies of IE 5.5, 6, 7, FF and Saffy... and a custom button to send the current page for CSS validation (though that last one only works with sites that are online) Opera's DOM Snapshot and Developer Consoles are also quite useful - it pretty much makes it so I don't even bother with using Firefox's plugins anymore. But then, that is kind of the point of Opera - Smaller, faster and most everything that's a plugin for FF already built in.
Yes, the Ctrl+Alt+V thing in Opera is easy. Especially when I haven't bothered to host a site. The best way to do it is via Opera or http://w3.org/validator BP
Use an editor were you got highlighted code, then you usually see immediatly if you're missing a closing tag etc But for validation, just visit http://w3.org/validator ..
The HTML Validator extension for Firefox has a "Clean up the Page" option in the bottom right pane when viewing the source of a page that can spot and fix your unclosed tags among other things wrong with the page. Firefox's Firebug extension has a layout tab on the right which, when combined with "Inspect" mode, you can hover over elements and see if they are an appropriate size.
If I was to write up something to do this, what should I use? You see, I work at a company that constantly reuses code with little or no maintenance. When going through pages manually, I normally find many, many errors. It's amazing how forgiving some web browsers (Interpig Exploder for one) are. While my boss only cares that the code displays properly in one browser (do I need to say its name again?), I can see the light at the end of the tunnel and surmise it's a train.
i haven't tried to use this program at all but i believe htmltidy is will go through your code and fix things like missing or mismatched tags.. i'm sure there are plenty of other options in it as well.. i'm sure one of them would be to use it in more of a validation mode, so instead of just fixing errors, it would find them and ask if they should be fixed.. it's probably worth a look, and if it's any good let me know
I've used the console version only, and it works great. It works so well, as a matter of fact, it fixed a problem a previous web designer deliberately introduced into the code. So, once I figure out how to filter that out, it's a keeper. Thanks.