<h1 align="center"> <a href='https://yaireo.github.io/validator'>Validator</a> - Lightweight & Easy HTML form <em>inputs</em> checker </h1> <a href='https://www.npmjs.com/package/@yaireo/validator'> <img src="https://img.shields.io/npm/v/@yaireo/validator.svg" /> </a>

The Validator is cross-browser and will give you the power to use future-proof input types such as:<br> tel, email, number, date, time, checkbox and url.

👉 See Demo

npm i @yaireo/validator --save

// usage:

import FormValidator from '@yaireo/validator'

// or download the `validator.js` file and add load it inside your HTML file
<script src='validator.js'></script>

Why should you use this?

• Cross browser validation
• Deals with all sorts of edge cases
• Utilize new HTML5 types for unsupported browsers
• Flexible error messaging system
• Light-weight (19kb + comments, unminified)

Validation types support

HTML5 offers a wide selection of input types. I saw no need to support them all, for example, a checkbox should not be validated as ‘required’ because why wouldn’t it be checked in the first place when the form is rendered?

For a full list of all the available types, visit the working draft page. These input types can be validated by the JS for – <input type='foo' name='bar' />. (Support is synthesized)

✔️ text <br/> ✔️ email <br/> ✔️ password - also comparing "re-type password" inputs<br/> ✔️ number <br/> ✔️ date <br/> ✔️ time <br/> ✔️ uRL <br/> ✔️ search <br/> ✔️ file <br/> ✔️ tel <br/> ✔️ checkbox <br/> ✔️ select <br/> ✔️ textarea<br/> ✔️ hidden – can also have the ‘required’ attribute

Basic semantics

<form action="" method="post" novalidate>
    <fieldset>
        <div class="field">
            <label>
                <span>Name</span>
                <input data-validate-length-range="6" data-validate-words="2" name="name" placeholder="ex. John f. Kennedy" required="required" type="text" />
            </label>
            <div class='tooltip help'>
                <span>?</span>
                <div class='content'>
                    <b></b>
                    <p>Name must be at least 2 words</p>
                </div>
            </div>
        </div>
        <div class="field">
            <label>
                <span>email</span>
                <input name="email" required="required" type="email" />
            </label>
        </div>
            ...

First, obviously, there is a Form element with the novalidate attribute to make sure all the native HTML5 validations (which currently suck) are disabled. Proceeding, there is a Fieldset element which is not a must, but acts as a “binding” box for a group of fields that are under the same “category”. For bigger forms there are many field groups that are visually separated from each other for example. Now, we treat every form field element the user interacts with, whatsoever, as a “field”, and therefor these “fields” will be wrapped with <div class='field'>. This isolation gives great powers. Next, inside a field, there will typically be an input or select or something of the sort, so they are put inside a <label> element, to get rid of the (annoying) 'For' attribute, on the label (which also requires us to give an ID to the form field element), and now when a user clicks on the label, the field will get focused. Great. Going back to the label’s text itself, we wrap it with a <span> to have control over it’s style.

The whole approach here is to define each form field (input, select, whatever) as much as possible with HTML5 attributes and also with custom attributes.

HTML Attributes on form elements

| Attribute | Purpose | | ---------------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | | required | Defines that this field should be validated (with JS by my implementation and not via native HTML5 browser defaults) | | placeholder | Writes some placeholder text which usually describes the fields with some example input (not supported in IE8 and below) | | pattern | Defines a pattern which the field is evaluated with. Out-of-the-box available values are:<br>numeric - Allow only numbers<br>alphanumeric - Allow only numbers or letters. No special language characters<br>phone - Allow only numbers, spaces or dashes.<br><br>Alternatively, you may write your own custom regex here as well | | data-validate-words | Defines the minimum amount of words for this field | | data-validate-length | Defines the length allowed for the field (after trim). Example value: 7,11 (field can only have 7 or 11 characters). you can add how many allowed lengths you wish | | data-validate-length-range | Defines the minimum and/or maximum number of chars in the field (after trim). value can be 4,8 for example, or just 4 to set minimum chars only | | data-validate-linked | Defines the field which the current field value (the attribute is set on) should be compared to. Value can be a selector or another input's name attribute's value | | data-validate-minmax | For type number only. Defines the minimum and/or maximum value that can be in that field | | data-validate-text-invalid | Error text message for specific field

pattern attribute

It is possible to write your own unique Regex patterns directly in the attribute or reference to it by custom name, for example:

<input type="text" required="required" pattern="myCustomRegex" />

var validator = new FormValidator({
    regex : {
        myCustomRegex: '/whatever/'
    }
}, );

Optional fields

There is also support for optional fields, which are not validated, unless they have a value. The support for this feature is done by adding a class optional to a form element. Note that this should not be done along side the “required” attribute.

Error messages

{
    invalid         : 'input is not as expected',
    short           : 'input is too short',
    long            : 'input is too long',
    checked         : 'must be checked',
    empty           : 'please put something here',
    select          : 'Please select an option',
    number_min      : 'too low',
    number_max      : 'too high',
    url             : 'invalid URL',
    number          : 'not a number',
    email           : 'email address is invalid',
    email_repeat    : 'emails do not match',
    date            : 'invalid date',
    time            : 'invalid time',
    password_repeat : 'passwords do not match',
    no_match        : 'no match',
    complete        : 'input is not complete'
}

This object can be extended easily. The idea is to extend it with new keys which represent the name (attribute) of the field you want the message to be linked to, and that custom message appear as the general error one. Default messages can be over-ridden.

Example of a specific input field's error message:

<input type="text" data-validate-length-range="2,6" required="required" pattern="alphanumeric"  data-validate-text-invalid='Please follow the pattern rules'/>

Another example:

<input type="text" name="mySpecialInput" data-validate-length-range="2,6" required="required" pattern="alphanumeric" />

var validator = new FormValidator({
    texts : {
        mySpecialInput: 'wrong input' // set custom error message for that specific field, by "name"
    }
});

Example: for a given type date field, lets set a custom (general error) message like so:

// set custom text on initialization:
var validator = new FormValidator({
    texts : {
        date: 'not a real date'
    }
});

// or post-initialization
var validator = new FormValidator();
validator.texts.date = 'not a real d