Archive for July, 2008

XUI Validation has been updated, changes include:

• Clicking the links in the error summary block now focuses the user on the relevant input (as well as updating the fragment identifier in the URL)
• A new configuration variable (positionOfInlineAlerts) allows the inline error messages to be displayed either in the input’s label or after the form control itself (after the indicator icon).
• Tabbing into a control no longer triggers validation.
• Required fields are only validated after the user leaves the control, so they are not confronted by an error message if they clear the contents of a control to start over.
• A container element for each form control is updated after validation with the addition of a valid or invalid class so that the elements related to the control can be styled based on the outcome of the validation.
• The ability to display confirmation messages has been added. This allows the validation functions to confirm with the user how their input is being parsed. This is useful for complex data types like dates.

See the example page for a demonstration of the new features.

I have spent most of my waking moments this weekend coding, refactoring and documenting a framework for easily extensible unobtrusive client-side form validation.

XUI Validation is based on jQuery and provides a simple mechanism for adding new custom validations that will apply via unobtrusive semantic hooks to any form.

Why another unobtrusive validation framework? Because the other OSS validation frameworks I have come across are not as easily extensible, or provide the ability to display a summary of errors a the top of the form (on submit).

Check out the demonstration page demonstration page, or download the package the package to see what I mean.

Thoughts, ideas, feedback? Leave me a comment.