HTML Guide

The <dl> element is used in HTML to represent a description list. The element encloses a list of groups of terms (specified using the <dt> element) and descriptions (provided by <dd> elements). Common uses for this element are to implement a glossary or to display metadata (a list of key-value pairs).

For example, the following is a description list with a single term and its definition:

<dl>
  <dt>Rocket Validator</dt>
  <dd>
    The fastest site-wide HTML and Accessibility checker.
  </dd>
</dl>

Description lists also allow to specify different terms for the same definition, as in this example:

<dl>
  <dt>Rocket Validator</dt>
  <dt>Rocket</dt>
  <dt>RV</dt>
  <dd>
    The fastest site-wide HTML and Accessibility checker.
  </dd>
</dl>

Or, we can have a single term with multiple definitions:

<dl>
  <dt>Rocket Validator</dt>
  <dd>
    The fastest site-wide HTML and Accessibility checker.
  </dd>
  <dd>
    The web site you're browsing right now.
  </dd>
</dl>

In all of these cases, a <dt> term always requires one (or more) <dd> definition elements, so the following is invalid because it’s incomplete, it has an undefined term:

<dl>
  <dt>The Meaning of Life</dt>
</dl>

According to the ARIA specification, the attribute aria-rowspan is expected to have a positive integer value. A positive integer is a whole number greater than zero.

Explanation

• aria-rowspan: This attribute is used in ARIA-enabled tables to indicate how many rows a cell should span within its row group. It is often used in elements like gridcell or rowheader within roles that imply grid-like structures, such as grid or treegrid.

Example of Incorrect Usage

<div role="gridcell" aria-rowspan="0">Content</div>

In this example, aria-rowspan is set to "0", which is not a valid positive integer.

Correct Usage

To resolve the issue, you should specify a positive integer. For example, if the cell should span one row, you can write:

<div role="gridcell" aria-rowspan="1">Content</div>

If the cell should span multiple rows, adjust the number accordingly:

<div role="gridcell" aria-rowspan="2">Content</div>

Considerations

• Make sure the role attribute is correctly associated with an element that can logically have a row and grid structure, such as gridcell.
• Ensure that the aria-rowspan value aligns with the structure of your grid or table, representing the actual number of rows that the element is spanning.

The rel attribute defines the relationship between a linked resource and the current document. Valid on <link>, <a>, <area>, and <form>, the supported values depend on the element on which the attribute is found.

Here’s an example of using the rel attribute to link a document to a CSS stylesheet:

<link rel="stylesheet" href="default.css" />

Here’s an example os using the rel attribute to tell search engine spiders to ignore the link relationship with another document:

<a href="https://example.com" rel="nofollow">more info</a>

Using aria-required on a div element requires more context about that element, by providing one of the attributes aria-expanded, aria-valuemax, aria-valuemin, aria-valuenow, role.

When possible, you should prefer semantic tags like input, select and textarea, and use the required attribute, but when form controls are created using non-semantic elements, such as a div element, the aria-required attribute should be included with a value of true to indicate to assistive technologies that user input is required on the element for the form to be submittable. In that case, other attributes might be needed to make the element valid.

For example, we could build a radiogroup using a div like this:

<div aria-required="true">
  <div data-value="One"></div> 1
  <div data-value="Two"></div> 2
  <div data-value="Three"></div> 3
</div>

This HTML snippet would then be decorated using CSS and added functionality using JavaScript. However, the W3C validator will complain that the element div is missing one of the attributes aria-expanded, aria-valuemax, aria-valuemin, aria-valuenow, role.

We can fix that by adding the appropiate role to that div element, like this:

<div aria-required="true" role="radiogroup">
  <div data-value="One"></div> 1
  <div data-value="Two"></div> 2
  <div data-value="Three"></div> 3
</div>

Here is an example showing how to add the “role” attribute to the “div” element:

<div role="region">
    <!-- Your content goes here -->
</div>

In this example, the role attribute is added with the value radiogroup. You can choose the appropriate ARIA role based on the purpose or role of your div element.

Remember to also provide the necessary values for the specified attributes if you are adding aria-valuemax, aria-valuemin, or aria-valuenow to ensure proper accessibility and usability of your content.

A <div> tag has been found as a direct child of an <ul> tag, and this is not allowed. For example, <ul><div><li>item</li></div></ul> is not valid, but <ul><li><div>item</div></li></ul> is valid as the direct child of <ul> is <li>.

The <dl> element, used to create a definition lists that matches some terms with their definitions, is missing a required child element.

The following list will cause this issue, as it’s missing a <dt> to specify the term the given definition refers to:

<dl>
  <dd>A box without hinges, key, or lid, yet golden treasure inside is hid.</dd>
</dl>

Fixing the above example is as easy as including the missing <dt> with the term:

<dl>
  <dt>Egg</dt>
  <dd>A box without hinges, key, or lid, yet golden treasure inside is hid.</dd>
</dl>

A <div> tag appears where the HTML structure does not expect it, often due to incorrect nesting or missing closing tags.

HTML elements must be properly nested and closed according to the specifications outlined by the HTML standard. A stray start tag usually occurs when a block-level element like <div> is used in a context where only phrasing (inline) content is permitted, or if required closing tags (such as </li>, </tr>, or </td>) are missing, causing the parser to be out of sync.

Incorrect Example: div after closing the html tag

<!DOCTYPE html>
<html lang="">
<head>
<title>Test</title>
</head>
<body>
<p></p>
</body>
</html>
<div>
  some extra content
</div>

In the above, the <div> at the bottom is not valid because it appears after closing the html tag.

Always close elements properly and place block-level elements like <div> only inside appropriate containers. If your issue occurs elsewhere, look for missing closing tags or incorrect placement of the <div> relative to tables, lists, or other structural elements.