(I have posted this to the Lotus Business Partner forum and thought I’d post it here to get wider audience.)
I am researching possible XHTML support in future versions of the Domino Web Server. XHTML support would mean that the web server generated markup compliant with the XHTML 1.1 recommendation. What are your opinions, expectations, requirements, in this area?
Some things to consider:
What benefits do you expect from XHTML?
What mechanisms do you need available to enable the feature (page/form design option, URL argument, etc.)?
Is there any need for strict HTML 4.01 that is not also XHTML?
What kind of optional control over the XHTML might be needed? For example, whether or not to use CDATA sections in and tags.
How important is editing the XHTML from the web using a Domino supplied editor (the Java Applet or Active X control)?
I am also interested in hearing specific problem areas with the existing generated HTML – things you have run across that are not compliant with the standard, etc. (and what can be done to make them better).
Subject: Possible future XHTML support in the Web Server [Question]
Mark,
I would expect full compatability for XHTML for future versions of the DOM server. Also, others like JHTML should be supported. Currently, I have a “hack” plug-in to allow XHTML pages to “render” properly from another server (like WebSphere). However, since there is a “connector” between Websphere and Notes, it would seem to be redundant to have the DOM server act as part servlet engine, mail server, app server, etc. But saying that, it would be EXTREMELY nice to have it all in one package. Having to create the .xml files/.xslt files/embedded CDATA script/etc. in separate files and then call them externally is exactly like developing Websphere apps…config files all over the place. As for the “online editor”, I do not believe it would need to be “too” complex as a JAVA applet…all you would need is a nice GUI front end to talk with the backend forms/pages (just like in WebSphere 5.1 and 6) to update all config files. I personally would think this would be an excellent idea and extend Notes in a realm few others thought Notes could venture.
Subject: Possible future XHTML support in the Web Server [Question]
The only thing I’d ask for is proper handling of POST data. I don’t know how good the output can be, since the source is going to include (almost by definition) user-created strange-itude in Rich Text fields. It’s be nice to see tags closed and CSS indents instead of ULs, but let’s face it – when the users can format, they will format, and in their format will be stuff that cannot be described adequately by a machine that can’t use as a legal tagset.
Subject: RE: Please elaborate on proper handling of POST data.
File uploads in particular. We can do XHTML ourselves now with a bit o’ coding, except that the server still expects an HTML-style byte stream. XHTML handles things a little bit differently. Fix that, and whatever else happens, there will be giddy standardophilic wonks everywhere.
I’m still not clear on what the problem with POST data is in relation to XHTML. Can you describe the scenario in detail? (I can send you an eamil address if you would prefer to send something directly to me)
Also, if you are doing XHTML yourself, what do you do about translating rich text created with the notes client? (Or is all the content created from the web?)