Hosting Service Stripping out internal link names

[Grant Robertson]

I am currently set up for the free hosting at DirectNIC.com.

I am using static XHTML web pages with CSS and server side includes.
Everything seems to be working OK except for one rather odd behavior.
When it serves up my web pages it strips the #linkName text out of my
internal links.

My code has...

<ul>
<li><a href="#noinfo">Information is not available when needed.</a></li>
<li><a href="#textbooks">Textbooks have only one explanation.</a></li>
</ul>

....which links to...

<h3><a name="noinfo" />Information is not available when needed.</h3>
<h3><a name="textbooks" />Textbooks have only one explanation.</h3>

....on the same page.


However, the links don't work. When I view the source from the server my
links look like this...

<ul>
<li><a href="">Information is not available when needed.</a></li>
<li><a href="">Textbooks have only one explanation.</a></li>
</ul>


What the heck? I have used FileZilla to FTP the file back down to check
the code and the #linkname text is still there. It is only missing when I
view the source using the browser's View Source command. I get the
behavior in both Firefox 2.xx and IE 7.0.

The problem page is at...

http://demml.org/goals/problem/index.htm

....if you want to take a look.

Why in the world would the server strip out this code?

 

[Andy Dingley]

It is only missing when I view the source using the browser's View Source command.

I see names. I suspect you're looking at an old cached copy before
you entered them. try flushing, then look again.

PS - don't use <a name=..." >, just use the id attribute on an
existing element.

Don't use <a name="..." /> with empty content,
use <a name="..." >The targetted content</a> instead.

Your markup isn't (fortunately) XHTML. Use HTML 4.01 Strict instead

Your markup is very broken. Use a validator.

 

[Grant Robertson]

Here is the response I recieved from DirectNIC.com

============================
Hello Grant,

I had to enable the Name Anchors function for your 'demml.org' domain,
and it is working on the 'http://demml.org/goals/problem/index.htm' page
now. You may have to completely flush your DNS before you can see it
working properly. To restart your DNS client, which will completely flush
the DNS cache on your local machine (your computer), follow these
instructions in Windows XP:

1) Click on the Start menu.
2) Go to your Control Panel
3) Switch to Classic view
4) Look for your Administrative tools control panel Icon and double-click
it
5) From the list that appears, navigate to the 'Services' administrative
tools
6) Double-click the 'Services' administrative tools icon to launch it
7) Make sure the 'Extended' view tab is selected
8) Navigate to the DNS client service and left click it once
9) To the left there will appear two action hyper links, 'Stop the
service' and 'Restart the service'
10) Select 'Restart the service' and this will flush the DNS cache system
wide

Simply close the Service. Administrative Tools control panel, and the
main Control Panel window.

I reset all of your domains with the added #Name anchors functionality,
so you will not have the same problem in the future with the other
domains in this account.

I hope that this information was helpful to you, and please do not
hesitate to contact us if you need additional assistance.

Sincerely,

DirectNIC Support
=============================

When I looked at the page this morning it worked. Why they would filter
these out in the first place is beyond me. This does lead me to suspect
that they are filtering more out than I know. The source that shows up
when I View Source is indented very messy whereas I am very particular
about indenting and things in my own code. It looks as if I may have to
find a real hosting solution sooner than later.

 

[Grant Robertson]

I see names. I suspect you're looking at an old cached copy before
you entered them. try flushing, then look again.

Thank you. They must have had it fixed before you looked at it. Read my
other message.

PS - don't use <a name=..." >, just use the id attribute on an
existing element.

Why? Is <a name=..." > deprecated now? Or just out of fashion.
I'll give it a try.

Your markup isn't (fortunately) XHTML. Use HTML 4.01 Strict instead

Why do you say it fortunately isn't XHTML? Is this because you just don't
like XHTML or because it breaks a lot more browsers than people let on.
It is over 7 years old now. Even Microsoft should have caught up by now.

Your markup is very broken. Use a validator.

I use the validator in Dreamweaver MX 2004. It validates fine. I suspect
that my free hosting service is taking my code and processing it to
insert their popups. I suspect that this is totally hosing my code.

Thanks for all your suggestions.

 

[Andy Dingley]

Thank you. They must have had it fixed before you looked at it. Read my
other message.

Change host. I can't imagine why they do / did this. I can't imagine
why it should affect the DNS either. There is no way I would ever use
a host that did this sort of mangling to my source.

Why? Is <a name=..." > deprecated now? Or just out of fashion.
I'll give it a try.

It's obsolete, although not formally deprecated. id is a good
replacement for it, and works with all browsers of current interest.
Life is easier if you just use id on existing elements (as you're
already doing in many locations), there's no drawback to doing so
(although someone will undoubtedly post one in a moment).

<http://www.w3.org/TR/html4/struct/links.html#edef-A> is the obvious
reference material to read.

Why do you say it fortunately isn't XHTML?

Because it just isn't XHTML (Your posting claimed it was, your HTTP &
HTML disagree. Maybe your host has fiddled with that too?).

Because it's not a good idea to use XHTML, except in some pretty small
contexts.

Because if you're asking, it's not a good idea for you (many, many
messages passim).

It is over 7 years old now. Even Microsoft should have caught up by now.

They should, they haven't, QED.

I use the validator in Dreamweaver MX 2004. It validates fine.

Then your validator is broken. Your code certainly is.

It doesn't even look like markup that was broken by any conceivable
automatic process that your host might be doing to it.

I suspect
that my free hosting service is taking my code and processing it to
insert their popups.

Quite possibly. I think it's broken outside of this though.

 

[Ed Seedhouse]

I use the validator in Dreamweaver MX 2004. It validates fine.

The validator in Dreamweaver is broken.

 

[Grant Robertson]

The validator in Dreamweaver is broken.

That's goo to know.

 

[John Hosking]

Here is the response I recieved from DirectNIC.com

============================
Hello Grant,

I had to enable the Name Anchors function for your 'demml.org' domain,

They have a *Name Anchors function*??!?! Whatever for? Do they also have
a Heading-2 function, so that <h2> is permitted?

"I had to enable..." through extra effort that which we first had to
disable, also through extra effort. In other words, we are morons, and
we like to mangle your code with no good reason and also with no notice,
so you should leave us and change hosts right away.

and it is working on the 'http://demml.org/goals/problem/index.htm' page
now. You may have to completely flush your DNS before you can see it
working properly.

I think you should flush the whole account... (although: they *did*
actually answer you. You don't get that kind of service just everywhere).

When I looked at the page this morning it worked. Why they would filter
these out in the first place is beyond me. This does lead me to suspect
that they are filtering more out than I know. The source that shows up
when I View Source is indented very messy whereas I am very particular
about indenting and things in my own code. It looks as if I may have to
find a real hosting solution sooner than later.

Yea, verily.

 

[Bergamot]

I think you should flush the whole account...

directNIC.com is a bona fide registrar that I've used off and on for
several years. I never had any issues with them, so I'd keep the domain
name with them, just move hosting elsewhere. I think that's a good
practice no matter who you sign up with.

 

[Neredbojias]

Why in the world would the server strip out this code?

"Naming" is part of a method which can "filter" (-in a way) ads on free-
hosted pages.

 

[Grant Robertson]

I think you should flush the whole account... (although: they *did*
actually answer you. You don't get that kind of service just everywhere).

Here is their response as to why it happens:

===================================
Hello Grant,

Yeah, it is sometimes set as default setting, and sometimes not. It is
arbitrary, the way our Host system works, but that is how I can correct
it so easily, by knowing that a problem does exist. You are right, it is
a pretty basic setting to implement, but as I said, it is arbitrary in
our system. I am sorry it took a Trouble Ticket sent in to resolve, but I
am happy that we could resolve it.

I hope that this information was helpful to you, and please do not
hesitate to contact us if you need additional assistance.

Sincerely,

DirectNIC Support
===================================

So, really courteous, quick customer service but a bad product (the
hosting itself). I definitely won't be choosing them for my paid hosting
service.