PHP browser display problems

I've got a script that displays items in a table type display and automatically breaks the display into the appropraite number of pages based on the number of records. It will display a link to the pages. The basic structure of the page is 1) an included page that brings in the header and left column, and then into the center page with titles, pics etc 2) the main page content and 3) another included page that includes an html menu and contact info as a footer and then the right hand column where I have Google search, and Google ads and banners etc.


Here's the problem. I added a second link to the pages that displays properly in Firefox but is displayed in a complete different location in Explorer. I had a buddy check it in Opera and it displayed the same as in explorer(bad). i don't understand how this is even possible. In a way it is acting like a browser and formatting problem but as I understand PHP, the html code is sent by the server after parsing the php. The html code coming to the browser then should be identical for every browser, correct? Which would tell me the problem is the way I formatted the html (within the php code) and not the php parsing.

BUT, the improperly displayed link is having its position moved among other displayed items. In Firefox, the second link is displayed above the bottom menu (this would be in the main body identified as section two above). In explorer and opera it is diplayed after the bottom menu, after a banner, and after a Google search box (in section 3). This means it is being inserted long AFTER the <include) tag for the footer (bottom menu) and right column. The code for the link, however is the last item in the code for section 2.

I don't know if this description of the problem makes sense, but the page is at http://realestate-synergy.com/usmenu.php/25/2/1/y/Prop_Pub/price/North_America/United_States/ $state//$category/1/2/
The link will be a text link "Page: 1 2 ". In all browsers this first occurence of "Page: 1 2 " is fine along the top of the page. At the bottom of a Firefox displayed page, just above the bottom menu like I want it, there will be another "Page: 1 2 " (just for convenience so that users don't have to scroll all the way up to the top of the page to move to another page). In explorer it isn't even there but if you look at the top of the right hand colum BELOW the fish pic and BELOW the Google search block you will see that it displays part of the link as in "Page: " and the "1 2" is missing.

How and why is it being moved around in the display? Is it a php issue, an html in the php code issue, or a browser issue? I'm stumped! I can send the code but I figured this post is long enough already.

Thanks.

For starters it looks like you forgot to add <td> and </td> tags around the text that is not showing up correctly. Your problem is in the html or in the html output from your php, its not a php problem...

Thanks Mind_nl,

Your likely right but what baffled me was why one browse displayed fine while in the other it didn't but something I read just came to mind that some browsers are simply more forgiving of coding errors than others are. That would explain this, wouldn't it?

Another point is I use html-kit for an editor and it has a section that uses "Tidy" to show coding errors and it is telling me the code has an extra td somewhere. I'm going to check some other pages to see if they are showing the same error messages. I've been planning to go through all the Tidy messages anyway to try to clear up some of the errors. Thanks for your input. It definitely got me headed in the right direction.

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check you website with this validator to get a real information:

W3 html code validator

I had played with the validator the other day and all the errors scared me LOl. Actually I spent quite a little time trying to "fix" the first one it reports (but it looks fine to me). It tells me "Error  Line 14 column 6: end tag for element "HEAD" which is not open.
</head>  The Validator found an end tag for the above element, but that element is not currently open. "

Here is the code, pretty basic stuff, and the open head tag is there. What's wrong with this? Kind of diminished my confidence in the validator.

<!DOCTYPE HTML PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.01 Transitional//EN">
<head>
<title>Pay Per Click (PPC) RealEstate Internet Marketing Headquarters</title>
<meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=windows-1252">
<meta http-equiv="Content-Language" content="en-us">
<META NAME="robots" CONTENT="FOLLOW,INDEX">
<META NAME="revisit-after" CONTENT="1 days">
<meta name="description" content="Pay Per Click Management specializing in real estate marketing. Provides worldwide advertising management and achieving the highest level of real estate marketing available anywhere.  ">
<meta name="keywords" content=" MLS, Multiple Listing Service, Multiple Listing System, Advertising, real estate, pay per click, PPC, management, For Sale By Owner, FSBO">
<link rel="shortcut icon" href="favicon.ico" >
<link rel="icon" href="animated_favicon1.gif" type="image/gif" >
<META NAME="author" CONTENT="Robert Lefebvre">
<META name="verify-v1" content="AQRiAMEVxeUROwZY7e7NzS6+UkvVpWCGkT1P+ee/2jk=" />
</head>

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I had played with the validator the other day and all the errors scared me LOl. Actually I spent quite a little time trying to "fix" the first one it reports (but it looks fine to me). It tells me "Error  Line 14 column 6: end tag for element "HEAD" which is not open.
</head>  The Validator found an end tag for the above element, but that element is not currently open. "

Here is the code, pretty basic stuff, and the open head tag is there. What's wrong with this? Kind of diminished my confidence in the validator.

<!DOCTYPE HTML PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.01 Transitional//EN">
<head>
<title>Pay Per Click (PPC) RealEstate Internet Marketing Headquarters</title>
<meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=windows-1252">
<meta http-equiv="Content-Language" content="en-us">
<META NAME="robots" CONTENT="FOLLOW,INDEX">
<META NAME="revisit-after" CONTENT="1 days">
<meta name="description" content="Pay Per Click Management specializing in real estate marketing. Provides worldwide advertising management and achieving the highest level of real estate marketing available anywhere.  ">
<meta name="keywords" content=" MLS, Multiple Listing Service, Multiple Listing System, Advertising, real estate, pay per click, PPC, management, For Sale By Owner, FSBO">
<link rel="shortcut icon" href="favicon.ico" >
<link rel="icon" href="animated_favicon1.gif" type="image/gif" >
<META NAME="author" CONTENT="Robert Lefebvre">
<META name="verify-v1" content="AQRiAMEVxeUROwZY7e7NzS6+UkvVpWCGkT1P+ee/2jk=" />
</head>

it makes no sense to validate an uncomplete html document

We got on a different topic a little with the code validator but all  your help solved the original problem. Thanks all.

Philosophical - rhetorical question Is it more fun to fix problems or balame them on the rich guy (Bill Gates) LOL. I was leaning towards a browser problem :-)

it makes no sense to validate an uncomplete html document

You want me to post the rest of the errors too? The validator is telling me there is no opening header tag. Obviously there is one. That tells me it might be ok to use the validator as a guide, but only as a guide. Looks far from being fool proof. Can you tell me the how the validator is correct about the header tag? Don't get me wrong, it is  a good tool but appaently it misses sometimes, as we all do.

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it makes no sense to validate an uncomplete html document

maybe because your "html type code mix" doesn't have a "html" tag? maybe your next step should be going here: http://www.w3schools.com/ (and start learning what is html)

the html validator works for millions of web developers every day, of course in every software are bugs possible.

You want me to post the rest of the errors too? The validator is telling me there is no opening header tag. Obviously there is one. That tells me it might be ok to use the validator as a guide, but only as a guide. Looks far from being fool proof. Can you tell me the how the validator is correct about the header tag? Don't get me wrong, it is  a good tool but appaently it misses sometimes, as we all do.

ahhhhh, thank you Olaf! "header tag" means "html' tag! Thanks for the interpretation! That fixed it and removed a whole bunch of errors with it.

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