CSE 190 M: Web Programming, Spring 2011

Homework 1 (Recipe) FAQ

Q: Why does the XHTML validator give me the error, "character data is not allowed here"?

A: You may have bare text content that isn't properly wrapped in a block element. Put it in a <p> or other block element.

Q: Why does the XHTML validator give me the error, "cannot generate system identifier for general entity"?

A: You may have an & character in an HTML attribute that isn't properly encoded using a character entity reference. See Chapter 2 about entity references.

Q: Why does the XHTML validator give me the error, "document type does not allow element 'xxx' here; missing one of 'yyy', 'zzz' start-tag"?

A: Not every element is allowed to be nested inside of every other element. For example, you cannot nest an <h1> inside of a <p>. You probably have invalid nesting in that part of your page.

Q: Will my solution get full credit? Is it written in the style you want? Will I get marked off for this code?

A: These are inappropriate questions. We call this "pre-grading." The TA won't look over your entire program for mistakes or tell you exactly what things you will get marked off for. We'll grade you on the guidelines in the homework document, and we can help you with specific issues but cannot evaluate your entire program.

Q: The assignment writeup says your sample solution has X methods and Y lines. I don't have exactly that many. What have I done wrong? Will I be marked off?

A: You don't have to exactly match our counts. They are just there as a sanity check. If your numbers are WAY off from ours, you may be solving the problem in the wrong way.

Q: Is this a suitable creative index page?

A: Our grading is pretty lenient on the creative parts. If it meets the criteria in the assignment spec, it should get full credit, even if it is not particularly creative or exciting.