"Entity 'reg' not defined error" ® XHTML Mobile 1.2

Could you show me where it suggests that in the w3c?

It is not a w3c standard it is a IETF standard.

The relevant standard is RFC1738 (IETF) which specifies that an ampersand in a url should be encoded as  %26.

There is a list of the url encoded values HERE


Cd&

ok, we need to be pedantic:
  the reference is http://www.rfc-editor.org/rfc/rfc1866.txt
see 3.2.4. Attributes
Not sure if there is a newer RFC which defines this different.

HTML Entities in the attribute value must be written as NCR (numeric character reference),
exceptions are only the SGML NCE (named character entity) & < > and (depending
on the implementation of the tool) "

It's all about HTML here according the example in the question), not URL or URI, or URL/URI inside HTML tag attributes (which are a different cumbersome story).

You are correct in saying that this is a tagging issue not a url issue I think I read it wrong.  I saw the ampersand being used as separator and thought that was the issue.


In 8.2.1 of RFC1866 there is a note:

"  NOTE - The URI from a query form submission can be
            used in a normal anchor style hyperlink.
            Unfortunately, the use of the `&' character to
            separate form fields interacts with its use in SGML
            attribute values as an entity reference delimiter.
            For example, the URI `http://host/?x=1&y=2' must be
            written `<a href="http://host/?x=1&y=2"' or `<a
            href="http://host/?x=1&y=2">'.

            HTTP server implementors, and in particular, CGI
            implementors are encouraged to support the use of
            `;' in place of `&' to save users the trouble of
            escaping `&' characters this way."

I was working on another question where there is an issue with apersand as part of the url and I read this one too quickly and thought it was the same issue.  I apologize for sidetracking the question.

Cd&

> .. , CGI
            implementors are encouraged to support the use of
            `;' in place of `&' to save users the trouble of

nice catch!
How many modern web/application servers still comply to that RFC (my guess: none).
I only know from ancient Netscape which did it that way too.
And perl's CGI.pm is still RFC compliant ;-)

Anyway, this is about URL/URI which is not the case in the question.

I always use ; because & requires shift and stretch up to the top row of the keyboard and I am a lazy typist. ;^)

So I reserve & for entities and signatures.


Cd&

Ok, so I am a little lost now.

The issue I have is with validation for "&reg;" the only other option I can see is to use "&#174;"

This is some sort of limitation with the DTD, not really anything to do with RFC 1866, URI/ URL.
I simply want the mobile browsers to correctly render the HTML on this page

http://m.truesecrets.com.au/strange-tours-melbourne/ (the page with the "@reg;" on it isn't public sorry, but similar DTD related validation errors on this page)

so you also get validation errors for &#174; or &#xae;

the application that is putting the "&reg;" entity in place I don't have control over, so for now I have disabled it.
I am not sure what you mean by "&#xae;" ??

the application that is putting the "&reg;" entity in place I don't have control over, so for now I have disabled it.
I am not sure what you mean by "&#xae;" ??

I managed to find the function and change it to the #160; version and it validated :)