I’d like to change this:
<a href='foo'> <div> Moo </div> </a>
to be standards compliant (you’re not supposed to have block elements in inline elements). Wiring javascript to the divs just for navigation seems like a hack and degrades accessibility.. In this case, my requirements are for 2 sets of borders on my fixed-dimension links, so the above non-compliant code works perfectly after applying styles.
Also, is ‘a { display:block; }‘ a legal way to circumvent the validation?
Why not use a <span> rather than a <div> and set display:block on both elements?
Additionally, to answer your latter question: I don’t believe adding display:block; to your anchor will make it pass validation. The validator checks to see if you’re following (X)HTML rules, not how to present the page to the user.