multiple validation 1

[thompom]

Hi,

I currently use the following to force a user to input data in a textbox

function EW_hasValue(obj, obj_type) {
	if (obj_type == "TEXT" || obj_type == "PASSWORD" || obj_type == "TEXTAREA" || obj_type == "FILE")	{
		if (obj.value.length == 0) 
			return false;		
		else 
			return true;
	}	else if (obj_type == "SELECT") {
		if (obj.type != "select-multiple" && obj.selectedIndex == 0)
			return false;
		else if (obj.type == "select-multiple" && obj.selectedIndex == -1)
			return false;
		else
			return true;
	}	else if (obj_type == "RADIO" || obj_type == "CHECKBOX")	{
		if (obj[0]) {
			for (i=0; i < obj.length; i++) {
				if (obj[i].checked)
					return true;
			}
		} else {
			return (obj.checked);
		}
		return false;	
	}
}

function EW_onError(form_object, input_object, object_type, error_message) {
	alert(error_message);									
	if (object_type == "RADIO" || object_type == "CHECKBOX") {
		if (input_object[0])
			input_object[0].focus();
		else
			input_object.focus();
	}	else if (!EW_isHTMLArea(input_object, object_type)) { 
		input_object.focus();  
	}  
	if (object_type == "TEXT" || object_type == "PASSWORD" || object_type == "TEXTAREA" || object_type == "FILE") {
		if (!EW_isHTMLArea(input_object, object_type))
			input_object.select();
	}
	return false;	
}

function EW_checkMyFormcontactus(EW_this) {
if (EW_this.x_phone && !EW_hasValue(EW_this.x_phone, "TEXT" )) {
	if (!EW_onError(EW_this, EW_this.x_phone, "TEXT", "Please enter a phone number..."))
		return false;
}
return true;
}

this is called from a submit image

<input name="Action" type="image" id="Action" value="ADD" src="images/messagebutbot_06.gif" width="44" height="18" border="0" alt="send" onClick="return EW_checkMyFormcontactus(this.form);">

but now i want to give users a choice of either a phone number or email or address...or a combination

the other text boxes will be called x_email and x_address

can you help me do this

 

[BillyRayPreachersSon]

Why not move your validation server-side so people without JS still benefit?

Dan



Coedit Limited - Delivering standards compliant, accessible web solutions

[tt]Dan's Page [blue]@[/blue] Code Couch

http://www.codecouch.com/dan/

[/tt]

 

[Targol]

This should do what you need :

function EW_checkMyFormcontactus(EW_this) {
if (EW_this.x_phone && !EW_hasValue(EW_this.x_phone, "TEXT" )) {
       return true;
}
if (EW_this.x_email && !EW_hasValue(EW_this.x_email, "TEXT" )) {
       return true;
}
if (EW_this.x_address && !EW_hasValue(EW_this.x_address, "TEXT" )) {
       return true;
}
alert("you must enter either a phone number or an email adress or a postal adress.");
return false;
}

Water is not bad as long as it remains outside human body ;-)

 

[thompom]

Hi - thanks for your replies

Dan - serverside takes longer because the page has to be posted, could use ajax for validation - does anyone use this technique for form validation ?

Targol - thanks for the code can you show me how to implement it within an existing function
have tried

function EW_checkMyFormcontactus(EW_this) {
if (EW_this.x_name && !EW_hasValue(EW_this.x_name, "TEXT" )) {
	if (!EW_onError(EW_this, EW_this.x_name, "TEXT", "Please enter a name..."))
		return false;
}

{
if (EW_this.x_phone && !EW_hasValue(EW_this.x_phone, "TEXT" )) {
       return true;
}
if (EW_this.x_email && !EW_hasValue(EW_this.x_email, "TEXT" )) {
       return true;
}
if (EW_this.x_address && !EW_hasValue(EW_this.x_address, "TEXT" )) {
       return true;
}
alert("you must enter either a phone number or an email adress or a postal adress.");
return false;
}
return true;
}
[code]

 

[BillyRayPreachersSon]

serverside takes longer because the page has to be posted

That is such a lame excuse. If you care more about that than your app working for everyone, or your app being more secure (because client-side validation is so easy to bypass with any DOM inspector), then that's up to you, I guess.

Dan



Coedit Limited - Delivering standards compliant, accessible web solutions

[tt]Dan's Page [blue]@[/blue] Code Couch

http://www.codecouch.com/dan/

[/tt]

 

[tsuji]

Validations on both sides have their legitimate purpose. I don't see why client-side validation is not a worthwhile functionality to investigate.

 

[thompom]

dont think its a 'lame excuse' - javascript validation is more widely used than server side depending on what your validating - if its a secure login page then i agree,
server side is a more secure option, but this is a general contact form for customers

as far as security goes the fields that are requested
are stripped of ' in case of sql injection attempts

 

[tsuji]

>javascript validation is more widely used than server side depending on what your validating
If you put it that way, I may not agree neither!

 

[thompom]

come off it - honestly now, how many forms do you fill in that post the page then come back with errors v. js popups telling you where mistakes are made ?

im not saying js validation is better [i really am not] but, if you have a contact page with lots of content that needs to be posted every time someone clicks submit - js validation is quicker

bbc.co.uk uses js validation

 

[Targol]

You have an unuseful opening bracket without corresponding closing one.
As is, your corrected function should look like (I also simplified the first test and add a focus setting on the phone field if none of the 3 fields is filled) :

function EW_checkMyFormcontactus(EW_this) {
if (EW_this.x_name && !EW_hasValue(EW_this.x_name, "TEXT" )) {
    return EW_onError(EW_this, EW_this.x_name, "TEXT", "Please enter a name...");
}
if (EW_this.x_phone && !EW_hasValue(EW_this.x_phone, "TEXT" )) {
       return true;
}
if (EW_this.x_email && !EW_hasValue(EW_this.x_email, "TEXT" )) {
       return true;
}
if (EW_this.x_address && !EW_hasValue(EW_this.x_address, "TEXT" )) {
       return true;
}
alert("you must enter either a phone number or an email adress or a postal adress.");
EW_this.x_phone.select();
return false;
}

This should work. If no, tell me the line and the message of the error.

Water is not bad as long as it remains outside human body ;-)

 

[tsuji]

>come off it
You come off it and then fall back in it. You don't have to be defensive, there is no need. Nobody knows whether you have server-side validation coupled with it or not. You being defensive only make thing undefensive. Are you saying bbc doesn't have any server-side validation on-top as well?

 

[thompom]

Hi tarjol - thanks for your reply

tried the code above - no errors, and does pick up the name field is empty but doesnt see that the other fields are empty

thanks again

 

[Targol]

-> thompon : what do you mean by "doesnt see that the other fields are empty" ?
The code is intended to check if the 3 fields are empty.
- If so, the first one is selected (can select the 3 ones as the same time)
- If one of them is filled, the function returns true and no one is selected.

Isn't it what you wanted ?

Water is not bad as long as it remains outside human body ;-)

 

[thompom]

Hi,

sorry if i wasnt being clear - at the moment if all three fields x_phone, x_email and x_address have a value then i get the message

you must enter either a phone number or an email adress or a postal adress.

but i need the func to return the message if none of the fields have a value

cheers MG

 

[Targol]

Sorry, it's my fault, I missed a "!" on each test. FYI, a "!" in javascript is a logical negation.

The good one :

function EW_checkMyFormcontactus(EW_this) {
if (EW_this.x_name && !EW_hasValue(EW_this.x_name, "TEXT" )) {
    return EW_onError(EW_this, EW_this.x_name, "TEXT", "Please enter a name...");
}
if (EW_this.x_phone && EW_hasValue(EW_this.x_phone, "TEXT" )) {
       return true;
}
if (EW_this.x_email && EW_hasValue(EW_this.x_email, "TEXT" )) {
       return true;
}
if (EW_this.x_address && EW_hasValue(EW_this.x_address, "TEXT" )) {
       return true;
}
alert("you must enter either a phone number or an email adress or a postal adress.");
EW_this.x_phone.select();
return false;
}

Water is not bad as long as it remains outside human body ;-)

 

[thompom]

thanks v much targol - heres a *

and thanks dan and tsuji for making me understand how important it is to validate server side - you have both helped me on numerous occasions and deserve my respect ;-)