Hello
I have come across a strange problem in using XMLHTMLParser to parse some HTML files which use strange constructions. The input files have been generated by using MS Outlook to translate incoming messages, stored in .msg files, into HTML. The translated files display normally in Firefox, and the XMLHTMLParser appears to generate a normal parse, but examination of the parse output shows that the structure is distorted, and about half the input text has been put into one string node. Hunting around, I am convinced that the trouble lies in the presence in the HTML source of pairs of comment-like tags, with this form: <![if !supportLists]> <![endif]> since the distorted parse starts at the first occurrence of one of these tags. I don't know whether these are meant to be a structure in some programming language - there is no reference to supportLists anywhere in the source code. When it is displayed in Firefox, use of the 'Inspect Element' option shows that the browser has treated them as comments, displaying them with the necessary dashes as e.g. <!--[if !supportLists]-->. I edited the source code by inserting the dashes, and XMLHTMLParser parsed everything correctly. I have a workaround, therefore; either edit in the dashes to make them into legitimate comments, or equivalently edit out these tags completely. The only question of general interest is whether XMLHTMLParser should be expected to handle these in some other way, rather than produce a distorted parse without comment. The Firefox approach, turning them into comments, seems sensible. It would also be interesting if anyone has any idea what is going on in the source code. Thanks for any help Peter Kenny
