The mysteries of nsgmls error messages.

When the parser says "...end tag for "C02" which is not finished"
it means it encountered a </c02> end tag but some mandatory content
was not there first. Most probably you omitted the mandatory <did>.
In the parser's internal logic, it saw the </c02> before it saw
any <did> and reported that you could not possibly have closed
the </c02> because it didn't see a <did> there. Wouldn't it be
nice if the parser instead told you you omitted a <did>? Alas.

Your second message is more mysterious and could mean any number
of things. It could mean that the parser encountered an illegal
tag before it encountered the </c03>. Internally it might have
closed the <c03> first, reported on the illegal tag, then encountered
the original </c03> but reported it as an error since it had previously
closed it internally. It's hard to say. Sometimes a single error
in the markup can generate 10 or 12 error messages. Correcting the
single error can make all of the messages disappear. It's usually best
to start at the earliest error reported then reparse.

Alvin Pollock
Digital Publishing Group
UC berkeley Library

At 7/8/2004, you wrote:
 >   Intrepid archivists,
 >
 >                 What is the computer trying to tell us when it says,
 >"...end tag for "C02" which is not finished"? I understand the end tag
 >part,
 >   but what does it mean by "not finished"?
 >
 >                 Also, why does it say "...end tag for "C03"
 >omitted(when the tag is there), but OMITTAG NO was specified"? Any
 >clues?
 >
 >
 >
 >                                               Thanks,
 >
 >
 >
 >                                               Steve Bernstein