Webmaster in a Nutshell, Second Edition
by Stephen Spainhour & Robert Eckstein


Unconfirmed error reports are from readers.  They have not yet been 
approved or disproved by the author or editor and represent solely the
opinion of the reader.


This page was updated January 10, 2002.


Here's a key to the markup:

        [page-number]: serious technical mistake
        {page-number}: minor technical mistake
        <page-number>: important language/formatting problem
        (page-number): language change or minor formatting problem
        ?page-number?: reader question or request for clarification


UNCONFIRMED errors and comments from readers:


{xii} top:
The descriptions of Chapter 7 and Chapter 8 are exchanged. They have each 
other's description.


[83]  7th paragraph (checkboxes last paragraph);
There seems to be something fishy in the description of how checkboc groups are handled.

It says:

"By Giving several checkboxes the same name attribute value, you create a group of checkbox 
elements. THE BROWSER AUTOMATICALLY COLLECTS THE VALUES OF A CHECKBOX GROUP AND SUBMITS 
THEIR SELECTED VALUES AS A COMMA-SEPARATED STRING TO THE SERVER, significantly easing 
server-side form checking".

This would imply:

checkbox=1,2,3,4,5

When what you actually get is

checkbox=1&checkbox=2&checkbox=3&checkbox=...

It should read "The browser returns the values of a checkbox group and submits their 
values in repeated name value pairs exactly as if you had a number of variables with the 
same name"

(or something similar)


{104}  2nd example (showing imported external style sheets):
The code reads:
	
	BODY: {background: url(backgrounds/marble.gif)}

There should be no colon after BODY:

     	BODY {background: url(backgrounds/marble.gif)}


(104)  2nd paragraph:
Sentence reads:
	
        "You can load external style sheets into your HTML document in two 
        different ways, with the <link> tag for the @import style command."
	
The word "for" should be "or".


{107-108} last line on 107:
"left-margin" is specified when "margin-left" was meant. The same goes for the
top of page 108.


(125) 2nd paragraph 5th line
"responsbile" should be "responsible" 


(129) 3rd paragraph of Namespaces:
"differentiates" should be "differenciates".


?131-133? 
I didn't find an explanation of how to link an XSL specification with 
either the DTD or the XML specification on the these pages, which introduce 
XSL.

Can someone get back to me with the answer?  Thank you.


{132} Example 10-3, 1st paragraph:
now reads:

<xsl:stylesheet xmlns:xsl="http://www.w3.org/TR/WD-xsl"
                           xmlns:fo="http://www.w3.org/TR/WD-xsl/FO">
                           xmlns:OReilly="http://www.oreilly.com/">

should read:

<xsl:stylesheet xmlns:xsl="http://www.w3.org/TR/WD-xsl"
                           xmlns:fo="http://www.w3.org/TR/WD-xsl/FO"
                           xmlns:OReilly="http://www.oreilly.com/">


{141}  first paragraph:
now reads:
	
     	... or an <author> element ...

should read:
	
     	... or an <authors> element ...


{145}  last example:
now reads:
	
     	<?xml version"1.0" standalone="yes"?>

should read:
	
     	<?xml version"1.0" standalone="no"?>

Below that, there is a DTD defined (sector.dtd), that may not be considered, 
if standalone is set to "yes".


{149} last code example, last line:
now reads:
	
     	<fo:block>

should read:
	
     	</fo:block>


{158}  explanation for letter-value:
now reads:

     	You can use the letter-value attribute of the <number> element ....

should read:
     	
	You can use the letter-value attribute of the <xsl:number> element ....


{159}  examples for <xsl:apply-templates>:
now reads in both examples:
	
     	<xsl:template match="section"/>

should read in both examples:
	
     	<xsl:template match="section">


{162}  examples for <xsl:counter>:
now reads:
	
     	<xsl:apply-templates>

should read:
	
     	<xsl:apply-templates/>

Error is in last two examples.


{164}  second example:
now reads:
	
     	<chapter>The Opening of Pandora´s Box </chapter>

should read:
	
     	<chapter>The Opening of Pandora´s Box</chapter>

has an extra space btwn "Box" and "</"


{170}  section below second example:
now reads:
	
     	call your ID references "idref."

should read:
	
     	call your ID references "idref".


(171)  last paragraph:
now reads:
	
     	When used, they immediately follow the pound sign.

should read:
	
     	When used, they immediately follow the hash mark.


(178)  #pi description:
now reads:
	
     	... the element with ID "foo."

should read:
	
     	... the element with ID "foo".


(178)  #all description:
now reads:
	
     	... "Terms," ...
	
and

     	"simple document."

should read:
	
     	... "Terms", ...
	
and
	
     	" simple document."      

(simple document has to have a leading space).


?182?  example for multiended links:
now reads:

	<para>More Information about XLink can be found at these sites
	<references xml:link=”extended” inline=”true”>
	<resource xml:link=”locator” href=”http://www.w3.org/” 
	title=”W3C”/>
	<resource xml:link=”locator” href=”http://www.ucc.ie/xml/” 
	title=”The XML FAQ”/>
	<resource xml:link=”locator” href=”http://www.xml.com/” 
	title=”XML.com”/>
	</reference>.</para>

Below this example it's stated that "these sites" is one end of the link. Is 
it not right that the string "these sites" has to be in the second line behind
the references-Element, like:

	<para>More Information about XLink can be found at 
	<references xml:link=”extended” inline=”true”>these sites
	<resource xml:link=”locator” href=”http://www.w3.org/” 
	title=”W3C”/>


(193)  Paragraph beginning "When a function", second sentence:
reads (all in proportional font):
	
     	... the keyword this refers to is the object ...

should read:
	
     	... the keyword this refers to the object ...

with "this" in fixed font and "is" deleted (blame the grammar checker?).


{200}
The "form" object has a "name" property which can be referenced as 

	document.forms[i].name.


[268] 2/3 down the page:
The <!--#printenv--> example was giving me: "[an error occurred while 
processing this directive]" on my Linux Secure Server (an Apache-clone) until 
I followed the advice in the middle of p266, which says to put whitespace 
between "the final arguments and the closing dashes."  I.e., <!--#printenv -->
works fine. 

You probably need to change all your SSI examples to reflect this.


{272} 4th line of code: 
"$STDIN" should read "STDIN."


{323} second-to-last paragraph:
"These arrays are named $HTTP_GET_DATA" should read "These arrays are named 
$HTTP_GET_VARS."


[326] sample code:
I get this error when trying to use the sample code on page 326 and 327:

	Parse error: parse error, expecting `','' or `';'' in 
	/home/groups/home/baby.php3 on line 18

After I clear line 18 it comes back with the same error on line 22...

The page can be found at http://cleopatra.dcb.be/baby.php3.


[327] Web Database Integration example, line 45:
There is an omitted value that should read:

	echo "<INPUT TYPE=radio NAME=vote VALUE=$row[0]></td><td>";


(357) 1st paragraph, "IMAP Functions", 2nd sentence:

	"...For these functions to work, you have to compile 
	PHP with map."

should read:

	"...to compile PHP with imap."


[400] 2nd paragraph:
The expires=date example is for 1996 and uses two digits, leaving unaddressed 
the Y2K dilemna of whether to use two or four digits for years >=2000.

Also, another of my books says to use a 3-letter abbreviation for the day 
name, not, e.g., "Wednesday", so can you clarify which is correct?  And a 
beginning programmer told me that he leaves out the day name altogether w/o 
consequence. Does that sound right?


(400) 3/4 down the page:
The "request containing the cookie's name=value pairs" line should say 
"cookies'", since a cookie only has one name=value pair.


{413, 414, 418}
Several examples on pages 413 and 414 imply, along with a reference listing on 
page 418 which explicitely states, that the AuthName directive can take a name 
consisting of several words separated by whitespace. In fact this is incorrect;
the name must be one word or in quotes, otherwise apache generates an error 
when it tries to parse httpd.conf.

For your reference, here is the relevant information on my version of apache:

Server version: Apache/1.3.19 (Unix) Debian/GNU
Server built:   Mar 26 2001 09:36:17


{414} The book claims that "The location and name of the password 
file are specified with the AuthUserName directive". In fact, this is 
wrong. They are specified by the AuthUserFile directive, a fact which is 
confirmed by the example on the previous page.


[438] end of definition of "allow":
There are two errors:

1. A spurious double-quote 5 lines from the end of the "allow" definition 
reads:

	all"

It should read:

	all

2. The last line in the definition, indicating which versions of Apache 
contain this runtime directive, should be more specific than "(All)." In fact,
both parameters listed as "Network" were first added in 1.3.


[439]  last paragraph:
In the 9/99 reprint of the book:

The example of the "order" directive is missing the parameter after the 
"order" directive.


{441} Redirect description:
The arguments listed for the "[status]" field of the Redirect directive all 
have one double quote (") after them. My Apache server works fine without the 
double quote or with double quotes surrounding the argument, but displays a 
server error if I include only one. These double quotes are also not listed on
the apache.org docs.


[457] Header syntax line:
There is a spurious colon. The text reads:

	Header <set|append|add|unset>:header [value]

It should read:

	Header <set|append|add|unset> header [value]

This colon is not listed on the apache.org docs, and it will break the 
directive.


(482)  last paragrph:
It reads "compared to 20consideration", apparently omitting the end of one 
phrase and the start of another.