Proposed doctype handling

This document contains suggestions of how to use the DOCTYPE declaration to determine strict mode vs. quirks mode. See bug 1312 and DetermineParseMode() in nsParser.cpp.

Strict Mode

The following should trigger strict mode:

An XML declaration (pseudo-PI)
Any "DOCTYPE HTML SYSTEM" as opposed to "DOCTYPE HTML PUBLIC"
A DOCTYPE declaration without a DTD, i.e., <!DOCTYPE HTML>.
A DOCTYPE declaration with an internal subset
Any unknown doctype, which should include the following (technically known) doctypes:
- The public identifier "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.01//EN".
- The public identifier "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.0//EN".
- The public identifier "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Strict//EN".
- The public identifier "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN".
- The public identifier "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Frameset//EN".
- The public identifier "ISO/IEC 15445:1999//DTD HyperText Markup Language//EN".
- The public identifier "ISO/IEC 15445:1999//DTD HTML//EN".

Quirks Mode

The following should trigger quirks mode (this list must be comprehensive):

The following sites have been useful in preparing this list: W3C HTML Validator, HTMLHelp HTML Validator.

The absence of a DOCTYPE.
A DOCTYPE declaration that cannot be understood (e.g., no matching quote).
The public identifier "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.01 Transitional//EN".
The public identifier "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.01 Frameset//EN".
The public identifier "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.0 Transitional//EN".
The public identifier "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.0 Frameset//EN".
The public identifier "-//SoftQuad Software//DTD HoTMetaL PRO 6.0::19990601::extensions to HTML 4.0//EN".
The public identifier "-//IETF//DTD HTML//EN//3.0".
The public identifier "-//W3O//DTD W3 HTML 3.0//EN//".
The public identifier "-//W3O//DTD W3 HTML 3.0//EN".
The public identifier "-//W3C//DTD HTML 3 1995-03-24//EN".
The public identifier "-//IETF//DTD HTML 3.0//EN".
The public identifier "-//IETF//DTD HTML 3.0//EN//".
The public identifier "-//IETF//DTD HTML Level 3//EN".
The public identifier "-//IETF//DTD HTML Level 3//EN//3.0".
The public identifier "-//AS//DTD HTML 3.0 asWedit + extensions//EN".
The public identifier "-//AdvaSoft Ltd//DTD HTML 3.0 asWedit + extensions//EN".
The public identifier "-//IETF//DTD HTML Strict//EN//3.0".
The public identifier "-//W3O//DTD W3 HTML Strict 3.0//EN//".
The public identifier "-//IETF//DTD HTML Strict Level 3//EN".
The public identifier "-//IETF//DTD HTML Strict Level 3//EN//3.0".
The public identifier "HTML".
The public identifier "-//IETF//DTD HTML//EN".
The public identifier "-//IETF//DTD HTML//EN//2.0".
The public identifier "-//IETF//DTD HTML 2.0//EN".
The public identifier "-//IETF//DTD HTML Level 2//EN".
The public identifier "-//IETF//DTD HTML Level 2//EN//2.0".
The public identifier "-//IETF//DTD HTML 2.0 Level 2//EN".
The public identifier "-//IETF//DTD HTML Level 1//EN".
The public identifier "-//IETF//DTD HTML Level 1//EN//2.0".
The public identifier "-//IETF//DTD HTML 2.0 Level 1//EN".
The public identifier "-//IETF//DTD HTML Level 0//EN".
The public identifier "-//IETF//DTD HTML Level 0//EN//2.0".
The public identifier "-//IETF//DTD HTML Strict//EN".
The public identifier "-//IETF//DTD HTML Strict//EN//2.0".
The public identifier "-//IETF//DTD HTML Strict Level 2//EN".
The public identifier "-//IETF//DTD HTML Strict Level 2//EN//2.0".
The public identifier "-//IETF//DTD HTML 2.0 Strict//EN".
The public identifier "-//IETF//DTD HTML 2.0 Strict Level 2//EN".
The public identifier "-//IETF//DTD HTML Strict Level 1//EN".
The public identifier "-//IETF//DTD HTML Strict Level 1//EN//2.0".
The public identifier "-//IETF//DTD HTML 2.0 Strict Level 1//EN".
The public identifier "-//IETF//DTD HTML Strict Level 0//EN".
The public identifier "-//IETF//DTD HTML Strict Level 0//EN//2.0".
The public identifier "-//WebTechs//DTD Mozilla HTML//EN".
The public identifier "-//WebTechs//DTD Mozilla HTML 2.0//EN".
The public identifier "-//Netscape Comm. Corp.//DTD HTML//EN".
The public identifier "-//Netscape Comm. Corp.//DTD HTML//EN".
The public identifier "-//Netscape Comm. Corp.//DTD Strict HTML//EN".
The public identifier "-//Microsoft//DTD Internet Explorer 2.0 HTML//EN".
The public identifier "-//Microsoft//DTD Internet Explorer 2.0 HTML Strict//EN".
The public identifier "-//Microsoft//DTD Internet Explorer 2.0 Tables//EN".
The public identifier "-//Microsoft//DTD Internet Explorer 3.0 HTML//EN".
The public identifier "-//Microsoft//DTD Internet Explorer 3.0 HTML Strict//EN".
The public identifier "-//Microsoft//DTD Internet Explorer 3.0 Tables//EN".
The public identifier "-//Sun Microsystems Corp.//DTD HotJava HTML//EN".
The public identifier "-//Sun Microsystems Corp.//DTD HotJava Strict HTML//EN".
The public identifier "-//IETF//DTD HTML 2.1E//EN".
The public identifier "-//O'Reilly and Associates//DTD HTML Extended 1.0//EN".
The public identifier "-//O'Reilly and Associates//DTD HTML Extended Relaxed 1.0//EN".
The public identifier "-//O'Reilly and Associates//DTD HTML 2.0//EN".
The public identifier "-//SQ//DTD HTML 2.0 HoTMetaL + extensions//EN".
The public identifier "-//Spyglass//DTD HTML 2.0 Extended//EN".
The public identifier "+//Silmaril//DTD HTML Pro v0r11 19970101//EN".
The public identifier "-//W3C//DTD HTML Experimental 19960712//EN".
The public identifier "-//W3C//DTD HTML 3.2//EN".
The public identifier "-//W3C//DTD HTML 3.2 Final//EN".
The public identifier "-//W3C//DTD HTML 3.2 Draft//EN".
The public identifier "-//W3C//DTD HTML Experimental 970421//EN".
The public identifier "-//W3C//DTD HTML 3.2S Draft//EN".
The public identifier "-//IETF//DTD HTML i18n//EN".

(Back to David Baron)

LDB, dbaron@dbaron.org