QEV 1.1 build: 9639 released: 2011-01-12 compiled with: Java 1.8.0_131 Jet jet12.0-pro-x86/1.8.0_131

Validates that html single and double quote entities are balanced in pairs..

Copyright: (c) 2009-2017 Canadian Mind Products.

Java application.
Download from: http://mindprod.com/products1.html#QEV

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Notes:

You must install the Java JRE to use this program.
See http://mindprod.com/jgloss/jgloss/jre.html

This program can only be used from the command prompt, (or via an command
line style icon shortcut) e.g. under Windows command.exe or JPSoft
tcmd.exe, formerly called the DOS box. Just clicking the programs in a
directory listing will not do anything useful. Just typing the program
names at the command prompt will not either.

This program requires a manual install! See below.

This program works with vanilla text files, (e.g. ASCII files or UTF-8
Unicode files). You will need a text editor to create and view them, not a word
processor. e.g. notepad, Visual Slick Edit or other suitable text editor
http://mindprod.com/jgloss/editor.html. You must use a monospaced font
http://mindprod.com/jgloss/monospacedfonts.html (aka fixed pitch, aka
programmer font) to view your files, or they won't look properly aligned.

I put out an avalanche of free software into the world, and submit PAD
files to hundreds of distribution sites, but I rarely hear back from
anyone.  What's happening?  Does it all just work fine?  It is so
complicated nobody can figure out how to use it and they give up on it?
It is it useful?  Since everyone has the source, do people just fix the
programs to their liking themselves?  Did you have trouble installing?  Do
I presume you know too much?  I would be happy to hear from you about your
experiences, positive or negative and your requests for improvements.  A
one-line email to roedy@mindprod.com would be great.

===> Free <===
Full source included.
You may even include the source code, modified or unmodified
in free/commercial open source/proprietary programs that you write and distribute.
May be used freely for any purpose but military.
For more details on this restriction, see
http://mindprod.com/contact/nonmil.html
If you include any Canadian Mind Products code in your own applications,
your app too must be labelled non-military use only.
http://mindprod.com/contact/nonmil.html
All Java jars and source code are included. If you need the class files or Javadoc, you will have to build them yourself. To streamline the zip downloads, class files and Javadoc have been removed.

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Prerequisites:

This program runs under any OS that supports Java,
(e.g.W2K/XP/W2003/Vista/W2008/W7-32/W7-64/W8-32/W8-64/Linux/LinuxARM/LinuxX86
/LinuxX64/Ubuntu/Solaris/SolarisSPARC/SolarisSPARC64/SolarisX86/SolarisX64/OSX/AIX...)
so long as you have
<><> Java version 1.8 <><> or later installed (32-bit or 64-bit Java).
See http://mindprod.com/jgloss/installingjava.html for details.

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Installing on a PC:

Download source and compiled jar files to run on your own machine as an application.
First install a recent Java JDK or JVM.
See http://mindprod.com/jgloss/installingjava.html.
To install, extract the zip download with WinZip
(or similar unzip utility) into any directory you please,
often J:\ --  ticking off the <span class="click">use folder names</span> option.
To run as an application, type:
java.exe %JAVA_OPTIONS -ea -jar J:\com\mindprod\qev\qev.jar {put any parms here}

adjusting as necessary to account for where the jar file is.

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Installing on a MacIntosh:

Use Safari to download source and compiled jar files to run on your own machine as an application.
Safari will automatically unpack the zip into ~/Downloads (version 10.5)
[or on the Desktop (version 10.4 and earlier)].
First install a recent Java JDK or JVM.
See http://mindprod.com/jgloss/installingjava.html.
You may optionally move the download tree to a permanent home.
I don't have a MacIntosh, just a PC, so I can't test my Java programs for Mac compatibility.
In theory they should work without problems, but in practice that does not always happen.
If you have problems please, let me know, preferably with screenshots and complete verbatim error messages.
To run as an application, without parameters, just double click the jar file.

To run as an application with parameters, in bash shell type:
open Terminal.app
cd ~/Desktop
java.exe -ea -jar com/mindprod/qev/qev.jar {put any parms here}

adjusting as necessary to account for where the jar file is.

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Rebuilding:

The zip already contains the necessary jar files, so unless you modify
the program, there is no need to recompile the source or rebuild the jar.
Configure.java basedir="E:/" in rebuild.xml to the drive where your files are.
Use ANT and rebuild.xml, not build.xml, to recompile and recreate the jar.

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Use:

QEV, (Quote Entity Validator) Validates HTML, with specialised checks on
HTML syntax to make sure double and single quotes are balanced.
1. makes sure &ldquo; ... &rdquo; (double quotes) occur in balanced pairs
without nesting.
2. makes sure &lsquo; ... &rsquo; (single quotes) occur in balanced pairs
without nesting.
3. makes sure &lsdquo; ... &rsquo; (single quotes) occurs only inside a
&ldquo; ... &rdquo; (double quotes)
QEV does not modify your files, just points out problem areas.
Unfortunately &rsquo; is also used for an apostrophe.  QEV tries to guess
which way you are using &rsquo;, but it does not always guess correctly,
(it uses some hairy ad hoc logic) so you will get some spurious error
messages.  One way around this is to convert your apostrophes to something
else temporarily, e.g.  &apos; then convert them back after you get all
your quotes balanced.  Unfortunately, there is no other character that
looks like a right single quote to encode your apostrophes permanently.
I am lobbying W3C to create one, that maps to the same glyph.
There is a similar problem with &rdquo; being also used to indicated feet
or minutes of latitude/longitude.
Tips
****
1. Sometimes QEV will perceive a single error as a
chain of errors, (much the way a Java compiler can be confused).  Just fix
some of the errors, and run QEV again.  Often you will have
cleaned up a number of errors from one change to the source file.
2. Use an editor such as Visual Slick Editr that lets you jump to a given
line number.  QEV tells you the line and column number in the
file where the problem is.
3. Take the error messages with a grain of salt.  Pay more attention to
the spot in the file it is complaining about.
4.  save your changes and rerun QEV often.  It is very quick.
It is easier to work when you have the errors you have already fixed off
the decks.
5. invent a CSS styles like this:
.quoted /* words somebody said, a direct quotation,italicised and surrounded in quotes */{
	font-style: italic;
}
.quoted:after,.asays:after,.bsays:after,.csays:after{
	content: close-quote;
}
.quoted:before,.asays:before,.bsays:before,.csays:before{
	content: open-quote;
}
Then there will be no &ldquo; &rdquo; in your HTML to balance, and any
HTML validator will ensure your <span call="quoted">...</span> balance.
The few remaining &ldquo; and &rdquo; with be apostrophes not intended to
balance.
You can use option switches on the command line:
-guess  : the default. Guesses which &lsquo; &rsquo; &ldquo; &rdquo; should be balanced.
-ignore : ignores &lsquo; &rsquo; entirely. Use when you are overwhelmed by false balancing errors.
-strict : strictly balances &lsquo; &rsquo; &ldquo; &rdquo; even when some &rsquo;s appear
          to be used as apostrophes and &rdquo;'s as inches/minutes marks.
-British: use the British conventions where double quotes are nested inside single quotes, unlike
the way Americans do it with the single quotes nested inside single quotes.
Running
*******
To validate a single file, type:
  java.exe -jar C:\com\mindprod\qev\qev.jar E:\myhtml\index.html
To validate all the files in a single directory, type:
  java.exe -jar C:\com\mindprod\qev\qev.jar E:\myhtml\
To validate all the files in a single directory tree, type:
  java.exe -jar C:\com\mindprod\qev\qev.jar -guess -s E:\myhtml\
Limitations
***********
Formal English deliberately does not balance double quotes on quotations
spanning several paragraphs.  There is not just an &ldquo; at the
beginning and &rdquo; at the end, but at &ldquo; at the start of each
intermediate paragraph.  QEV does not support that.  It reports the
&ldquo;s at the start of each intermediate paragraph as an error.
You could mollify QEV by putting in dummy &rdquo;s at the ends of he intermediate
paragraphs using a non-displaying style or  in a <!-- ;rdquo --> comment.


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Version History:

 1.0 2009-11-17 initial version

 1.1 2011-01-12 add -guess, -ignore, -strict -British command line options.

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