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HTML Character Entities Problems For RSS Readers
t appears that HTML represent hypertext views of
entities can cause existing bodies of information.
RSS/syndication readers to
fail when trying to read The World Wide Web (WWW) has been
WordPress comment RSS feeds. using HTML since 1990, making it
Fortunately, a plugin has been one if the most widely used
written to resolve the issue. computer languages in the world.
Entity 2NCR has a confusing name, The WWW, in turn, is most
but has a purpose that is easy to commonly used for HTML whose
understand which is to convert popularity is due to the fact
various HTML Character Entities that it is the coding technology
to their numeric equivalents. used to publish content on the
Internet or the web. Programmers
HTML Explained were quick to recognize HTML’s
user friendliness due to the ease
The Hypertext Markup Language of learning it.
(HTML) is a simple markup
language used to create hypertext This ease of coding was
documents that are platform significantly contributory to the
independent. HTML documents are proliferation of web sites.
SGML documents with generic However, HTML is not a complete
semantics appropriate for programming language because it
representing information from a lacks conditional tests and flow
wide range of domains. It can control statements. There are
represent hypertext news, mail, implementations that may offer
documentation and hypermedia as extensions to the HTML language
well as menus of options, in order to accomplish these
database query results and simple functions but are not actually
structured documents with in-line part of the HTML standards. By
graphics. It can likewise embedding some suitable
programming language code inside download time. Symbolic
HTML, the power of real references are sometimes referred
programming language is realized. to as entity references while
numeric references are also
A character entity can be written called decimal references.
in two ways in HTML. One is
called the symbolic reference Most unusual characters can be
while the other is the numeric directly entered without any
reference. Symbolic references problem. However, HTML character
start with an ampersand and ends entities can be used in case one
with a semi colon. The does encounter a problem. Lines
description of the symbol which and paragraph are automatically
is generally a shortened version recognized. A couple of blank
of the full expression, can be lines are added when paragraphs
found between these two. The are not recognized.
letters in the middle are case
sensitive and are usually lower A character entity is a method
cased, though there are used to display special
exceptions. characters normally reserved for
use in HTML. For instance, the
Numeric references also start less than () are used as part of
with an ampersand and finish with the HTML tag structure, thus both
a semi colon, but between them is symbols are reserved for the use.
a number preceded by a hash. If there is a need to display
These are less memorable than these symbols on one’s site,
symbolic references but character entities can be used.
correspond only to just a single
byte of data. This can be very Problems
useful if one is trying to
optimize pages for minimum Many WordPress users are running
afoul of character entities
appearing in their comment RSS The Entity2NCR is installed by
feeds, which many RSS/syndication downloading the zip file,
readers fail on. The WordPress extracting Plugin – Entity 2NCR seeks to href="http://Entity2NCR.ph"
resolve this by converting title="http://Entity2NCR.ph"
various HTML character entities target="_blank">such as », &, © and so on to color="#001000"
their numeric equivalents. This size="-2">http://Entity2NCR.phplugin is for RSS output, but can ont>p from it and uploading
also be adapted to posts if the this to the
user so wishes. WP-content/plugins/directory and
activating the plugin in
Installation of the Entity2NCR is WordPress. Entity2NCR hits the
not needed if a user is running standard assortment of HTML
WordPress 1.5.1 and above. It character entities plus some of
will only result to problems due the more unusual and obscure ones
to the plugin’s function having as well. While this plugin
the same name in the WordPress primarily focuses on RSS output,
core. Upgrading to the most both from posts and comments, it
recent version is recommended can also convert character
since the plugin is already entities in the regular content
incorporated. The Entity2NCR on one’s blog as well. At the end
should first be deactivated from of the plugin for the add–filter
the Plugin Admin before the lines, the user is to remove the
installation of 1.5.1. The user comment for any WordPress
should likewise delete its file function he/she would want
from the WP–contents/plugins Entity2NCR to work on.
directory since it will just
unnecessarily take up space. The RSS 2.0 spec is too vague
although it can produce feeds delimited using either double
that are valid, accurate and quotation marks or single
useful. This means that the quotation marks. Single quote
contents of the feed should marks can be included within the
reflect the best possible attribute values when the value
representation of the article is delimited by double quote
content. The spec does not say marks and vice versa. Authors can
however, what to do if an article also use numeric character
title contains HTML code or references to represent double
entities. It also doesn’t say a quotes and single quotes or use
lot of other things. In fact, an the character entity reference "
entire industry has sprung around for double quotes. There are
the service of interpreting and cases that the values of an
fixing the various semantic attribute may be specified
differences between feeds. RSS without any quotation marks. The
application developers need to attribute value may contain
agree on some basic answers to letters, digits, hyphens and
fundamental questions instead of periods. It is highly recommended
making endless conflicting to use quotation marks even when
discussions that do not help in it is possible to eliminate them.
any way.
There are several reasons to
Attribute Values always use quotes around
attribute values. It is much
An HTML author should always put easier since there is no need to
attribute values into quotes in memorize and recall the rules for
HTML, although the formal rules allowable omission. Another thing
allow the omission of the quotes is that quotes are always
in some cases. SGML requires that required in XML. When one’s HTML
all attribute values are file is later edited, it may
easily be forgotten to add the storage and transmission time
quotes in attribute value that is required which are quite minor
edited in a manner which makes issues anyway. Quotes constitute
the quotes mandatory. One just a small fraction of an HTML
drawback of doing this is the file.
effort of typing and extra
About the Author:
http://www.theinternetone.net
Read more articles by: Danny Wirken
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