DocType declarations are troublesome to memorize, and often
essential to include in your document to ensure the browser properly renders your
content. The doctype() view helper allows you to use simple
string mnemonics to specify the desired DocType; additionally,
other helpers will query the doctype() helper to ensure the
output generated conforms with the requested DocType.
As an example, if you want to use the XHTML1 Strict DTD, you can simply specify:
$this->doctype('XHTML1_STRICT');
Among the other available mnemonics, you'll find these common types:
- XHTML1_STRICT
XHTML 1.0 Strict
- XHTML1_TRANSITIONAL
XHTML 1.0 Transitional
- HTML4_STRICT
HTML 4.01 Strict
- HTML4_Loose
HTML 4.01 Loose
- HTML5
HTML 5
You can assign the type and render the declaration in a single call:
echo $this->doctype('XHTML1_STRICT');
However, the better approach is to assign the type in your bootstrap, and then render it in your layout. Try adding the following to your bootstrap class:
class Bootstrap extends Zend_Application_Bootstrap_Bootstrap
{
protected function _initDocType()
{
$this->bootstrap('View');
$view = $this->getResource('View');
$view->doctype('XHTML1_STRICT');
}
}
Then, in your layout script, simply echo() the helper at the
top of the file:
<?php echo $this->doctype() ?>
<html>
<!-- ... -->
This will ensure that your DocType-aware view helpers render the appropriate markup, ensure that the type is set well before the layout is rendered, and provide a single location to change the DocType.