diff --git a/NEWS b/NEWS
index 317b5656..5a5dd14d 100644
--- a/NEWS
+++ b/NEWS
@@ -1,3 +1,5 @@
+- update debug.tpl to xhtml 1.1 compliance, fix javascript escaping in debug
+  output and apply a Smarty based color scheme (cybot, boots)
 - enhance reporting precision of debug_print_var modifier (cybot, boots) 
 - make html_select_date work consistently with 0000-00-00 00:00:00 and
   0000-00-00 inputs (cybot, boots)
diff --git a/libs/debug.tpl b/libs/debug.tpl
index 7f1c9d42..c05ef5d0 100644
--- a/libs/debug.tpl
+++ b/libs/debug.tpl
@@ -1,64 +1,157 @@
 {* Smarty *}
-
-{* debug.tpl, last updated version 2.0.1 *}
-
+{* debug.tpl, last updated version 2.1.0 *}
 {assign_debug_info}
+{capture assign=debug_output}
+<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.1//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml11/DTD/xhtml11.dtd">
+<html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en">
+<head>
+    <title>Smarty Debug Console</title>
+{literal}
+<style type="text/css">
+/* <![CDATA[ */
+body, h1, h2, td, th, p {
+    font-family: sans-serif;
+    font-weight: normal;
+    font-size: 0.9em;
+    margin: 1px;
+    padding: 0;
+}
 
+h1 {
+    margin: 0;
+    text-align: left;
+    padding: 2px;
+    background-color: #f0c040;
+    color:  black;
+    font-weight: bold;
+    font-size: 1.2em;
+ }
+
+h2 {
+    background-color: #9B410E;
+    color: white;
+    text-align: left;
+    font-weight: bold;
+    padding: 2px;
+    border-top: 1px solid black;
+}
+
+body {
+    background: black; 
+}
+
+p, table, div {
+    background: #f0ead8;
+} 
+
+p {
+    margin: 0;
+    font-style: italic;
+    text-align: center;
+}
+
+table {
+    width: 100%;
+}
+
+th, td {
+    font-family: monospace;
+    vertical-align: top;
+    text-align: left;
+    width: 50%;
+}
+
+td {
+    color: green;
+}
+
+.odd {
+    background-color: #eeeeee;
+}
+
+.even {
+    background-color: #fafafa;
+}
+
+.exectime {
+    font-size: 0.8em;
+    font-style: italic;
+}
+
+#table_assigned_vars th {
+    color: blue;
+}
+
+#table_config_vars th {
+    color: maroon;
+}
+/* ]]> */
+</style>
+{/literal}
+</head>
+<body>
+
+<h1>Smarty Debug Console</h1>
+
+<h2>included templates &amp; config files (load time in seconds)</h2>
+
+<div>
+{section name=templates loop=$_debug_tpls}
+    {section name=indent loop=$_debug_tpls[templates].depth}&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;{/section}
+    <font color={if $_debug_tpls[templates].type eq "template"}brown{elseif $_debug_tpls[templates].type eq "insert"}black{else}green{/if}>
+        {$_debug_tpls[templates].filename|escape:html}</font>
+    {if isset($_debug_tpls[templates].exec_time)}
+        <span class="exectime">
+        ({$_debug_tpls[templates].exec_time|string_format:"%.5f"})
+        {if %templates.index% eq 0}(total){/if}
+        </span>
+    {/if}
+    <br />
+{sectionelse}
+    <p>no templates included</p>
+{/section}
+</div>
+
+<h2>assigned template variables</h2>
+
+<table id="table_assigned_vars">
+    {section name=vars loop=$_debug_keys}
+        <tr class="{cycle values="odd,even"}">
+            <th>{ldelim}${$_debug_keys[vars]|escape:'html'}{rdelim}</th>
+            <td>{$_debug_vals[vars]|@debug_print_var}</td></tr>
+    {sectionelse}
+        <tr><td><p>no template variables assigned</p></td></tr>
+    {/section}
+</table>
+
+<h2>assigned config file variables (outer template scope)</h2>
+
+<table id="table_config_vars">
+    {section name=config_vars loop=$_debug_config_keys}
+        <tr class="{cycle values="odd,even"}">
+            <th>{ldelim}#{$_debug_config_keys[config_vars]|escape:'html'}#{rdelim}</th>
+            <td>{$_debug_config_vals[config_vars]|@debug_print_var}</td></tr>
+    {sectionelse}
+        <tr><td><p>no config vars assigned</p></td></tr>
+    {/section}
+</table>
+</body>
+</html>
+{/capture}
 {if isset($_smarty_debug_output) and $_smarty_debug_output eq "html"}
-	<table border=0 width=100%>
-	<tr bgcolor=#cccccc><th colspan=2>Smarty Debug Console</th></tr>
-	<tr bgcolor=#cccccc><td colspan=2><b>included templates & config files (load time in seconds):</b></td></tr>
-	{section name=templates loop=$_debug_tpls}
-		<tr bgcolor={if %templates.index% is even}#eeeeee{else}#fafafa{/if}><td colspan=2><tt>{section name=indent loop=$_debug_tpls[templates].depth}&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;{/section}<font color={if $_debug_tpls[templates].type eq "template"}brown{elseif $_debug_tpls[templates].type eq "insert"}black{else}green{/if}>{$_debug_tpls[templates].filename|escape:html}</font>{if isset($_debug_tpls[templates].exec_time)} <font size=-1><i>({$_debug_tpls[templates].exec_time|string_format:"%.5f"}){if %templates.index% eq 0} (total){/if}</i></font>{/if}</tt></td></tr>
-	{sectionelse}
-		<tr bgcolor=#eeeeee><td colspan=2><tt><i>no templates included</i></tt></td></tr>	
-	{/section}
-	<tr bgcolor=#cccccc><td colspan=2><b>assigned template variables:</b></td></tr>
-	{section name=vars loop=$_debug_keys}
-		<tr bgcolor={if %vars.index% is even}#eeeeee{else}#fafafa{/if}><td valign=top><tt><font color=blue>{ldelim}${$_debug_keys[vars]}{rdelim}</font></tt></td><td nowrap><tt><font color=green>{$_debug_vals[vars]|@debug_print_var}</font></tt></td></tr>
-	{sectionelse}
-		<tr bgcolor=#eeeeee><td colspan=2><tt><i>no template variables assigned</i></tt></td></tr>	
-	{/section}
-	<tr bgcolor=#cccccc><td colspan=2><b>assigned config file variables (outer template scope):</b></td></tr>
-	{section name=config_vars loop=$_debug_config_keys}
-		<tr bgcolor={if %config_vars.index% is even}#eeeeee{else}#fafafa{/if}><td valign=top><tt><font color=maroon>{ldelim}#{$_debug_config_keys[config_vars]}#{rdelim}</font></tt></td><td><tt><font color=green>{$_debug_config_vals[config_vars]|@debug_print_var}</font></tt></td></tr>
-	{sectionelse}
-		<tr bgcolor=#eeeeee><td colspan=2><tt><i>no config vars assigned</i></tt></td></tr>	
-	{/section}
-	</table>
-</BODY></HTML>
+    {$debug_output}
 {else}
-<SCRIPT language=javascript>
-	if( self.name == '' ) {ldelim}
-	   var title = 'Console';
-	{rdelim}
-	else {ldelim}
-	   var title = 'Console_' + self.name;
-	{rdelim}
-	_smarty_console = window.open("",title.value,"width=680,height=600,resizable,scrollbars=yes");
-	_smarty_console.document.write("<HTML><HEAD><TITLE>Smarty Debug Console_"+self.name+"</TITLE></HEAD><BODY bgcolor=#ffffff>");
-	_smarty_console.document.write("<table border=0 width=100%>");
-	_smarty_console.document.write("<tr bgcolor=#cccccc><th colspan=2>Smarty Debug Console</th></tr>");
-	_smarty_console.document.write("<tr bgcolor=#cccccc><td colspan=2><b>included templates & config files (load time in seconds):</b></td></tr>");
-	{section name=templates loop=$_debug_tpls}
-		_smarty_console.document.write("<tr bgcolor={if %templates.index% is even}#eeeeee{else}#fafafa{/if}><td colspan=2><tt>{section name=indent loop=$_debug_tpls[templates].depth}&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;{/section}<font color={if $_debug_tpls[templates].type eq "template"}brown{elseif $_debug_tpls[templates].type eq "insert"}black{else}green{/if}>{$_debug_tpls[templates].filename|escape:html|escape:javascript}</font>{if isset($_debug_tpls[templates].exec_time)} <font size=-1><i>({$_debug_tpls[templates].exec_time|string_format:"%.5f"}){if %templates.index% eq 0} (total){/if}</i></font>{/if}</tt></td></tr>");
-	{sectionelse}
-		_smarty_console.document.write("<tr bgcolor=#eeeeee><td colspan=2><tt><i>no templates included</i></tt></td></tr>");	
-	{/section}
-	_smarty_console.document.write("<tr bgcolor=#cccccc><td colspan=2><b>assigned template variables:</b></td></tr>");
-	{section name=vars loop=$_debug_keys}
-		_smarty_console.document.write("<tr bgcolor={if %vars.index% is even}#eeeeee{else}#fafafa{/if}><td valign=top><tt><font color=blue>{ldelim}${$_debug_keys[vars]}{rdelim}</font></tt></td><td nowrap><tt><font color=green>{$_debug_vals[vars]|@debug_print_var|escape:javascript}</font></tt></td></tr>");
-	{sectionelse}
-		_smarty_console.document.write("<tr bgcolor=#eeeeee><td colspan=2><tt><i>no template variables assigned</i></tt></td></tr>");	
-	{/section}
-	_smarty_console.document.write("<tr bgcolor=#cccccc><td colspan=2><b>assigned config file variables (outer template scope):</b></td></tr>");
-	{section name=config_vars loop=$_debug_config_keys}
-		_smarty_console.document.write("<tr bgcolor={if %config_vars.index% is even}#eeeeee{else}#fafafa{/if}><td valign=top><tt><font color=maroon>{ldelim}#{$_debug_config_keys[config_vars]}#{rdelim}</font></tt></td><td><tt><font color=green>{$_debug_config_vals[config_vars]|@debug_print_var|escape:javascript}</font></tt></td></tr>");
-	{sectionelse}
-		_smarty_console.document.write("<tr bgcolor=#eeeeee><td colspan=2><tt><i>no config vars assigned</i></tt></td></tr>");	
-	{/section}
-	_smarty_console.document.write("</table>");
-	_smarty_console.document.write("</BODY></HTML>");
-	_smarty_console.document.close();
-</SCRIPT>
-{/if}
+<script type="text/javascript">
+// <![CDATA[
+    if ( self.name == '' ) {ldelim}
+       var title = 'Console';
+    {rdelim}
+    else {ldelim}
+       var title = 'Console_' + self.name;
+    {rdelim}
+    _smarty_console = window.open("",title.value,"width=680,height=600,resizable,scrollbars=yes");
+    _smarty_console.document.write('{$debug_output|escape:'javascript'}');
+    _smarty_console.document.close();
+// ]]>
+</script>
+{/if}
\ No newline at end of file

{ldelim}${$_debug_keys[vars]\|escape:'html'}{rdelim}	{$_debug_vals[vars]\|@debug_print_var}
no template variables assigned
{ldelim}#{$_debug_config_keys[config_vars]\|escape:'html'}#{rdelim}	{$_debug_config_vals[config_vars]\|@debug_print_var}
no config vars assigned
Smarty Debug Console
included templates & config files (load time in seconds):
`{section name=indent loop=$_debug_tpls[templates].depth} {/section}{$_debug_tpls[templates].filename\|escape:html}{if isset($_debug_tpls[templates].exec_time)} ({$_debug_tpls[templates].exec_time\|string_format:"%.5f"}){if %templates.index% eq 0} (total){/if}{/if}`
`no templates included`
assigned template variables:
`{ldelim}${$_debug_keys[vars]}{rdelim}`	`{$_debug_vals[vars]\|@debug_print_var}`
`no template variables assigned`
assigned config file variables (outer template scope):
`{ldelim}#{$_debug_config_keys[config_vars]}#{rdelim}`	`{$_debug_config_vals[config_vars]\|@debug_print_var}`
`no config vars assigned`