Thursday, June 12th, 2008
Validanguage 0.9: More form validation
Category: HTML, JavaScript
Validanguage is a simple new validation framework that you can access and configure through HTML (via comments rather than attributes) and a JSON API.
For example, if you place the following next to an input, it will flash red if you try to type in anything other than a number, a dollar, or a period (good for a price).
HTML:
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<!-- <validanguage target="example" mode="allow" expression="numeric$." /> -->
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Or you can configure it via JSON:
JAVASCRIPT:
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validanguage.el.example = {
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characters: {
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mode: 'allow',
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expression: 'numeric$.',
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onsubmit: true,
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errorMsg: 'You may only enter numbers, periods,
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or the dollar sign.'
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},
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required: true,
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errorMsg: 'Please enter a valid monetary amount',
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onsuccess: 'someObject.successHandler',
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onerror: [errorHandler1, errorHandler2]
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}
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Features
- 100% unobtrusive javascript, name-spaced under the global validanguage object. No inline event handlers required (not even to block form submissions)
- No external libraries required (optional Prototype integration)
- Use inheritance to manage your validation settings. Define a setting globally, per-form, or per-element.
- Supports a choice of two APIs:
- HTML-like API placed inside comment tags. The choice for ease of use and simplicity.
- JSON-based API. For advanced configuration.
A normalized "text" argument is supplied to validation functions for textareas and textboxes.
The inherited error message is automatically supplied to the onerror callback(s) as the first argument.
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3.6 rating from 13 votes
I’m not sure if we should call the object notation in JavaScript now JSON.
Looks a lot like jquery validate plugin, but not necessarily as good.
gotta luv the pictures of the dead bodies on the right hand side.
>>I’m not sure if we should call the object notation in JavaScript now JSON.
Why not?
@harald:
JavaScript Object Notation. What else should we call it?
Good, but validation for copy/paste not working
tj111: But giving options to a method in an object is not a interchange format. E.g. JSON has no function data type. Developers should simply not confuse a simple object notation in JavaScript and sending serialized data as JSON.
Harald,
You have a good point about Javascript’s object notation not being synonymous with JSON and I will update my documentation to reflect this.
ilazarte,
Validanguage offers features not present in jQuery Validation and vice versa. One important difference where Validanguage wins out however is size (uncompressed): 53k versus 130k. Also, please bear in mind that this is only my initial release.
sirus,
Character suppression for copy/paste is not feasible without a timeout or onkeyup function to periodically check if a large portion of the text has changed. Instead of this approach (which I may add later), I opted to reject invalid input when the form is submitted.
Big ups to Ajaxian for posting this blurb. I really appreciate this. Based on the positive feedback on here and on my blog, I intend to start work on the next version of Validanguage soon. Stay tuned…
@harald: Ok I see what your getting at. I think the key word is “Notation”, ie you are notating non-javascript data / objects to be able to be interpreted as javascript objects, hence JSON. Had you said “object syntax” instead of “object notation” I probably would have got what you were trying to say the first time ;).
I like the idea, but i didn’t find it really smooth and easy to use.
So i’ve made mij own validator object which is hosted by google code: http://code.google.com/p/fh3jsvalidator/
you can also can use this javascript in combination with [url=http://www.formhandler.net]Formhandler[/url]
I hope someone will like it ;)
hey, i found that this script is the ideal for using object with the help of prototype…
arian – i like it, hope u will do d same in future :)