What DOCTYPE should I use for my site to validate?
Article ID: KB101750
Question: My template doesn't have a DOCTYPE. What DOCTYPE should I use for my site to validate?
Answer: There is no easy answer to this question, because it really depends on what you've done with your site
and how the template was originally designed. You see, assigning a DOCTYPE after creating a web site is working backwards.
The idea is that you should start with a DOCTYPE, and then build the site around that standard. Assigning a DOCTYPE does not
help your site to validate magically; you can only have a validated site if you first define a DOCTYPE and then build the
rest of the page to follow the rules defined by the DOCTYPE.
Some of our templates are not coded to a specific DOCTYPE. If the product details page does not show a specific
DOCTYPE compatibility, then the template is not guaranteed to validate to any specific DOCTYPE. The diagram below shows
part of the PixelMill product details page for a template that is compatible with the XHTML doctype. If a template does not
show anything under "Standards", then it's possible that it won't validate.
So if your template has not already been designed to validate with a specific DOCTYPE, chances are that you'll find it
difficult to get your site to validate. We would encourage that you look at our other templates that have been predesigned
to be compliant with a specific DOCTYPE.
Even if you purchase a "compliant" template, keeping the web site compliant is up to you. You should be aware of the
limitations of your web editor; for example, FrontPage webbots are notorious for generating code that are not compliant.
So if you are using a compliant template but then add lots of FrontPage components, you won't have a compliant site anymore.
Newer web editors, such as Dreamweaver 8 and Expression Web, do help you to keep a site compliant by inserting code that follows
the DOCTYPE you're using or warning you if there is code that isn't compatible.
Authors and Contributors:
Corrie Haffly
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