validate_form.js
Version history

VERSION 1.9b: Monday, July 05, 2004

A complete re-write. New features and changes :

• Compression has been upgraded. More importantly, optional and core functionality has been separated. Each optional component is downloaded only when explicitly activated by you.
• The new Permanent VF-Diagnostics Toolbar: A useful toolbar for diagnostics and debugging purposes. The reference to vfp-diagnostics remains in your webpage during production, but is not downloaded to the client until activated.
• Documentation improvements:
  • Installation and build instructions. (Upgrade instructions)
  • The cute little toolbar above. :'  )
  • [CNCPT] Concept and object-type documentation is standardized.
  • Interactive example code for every concept-type combination.
  • [TTRL] Tutorial to walk you through every major validate_form.js concept.
  • [JS]: Public JavaScript class and function documentation.
• The only major change to vf-config is SIFmt-Attributes. Upgrade instructions are right below.
• Added the following optional 'special strings':
  • sMsgBadSubStr: ~BSS_FOUND~, ~BSS_LIST~
  • sMsgTxtDec: ~RANGE_MIN~, ~RANGE_MAX~
  • sMsgTxtInt ~RANGE_MIN~, ~RANGE_MAX~
  • sMsgBadLength: ~RANGE_MIN~, ~RANGE_MAX~, ~CURRLEN~ (in previous versions)
  • sMsgMCRange: ~OPTS_TOTAL~, ~OPTS_CHOSEN~, ~RANGE_MIN~, ~RANGE_MAX~
• Many more unit tests, each of which is implemented with the new test_and_xmpl.testCode(). Because running individual unit tests displays the code snippet and result, the 'error examples' section from previous versions has been eliminated.
• Many many minor bugs fixed, particualarly those related to undefined, null, 0, '', true, ... (special thanks to Laurent Vallis). Some documented restrictions didn't crash like they said they would. Now they do.
• Crashes are more informative.

Upgrading To Version 1.9b

1. Globally change, on a 'whole word' basis:
   • 'iDecMin' to 'dDecMin'
   • 'iDecMax' to 'dDecMax'
   • 'bsNoBadSubStrings' to 'bsNoBadSubStrs'
2. The only major change to vf-configuration is how zip codes and phone numbers are configured. See SIFmt-Attributes (particularly the 'Understanding' section) for details on how to implement them in this new version. Sorry for the trouble, but this is a much better implementation from both my and your perspectives.
3. Finally, the overall interaction between your web-page and validate_form.js has changed. See the code of the first tutorial for details, but, pretty much, all you need to do is...
   1. Every form is required to have a unique NAME.
   2. Add a call to loadVF() and configVF() as the very first JavaScript in the page.
   3. The third parameter of getFormErrorMsgs() used to be i_dbgPerScreen. It is now, instead, the second parameter of configVF().
   4. Add onLoad="completeVFLoad();" to your body tag.

Issues

Please help me figure out the following, if you happen to come across the answer. I'm particularly looking for browser incompatibilites, and those browsers it definitely works properly in. Thank you. I'll look in the user forums for you.

• Need to truly verify that when cookies are off, the toolbar, and links to 'concepts', 'object_types' and 'tutorial' files work properly.
• Not sure if this is serious or innocuous. I'm getting this error when I call alert() in Mozilla 0.9: Error: [Exception... "'Permission denied to get property XULElement.selectedIndex' when calling method: [nsIAutoCompletePopup::selectedIndex]"  nsresult: "0x8057001e (NS_ERROR_XPC_JS_THREW_STRING)"  location: "JS frame :: file:///E:/build/validate_form_js-1.9-beta/documentation/tutorial/vfc_un/tryit/the_basics.html :: submitGoodValues :: line 25"  data: no]
Source File: file:///E:/build/validate_form_js-1.9-beta/documentation/tutorial/vfc_un/tryit/the_basics.html
Line: 25

Approximate size of...

1.3.1: Saturday, October 4, 2003

License change from GNU General Public License (GPL) to the BSD License (with no advertising clause). If you are using previous versions of validate_form.js, they remain under the GPL. Special thanks to those who helped walk me through the licensing fire. :'  )

VERSION 1.3: Monday, September 22, 2003

Major reorganization and optimization of the build process and documentation, and also implemented into sourceforge.net. No changes have been made to any code.

Approximate size of...

...validate_form.js: 88kb uncompressed, 22kb compressed (exactly 72.66% smaller).
...validate_form_js-1.3.zip (302kb): Everything you need to run validate_form.js, including source code, documentation and example code
...validate_form_js_build-1.9.zip (410kb): Everything you need to build validate_form.js from scratch.

VERSION 1.2: Sunday, October 27, 2002

A major update as far as overall usefulness, however there are no significant functionality deletions/additions/changes.

• To address the most significant liability of validate_form.js, a compression routine has been added to the build process. Now the JavaScript file downloaded by your users is 74 percent smaller than in previous versions. See below for statistics, and compression.log for way-too-many details. Because of this, every piece of example code has been duplicated, the first importing validate_form.js (the compressed version) and the other validate_form.js. Also see the new special note: What you need to know regarding the compressed versus uncompressed versions of validate_form.js
• Added a numeric identification number to every error message. This applies only to you, the html/form programmer. No changes have been made to error messages as seen by your users. See the compressed- and uncompressed-versions of the error examples to see these new ids, and how only the id is used in the compressed version.
• Re-organized the special notes, example code and notes on formats documentation.
• Added documentation regarding the debugging capabilities in validate_form.js. This functionality is not new, but I wanted to feature it more. Also the new line in the conceptual table of contents.

Approximate size of...

...validate_form.js: 86kb uncompressed, 23kb compressed (73.71% smaller).
...everything (use): Code (with comments), documentation, tests and example code: 717kb (181kb zipped).
...everything (build): 1mb (508kb zipped).

VERSION 1.1.1: Saturday, October 12, 2002

A minor update. No functionality deletions or changes. Thanks to John Michael who inspired/suggested the changes in this update.

• Changed all the "HOORAY!!!" dialog boxes throughout the example code, to explicitly describe the difference between testing mode and actuality. Sorry about that, people.
• Added documentation regarding...
  • ...the default (not-selected) value for a drop down box/select-one form element. See sMsgRequired.
  • ...how the VALUE HTML attribute is required for select-one elements.
• Added the validate_form.js.gtMCSelCountOTF() utility function (see the first item under "You should understand these..."). This is a separate, utility function, and does not affect the core validate_form.js functionality. The purpose of this function is for those desiring to get the number of multiple-choice items selected, "on-the-fly". See the internal documentation, near the top of validate_form.js, and the corresponding vf example code and error examples
• The "Advanced" example has moved to the Learning JavaScript page, under "dynamic drop-downs"

Download to use or build. To download, you must join the validate_form.js Yahoo! Group.

Approximate size of...

...validate_form.js: 61kb not including internal comments, 90kb including comments.
...everything (use): Code (with comments), documentation, tests and example code: 462kb (113kb zipped).
...everything (build): 554kb (232kb zipped).

VERSION 1.1: Thursday, October 10, 2002

A major update, but 100 percent backwards compatible. You do not need to change any code to use this new version. Just replace your existing validate_form.js file with the 1.1 version

• New feature: sMsgTxtDec, including example code, unit tests and error examples. Note the new documentation about precision, regarding both sMsgTxtDec and sMsgTxtInt.
• Change: sMsgTxtPhone has been greatly enhanced. Version 1.0 only allowed for American phone numbers. You can now configure ten different formats, reflecting your part of the world, or a minimum/maximum range specifically applying to your website. There is new example code, unit tests and error examples.
• Change: sMsgTxtZip has been greatly enhanced, in the same way as sMsgTxtPhone. There is new example code, unit tests and error examples.
• New documentation: Added documentation on how I leave testing code in my HTML pages, even after they go live. Also documented a known issue--existing since version 1.0, regarding the naming of form elements with arrays. See Special notes to keep in mind.

Approximate size of...

...validate_form.js: 60kb not including internal comments, 87kb including comments.
...everything (use): Code (with comments), documentation, tests and example code: 433kb (106kb zipped).

VERSION 1.0: Sunday May 5, 2002

Initial release

Download to use or build. To download, you must join the validate_form.js Yahoo! Group.

Approximate size of...

...validate_form.js: 43kb not including internal comments, 61kb including comments.
...everything (use): Code (with comments), documentation, tests and example code: 276kb (72kb zipped).

Copyright (C) 2003-2005, Jeff Epstein.   All rights reserved.