import re def resolve_shtml(filepath): with open(filepath) as f: content = f.read() includes = re.findall(r'<!--#include virtual="([^"]+)" -->', content) for inc in includes: inc_content = resolve_shtml(inc) content = content.replace(f'<!--#include virtual="inc" -->', inc_content) return content
The server isn’t configured to recognize .shtml as a parsed file. Fix: Add AddHandler server-parsed .shtml to your .htaccess file or server config. view shtml best
AddType text/html .shtml AddHandler server-parsed .shtml Options +Includes Example Python snippet: State your main point early
If you cannot run a server, use a static site generator (Hugo, Eleventy) or a simple script to recursively resolve includes. Example Python snippet: !--#include virtual="header.html" -->
State your main point early and ensure every paragraph supports it.
For the most accurate rendering, you should never try to view an SHTML file by opening it directly from your hard drive ( file:///C:/myfile.shtml ). The server-side directives won’t execute, and dynamic includes will appear as broken lines like <!--#include virtual="header.html" --> .