XHTML won't validate && and < in a JavaScript function

Question

Here's the snippet of code that won't validate:

if (user_age > 15 && user_age < 91)

It gets the following errors:

XML Parsing Error: StartTag: invalid element name

and

XML Parsing Error: xmlParseEntityRef: no name

The first error is thrown for the "less than" and the second one is thrown twice, once for each ampersand.

Replacing the above signs with & and < validates fine, but of course it completely ruins the function.

Fairy

You could replace your expression by this one: !(!(user_age > 15) || !(91 > user_age)). But that’s just a workaround. – Isothere

Adding the CDATA tags fixed the issue. Thanks very much. – Fairy

PROBLEM IF Javascript was into a XML and XHTML is generated by XSLT: the CDATA ">", "<" and "&" are converted. alert((2>1)? 'OK1': 'OK2'); // is converted! Use <xsl:value-of select="cdataNode" disable-output-escaping="yes"/> – Milan

Answer 1

Or you can protect the script from the xml validation like this:

<script type="text/javascript"> 
//<![CDATA[
    if (user_age > 15 && user_age < 91) {
        // do soemthing
    }
//]]>
</script> 

Sierra

protect from xml validation, that sounds like cheating in a test. Literal &<> must be inside CDATA in valid XML, without it, Firefox should refuse rendering the document if Firefox were conformant (but now the document is probably not served as application/xhtml+xml so it won't happen.) – Trueman

Answer 2

Move script to other file :)

It is standard (and good) habit to separate style (into .css file), data (.html) and of course scripts to .js file.

Vilma

css should also be in it's own file – Goldcrest

Answer 3

All Javascript should be CDATA in XHTML:

<![CDATA[
if (user_age > 15 && user_age < 91)
]]>

Montero

Don't forget to comment it out as <![CDATA[]]> is an XML literal in JavaScript. – Zumwalt

Internet Explorer seems to conflict with this. For example, errors out when there are &lt; symbols in Javascript code. – Busterbustle

Answer 4

put javascript in <![CDATA[...]]> section

Emblaze

As stated in a reply to Martin's answer: Don't forget to comment it out as <![CDATA[]]> is an XML literal in JavaScript. – Zumwalt

Answer 5

you can try CDATA but some time it wont work, it depends on the setting of the server I guess. I am not a pro, but i tested, and I did not work, but if you put the javascript code in the .js file and then link this file somewhere in your body. it will definitely work. PERSONALLY TESTED.

Chiasma