HTML troubleshooting tips

When I troubleshoot, I start with the area that I think the problem is in and
then work my way out of it in a spiral or concentric circles. I also tell myself
gitfs something simple,h which helps me relax and find problems more easily.
Here are my guidelines for troubleshooting HTML code.
1. Check the <tag> name.is it spelled correctly? Youfll know it isnft if you
have one or both of these problems:
Tag contents (ie, the tagname itself) show up as text.
Th e text or section of the document is not aff ected by the tag the way
you intended.


2. Check that the tag has its ending bracket (>). Youfll know itfs missing if:
Th e tag name shows up as text with a < in front of it.
3. Make sure the start tag has a closing tag.for example, <tag>word</tag>.
Youfll know this is the problem if:
 text.text from the start tag on has that formatting.
lists.any new lists indent after the initial one.
tables.the new table is nested within the fi rst table.
4. Check the <tag attribute="value"> syntax. Check the spelling of the
tag name, attributes, and values, and make sure the attribute value has
an ending quotation mark. Youfll know this is the problem if:
Contents of the tag donft show up at all.
Contents of the tag donft have any of the formatting.
Contents of the tag have some of the formatting, but not all of it.
5. Check that you have placed the attribute you want in the proper tag. Youfll
know this is the problem if:
 Contents of the tag donft have any of the formatting you wanted.
Contents of the tag have some of the formatting, but not all of it.
Th i s may not show up as a probl em.t he browser may render it anyway.
6. Check the order of nested tags. Make sure that tags are
nested properly, like parentheses: ( [{ word }] ). For example,
<a href=http://www.something.com><em>this is a link</em></a>. Youfll
know this is the problem if:

Th e text may not show up.
7. Check that you have placed the tags in the proper place. Youfll know this is
the problem if:
¡ Content is aff ected in a diff erent area than you intended.
If you are really stumped and canft fi nd the errors in your markup, then
validate your page using an HTML validator (see the Resources section for
a complete list).