LYNX-DEV tables within forms (again)

[Philip Webb]

970917 Christine Anderson wrote (abbreviated):
> I am writing from the American Printing House for the Blind.
> We are installing a database for persons who are visually impaired.
> I am not on your mailing list, please response to address@hidden .
> We have chosen Star software, by Cuadra Associates for the database.
> Earlier versions of Star worked fine with Lynx.
> However, the most recent release of Star is not working with Lynx.
> please go to URL http://www.cuadra.com  Select the "Movie" database.
> You will notice that you can enter searches,
> but when you select "submit" nothing happens.
> If you type in the command
> "http://www.cuadra.com:80/cgi-bin/starfinder/20921/moviestar.txt?action=2+0+6+
> 1+0+0+moviestar.linkfilm+|+FILM%3D%22THE+SILENCE+OF+THE+LAMBS%22+AND+YEAR%3D19
> 91
> it will search.
> 
> Another URL to try is http://www.nara.gov/nara/jfk/jfk_search.html
> The same problem occurs - nothing happens when you try to search.
> And, all the information does not display properly.
>  
> The programmer at Cuadra thinks that Lynx may be having trouble
> with the non-alphabetic characters.  Is this the case?
 
someone else may take the trouble to give you a fuller & more precise answer,
but on a quick look what i notice about both search pages is
that they contain tables within forms, which is incorrect HTML;
there may be other pieces of bad HTML too.
i used Lynx 2-7, which is almost upto date:
you can get 2-7-1 from  lynx.browser.org/
& also try the latest development version,
which contains a lot more, including attempts to handle some common bad HTML.

if the webmasters at Cuadra & NARA are helpful to you,
ask them to run their form pages through a validator (see  l.b.o/ ),
or you could download the page & do the same yourself.
do ask here again: let us know what version of Lynx you have been using.

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