CSS Validation

[ChrisI]

When an epub has multiple style sheets and I run CSS Validation, the number of open tabs matches the number of style sheets, but the first tab is blank.

However, if the browser is open before I run the validation, all the style sheets are validated.

Not a big deal, as most books only have one style sheet, and it is easy enough to leave the browser open and hit the button again.

I am running on Windows 11 with Firefox, if it matters.

[Turtle91]

Have you tried the CSS Validator plugin? It is much faster and doesn’t require internet access/browser to work.

[KevinH]

I can not recreate this on MacOS with the Safari browser. Have you tried to recreate your issue with Edge or Chromium browsers. All Sigil is doing with these cases is submiting code to a web server through your system browser windows, not Sigil windows.

[DiapDealer]

A quick test on Windows 11 seems to confirm the OP's issue/behavior. It opens Edge even though Firefox is configured as the default browser. But Qt's Desktop Services have never been very precise about opening the default browser on Windows.

[KevinH]

I will try to recreate it on Linux.

[KevinH]

I can not recreate this on Linux either.

Here is exactly what I am trying:

1. Make sure my default browser is not open or running.

2. open our latest Sigil User Guide in Sigil (which has 2 stylesheets)

3. in BookBrowser I highlight both css files and then right click and select "Validate with W3C"

4. I wait and a browser window with two tabs open and both say pass.

This works on Manjaro Linux with FireFox or Chrome as the default browser, and it works on MacOS with Safari as the default browser.

So whatever is going on must be Windows specific and interfering with both stylesheets being validated.

[DiapDealer]

I'm using Tools->Validate rather than using the Validate from the context menu in Book Browser. It seems to work as for me as well when doing it that way, too. It's only attempting to validate the highlighted files that way. But when doing it from the Tools menu (which attempts to validate all .css files in the epub), it's hit or miss with me. Sometimes the first tab is empty, sometimes not. I'm always starting with my browser completely closed.

[KevinH]

I will try that approach.

But the code that does each are almost identical:

From BookBrowser:

void BookBrowser::ValidateStylesheetWithW3C()
{
    QList <Resource *> resources = ValidSelectedResources(Resource::CSSResourceType);
    foreach(Resource * resource, resources) {
        CSSResource *css_resource = qobject_cast<CSSResource *>(resource);
        Q_ASSERT(css_resource);
        css_resource->ValidateStylesheetWithW3C();
    }
}

And from MainWindow

bool MainWindow::ValidateStylesheetsWithW3C()
{
    SaveTabData();
    QList<Resource *> css_resources = m_BookBrowser->AllCSSResources();

    if (css_resources.isEmpty()) {
        ShowMessageOnStatusBar(tr("This EPUB does not contain any CSS stylesheets to validate."));
        return true;
    }

    foreach(Resource * resource, css_resources) {
        CSSResource *css_resource = qobject_cast<CSSResource *>(resource);
        css_resource->ValidateStylesheetWithW3C();
    }
    return true;
}

So I realy can not see why one would work and the other one not.

I tried this on MacOS and it worked properly all the time, both ways.

When I get a chance I will try it on Linux and report back.

[DiapDealer]

I am using Firefox on that Windows machine I tested on, so that could be the connection. I'm not used to the latest look of Firefox on Windows and mistook it for Edge. I wasn't seeing the Firefox logo anywhere.

[philja]

I've made several tries on my W11 box with Firefox (default) closed. Each time, using either method, Windows opened Firefox with two tabs confirming no problems found.

Curiously, there was no way to tell which tab referred to which CSS Styles sheet. But as they were both NFF, it didn't matter.

When I tried using the latest version I have of the Sigil User Guide 2.3.0+, Windows correctly opened two tabs in Firefox. W3C reported NFF in one tab and 1 fault in the other tab. The W3C tabs didn't have any filename attached to their reports but the fault was listed as on URI 8 and detailed so I could locate it by inspection.

Shame they don't report the CSS style sheet filename.

[KevinH]

If you want more info please use the CSSValidator plugin. It will fill all the information into the validator window. I actually never use the W3C validator any more since the CSSValidator plugin became available but it still exists as it was the only css validator for years.

[philja]

Originally Posted by DiapDealer

I am using Firefox on that Windows machine I tested on, so that could be the connection. I'm not used to the latest look of Firefox on Windows and mistook it for Edge. I wasn't seeing the Firefox logo anywhere.

I just upgraded my W10 to W11 a couple of weeks or so ago, and I hadn't noticed that the Firefox logo is missing now. But you're quite right.

[DNSB]

For what it may be worth, I tried to use the Tools => Validate stylesheets with W3C under Windows 11 using Firefox as the default browser.

What I get is the opening W3C page showing the no Javascript check button and then a I/O error message page.

This also happens with Microsoft Edge but Google Chrome does work.

Since I use the CSSValidator plugin, I can't say how long this behaviour has been going on.

[DiapDealer]

Originally Posted by DNSB

What I get is the opening W3C page showing the no Javascript check button and then a I/O error message page.

Actually that's what I'm getting too. The only epub I had access to on that machine had some tricky imports going on in the main css files, so I chalked it up to something going on there. But now...

I never use this feature either, so no idea when it broke (or what broke)

[DNSB]

Originally Posted by DiapDealer

Actually that's what I'm getting too. The only epub I had access to on that machine had some tricky imports going on in the main css files, so I chalked it up to something going on there. But now...

I never use this feature either, so no idea when it broke (or what broke)

I tend to the belief that it is not an issue changes in Sigil's code but rather with changes in browser security since it still works on Chrome.

For a quick test, I generated an ePub with 3 stylesheets with 2 entries in each. Got 3 tabs in Firefox and Edge with I/O errors while Chrome was still a happy camper.