HTML Validation

The element “iframe” must not appear as a descendant of the “a” element.

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About This HTML Issue

The <iframe> HTML element represents a nested browsing context, embedding another HTML page into the current one.

As the iframe is a container that holds an embedded HTML page, it cannot be nested inside an a tag.

Learn more:

→ MDN - iframe

Last reviewed: March 08, 2023

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Related W3C Validator Issues (68)

End tag “a” violates nesting rules.

An </a> end tag has been found to violate nesting rules. <a> tags can’t include other <a> tags inside. Most probable cause is an unclosed <a> tag, like in this example:

<a href="one.html">Page 1
<a href="two.html">Page 2</a>

Start tag “a” seen but an element of the same type was already open.

An <a> tag can’t include other <a> tags inside. Most probable cause is an unclosed <a> tag, like in this example:

<a href="one.html">Page 1
<a href="two.html">Page 2</a>

The element “input” must not appear as a descendant of the “a” element.

The element “label” must not appear as a descendant of the “a” element.

The element “textarea” must not appear as a descendant of the “a” element.

The “longdesc” attribute on the “iframe” element is obsolete. Use a regular “a” element to link to the description.

The issue you’re encountering comes from using the longdesc attribute on an iframe element. The longdesc attribute was historically used to provide a URL to a long description of the content. However, it is now considered obsolete and should not be used. Instead, you should use a regular a (anchor) element to provide a link to the description.

Here’s a short guide on how to fix this issue:

Original Code with longdesc

<iframe src="video.html" longdesc="description.html" title="Video"></iframe>

Updated Code with Regular a Element

The recommended approach is to use a regular a element to provide a link to the description, like in the following example:

<iframe src="video.html" title="Video"></iframe>

<p>
  <a href="description.html">Long description of the video content</a>
</p>

Explanation

Original Code: The longdesc attribute is used on the iframe element, which is now obsolete.
Updated Code: We remove the longdesc attribute and provide an external link using the a element to guide users to the description.

An element with the attribute “role=button” must not appear as a descendant of the “a” element.

An element with the attribute “tabindex” must not appear as a descendant of the “a” element.

tabindex
a

Attribute “seamless” not allowed on element “iframe” at this point.

Bad start tag in “iframe” in “noscript” in “head”.

There is an iframe tag inside a noscript tag that is itself inside the head section of the HTML document. This is not allowed because an iframe cannot be nested inside the head section.

To fix this issue, you may move the noscript section that contains the iframe tag outside of the head section, and ensure that it is placed within the body section of the HTML document.

For example, this is invalid HTML because the head section cannot contain iframe elements:

<!DOCTYPE html>
<html lang="en">
  <head>
    <title>My webpage</title>
    <noscript>
      <p>Please enable JavaScript to view this website</p>
      <iframe src="https://example.com/"></iframe>
    </noscript>
<!-- Other meta tags and styles go here -->

  </head>
  <body>
<!-- Rest of your webpage content goes here -->

  </body>
</html>

Moving the noscript inside the body section fixes the issue, as that’s where iframe elements belong:

<!DOCTYPE html>
<html lang="en">
  <head>
    <title>My webpage</title>
<!-- Other meta tags and styles go here -->

  </head>
  <body>
    <noscript>
      <p>Please enable JavaScript to view this website</p>
      <iframe src="https://example.com/"></iframe>
    </noscript>
<!-- Rest of your webpage content goes here -->

  </body>
</html>

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