Validation Error:"The a element must not appear inside a elements"

[Lola25]

I received the following validation errors:

ERROR: e_7_book.epub/OEBPS/e_7_ch1-1.xhtml(16,846): report: The a element must not appear inside a elements.

ERROR: e_7_book.epub/OEBPS/e_7_ch3-2.xhtml(38,736): report: The a element must not appear inside a elements.

ERROR: e_7_book.epub/OEBPS/e_7_ch3-2.xhtml(46,338): report: The a element must not appear inside a elements.

ERROR: e_7_book.epub/OEBPS/e_7_ch3-2.xhtml(78,288): report: The a element must not appear inside a elements.

ERROR: e_7_book.epub/OEBPS/e_7_ch3-4.xhtml(16,964): report: The a element must not appear inside a elements.

1. How can I find which lines the errors occurred?
2. What does the error mean?

Thank you in advance

[DaleDe]

Can you open the individual files with a tool you are familiar with? Sigil or perhaps tweak_epub or even 7zip. Open a file by the name e_7_ch1-1.xhtml and search of <a and then look around. Is there a second <a before the closing </a>. If not search again. Find one that matches this description and then select the entire line and post it here. Someone will be able to tell you what is wrong. Once you fix the first one you should know how to fix all the others.

Dale

[Lola25]

Here is one of the lines containing the error:

<p class="mainParagraph"><a id="Anchor-19"></a>Each lunar month the moon undergoes a cycle. When it is full, <a id="idIndexMarker-952"></a><a id="idIndexMarker-946"></a>Yin is at its peak. During the New Moon, when it is barely visible if at all, <a id="idIndexMarker-953"></a><a id="idIndexMarker-947"></a>Yin is at its weakest. Like the moon, women’s hormones cycle each month. Adapting one’s lifestyle according to the <a id="idIndexMarker-671"></a>menstrual cycle is one of the most important measures a woman can take to stay young, normalize weight, and improve her health. (The menstrual cycle is covered in Chapter 2). Additionally, women should perform moon meditation to increase the <a id="idIndexMarker-955"></a><a id="idIndexMarker-954"></a>Yin in their bodies (see <a href="e_7_ch1-2.xhtml#Anchor-2">“<a id="idIndexMarker-616"></a>Exercise 1.13. Moon Meditation (Figure 1.5)”</a>). </p>

[theducks]

Originally Posted by Lola25

Here is one of the lines containing the error:

<p class="mainParagraph"><a id="Anchor-19"></a>Each lunar month the moon undergoes a cycle. When it is full, <a id="idIndexMarker-952"></a><a id="idIndexMarker-946"></a>Yin is at its peak. During the New Moon, when it is barely visible if at all, <a id="idIndexMarker-953"></a><a id="idIndexMarker-947"></a>Yin is at its weakest. Like the moon, women’s hormones cycle each month. Adapting one’s lifestyle according to the <a id="idIndexMarker-671"></a>menstrual cycle is one of the most important measures a woman can take to stay young, normalize weight, and improve her health. (The menstrual cycle is covered in Chapter 2). Additionally, women should perform moon meditation to increase the <a id="idIndexMarker-955"></a><a id="idIndexMarker-954"></a>Yin in their bodies (see <a href="e_7_ch1-2.xhtml#Anchor-2">“<a id="idIndexMarker-616"></a>Exercise 1.13. Moon Meditation (Figure 1.5)”</a>). </p>

You have nested a's

[PeterT]

Look at the end...

<a href="e_7_ch1-2.xhtml#Anchor-2">
“
<a id="idIndexMarker-616"></a>
Exercise 1.13. Moon Meditation (Figure 1.5)”
</a>

[Lola25]

Sorry for my ignorance, but how do I fix it while maintaining the link?

[Toxaris]

Although not exactly the same:

<a id="idIndexMarker-616"></a><a href="e_7_ch1-2.xhtml#Anchor-2">“Exercise 1.13. Moon Meditation (Figure 1.5)”</a>

It is an empty anchor anyway, so no harm in moving it a little.

[Jellby]

<a id="idIndexMarker-616"></a> is a dummy element, the "id" that works as anchor can be anywhere else. It is indeed more semantic to use it as an empty anchor point than using e.g. a <span>, but as you see, it's not always possible to use it.

I would write:

see “<a href="e_7_ch1-2.xhtml#Anchor-2"><span id="idIndexMarker-616">Exercise 1.13</span>. Moon Meditation (Figure 1.5)</a>”

(quotes outside the link, and index-span containing the indexed term, which is presumably "Exercise 1.13")

[mrmikel]

If this is not just a section out of paragraph with something omitted, why so many links into to one paragraph, including two in one sentence? It is not clear why you even need one anchor per sentence. It seems like an automated program indexed just about everything.

Sigil is useful for this because it shows a list of all the anchor points in reports. It would allow you to delete overlapping ones. In this case, the suggested changes move the return link (from what one assumes is some sort of footnote) to just before the jump link, rather than trying to wrap up the link that jumps to the footnote. As Toxaris said, it is not the same, but a real person should be just fine ending up just before it, especially since you can't wrap one up in the other anyway.

[Lola25]

Thank you, the fixes worked, however when I ran the epubcheck there were over 20 new errors. I am using windows and dreamweaver as my editor. I rename my epub to a zip, extract all, then open the files in dreamweaver. When I'm finished I use ePubPack to convert the zip back into an epub. The errors must have occurred during the reconversion process. Is there a better method?

[Lola25]

I used tweak epub (http://www.atlantiswordprocessor.com...tweak_epub.htm) to open my epub files in dreamweaver and it worked just fine. Thank you all so much!