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Jacob Khan
May 31, 2010
  12724
(0 votes)

XForms validation

I recently got a question from a partner if it is possible to add validation to check if two fields are equal to each other. The scenario was that a user is asked for their email address and then asked to confirm it. I have already blogged about how to add a simple regular expression validation but this requires a bit more code but not much. Anders Hattestad wrote a great blog post on how to extend XForms and with the help of his blog post I got my validation working.

I start by adding a regular expression validation in my global.asax.

   1: protected void Application_Start(Object sender, EventArgs e)
   2:         {
   3:             EPiServer.XForms.DataTypes.Types.Add("Similar", "aretheysimilar");
   4:             XFormControl.ControlSetup += new EventHandler(XForm_ControlSetup);
   5:         }

This is only done to get the validation to show up in our drop down list.xformssim

When I select two different textboxes I mark both as similar in the drop down list.

On the event control.ControlsCreated += I attach and add some code.

First thing I do is that I try to find the regular expression validation added with my dummy regex.

 

   1: List<string> equalcontrolstocheck = new List<string>();
   2:           List<string> removecontrols = new List<string>();
   3:           foreach (Control item in  formControl.Controls)
   4:           {
   5:               if (item is System.Web.UI.WebControls.RegularExpressionValidator)
   6:               {
   7:                   if (((RegularExpressionValidator)item).ValidationExpression == "aretheysimilar")
   8:                   {
   9:                       Control c = formControl.FindControl(((RegularExpressionValidator)item).ControlToValidate);
  10:  
  11:                       equalcontrolstocheck.Add(c.ID);
  12:                       removecontrols.Add(item.ID);
  13:                   }
  14:               }
  15:           }

I then add the controls to a list and the controls they validate. I then remove the regular expression validation controls and add a compare control saying that both controls should be equal

 

   1: if (equalcontrolstocheck.Count > 1)
   2:           {
   3:  
   4:               formControl.Controls.Remove(formControl.FindControl(removecontrols[0]));
   5:               formControl.Controls.Remove(formControl.FindControl(removecontrols[1]));
   6:  
   7:               CompareValidator comparevalid = new CompareValidator();
   8:               comparevalid.ControlToValidate = equalcontrolstocheck[0];
   9:               comparevalid.ControlToCompare = equalcontrolstocheck[1];
  10:               comparevalid.Type = ValidationDataType.String;
  11:               comparevalid.Operator = ValidationCompareOperator.Equal;
  12:               comparevalid.Text = "They do not match";
  13:               comparevalid.ID = "emailisequal";
  14:               comparevalid.Display = ValidatorDisplay.Dynamic;
  15:               comparevalid.ValidationGroup = "XForm";
  16:  
  17:               formControl.Controls.Add(comparevalid);
  18:  
  19:           }

The end results are that if they are not equal it will show

 

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May 31, 2010

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