Form validation is a key feature in AngularJS that ensures the data entered by the user conforms to the expected format before it is processed. AngularJS provides a robust mechanism for validating forms and fields, including built-in validation directives and support for custom validation.
Built-in Validation Directives
ng-required: Specifies that an input field must be filled out before submitting the form.
<input type="text" ng-model="user.name" ng-required="true">
ng-minlength: Sets the minimum number of characters required in an input field.
<input type="text" ng-model="user.name" ng-minlength="3">
ng-maxlength: Sets the maximum number of characters allowed in an input field.
<input type="text" ng-model="user.name" ng-maxlength="10">
ng-pattern: Specifies a regular expression that the input field's value must match.
<input type="text" ng-model="user.email" ng-pattern="/^[a-z]+@[a-z]+\.[a-z]{2,3}$/">
ng-change: Specifies an expression to evaluate when the value of an input field changes.
<input type="text" ng-model="user.name" ng-change="validateName()">
Example of Form Validation
Below is an example AngularJS application that demonstrates form validation using built-in directives:
<!doctype html>
<html lang="en" data-ng-app="myApp">
<head>
<meta charset="utf-8">
<meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1">
<title>AngularJS Todo List</title>
<link href="https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/npm/bootstrap@5.3.3/dist/css/bootstrap.min.css" rel="stylesheet"
integrity="sha384-QWTKZyjpPEjISv5WaRU9OFeRpok6YctnYmDr5pNlyT2bRjXh0JMhjY6hW+ALEwIH" crossorigin="anonymous">
<link rel="stylesheet" href="https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/npm/bootstrap-icons@1.11.3/font/bootstrap-icons.min.css">
<!-- Angurr JS CDN -->
<script src="https://cdnjs.cloudflare.com/ajax/libs/angular.js/1.8.3/angular.min.js"
integrity="sha512-KZmyTq3PLx9EZl0RHShHQuXtrvdJ+m35tuOiwlcZfs/rE7NZv29ygNA8SFCkMXTnYZQK2OX0Gm2qKGfvWEtRXA=="
crossorigin="anonymous" referrerpolicy="no-referrer">
</script>
<style>
.ng-invalid.ng-touched {
border-color: red;
}
.ng-valid.ng-touched {
border-color: green;
}
</style>
</head>
<body>
<div class="container" ng-app="myApp" ng-controller="MySimpleController">
<h2>AngularJS Form</h2>
<hr>
<!-- Create a form -->
<form name="userForm" class="row g-3" accept="" method="" ng-submit="submitForm(userForm.$valid)" novalidate> <!-- Create a field for name model --> <div class="col-12"> <label class="form-label fw-bold">Name</label> <input type="text" id="name" name="name" ng-model="user.name" ng-minlength="3" ng-maxlength="20" class="form-control" placeholder="Name" autofocus="true" ng-pattern="/^[a-zA-Z0-9._-]+$/" required /> <p class="text-danger"> <span ng-show="userForm.name.$error.required && userForm.name.$touched">Name is required.</span> <span ng-show="userForm.name.$error.minlength">Name is too short.</span> <span ng-show="userForm.name.$error.maxlength">Name is too long.</span> <span ng-show="userForm.name.$error.pattern">Invalid name format.</span> </p> </div> <!-- Create a filed for email model --> <div class="col-12"> <label class="form-label fw-bold">Email</label> <input type="email" ng-model="user.email" class="form-control" placeholder="Email" autofocus="true" required /> <p class="text-danger"> <span ng-show="userForm.email.$error.required && userForm.email.$touched">Email is required.</span> <span ng-show="userForm.email.$error.email">Invalid email address.</span> </p> </div> <!-- Create a field for age model --> <div class="col-12"> <label class="form-label fw-bold">Age</label> <input type="number" id="age" name="age" ng-model="user.age" min="0" max="120" class="form-control" placeholder="Age" autofocus="true" required /> <p class="text-danger"> <span ng-show="userForm.age.$error.required && userForm.age.$touched">Age is required.</span> <span ng-show="userForm.age.$error.min">Age must be at least 0.</span> <span ng-show="userForm.age.$error.max">Age must be at most 120.</span> </p> </div> <!-- Create a field for about model --> <div class="col-12"> <label class="form-label fw-bold">About</label> <textarea type="text" id="about" name="about" ng-model="user.about" class="form-control" placeholder="About" autofocus="true" required></textarea> <p class="text-danger"> <span ng-show="userForm.about.$error.required && userForm.about.$touched">About is required.</span> </p> </div> <div class="col-12"> <!-- <button class="btn btn-primary" ng-disabled="userForm.$invalid">Submit</button> --> <button class="btn btn-primary" >Submit</button> <div> </form> </div> <script> var app = angular.module('myApp', []); app.controller('MySimpleController', function ($scope) { $scope.user = { name: '', email: '', age: null, about: null }; $scope.checkUsername = function (value) { // Custom validation logic if (value) { var isValid = value.match(/^[a-zA-Z0-9._-]+$/); return isValid ? true : false; } return false; }; $scope.submitForm = function (isValid) { if (isValid) { // Process form data alert('Form is valid!'); } }; }); </script> </body> </html>AngularJS provides a comprehensive set of built-in directives for form validation, including ng-required, ng-minlength, ng-maxlength, ng-pattern, and ng-change. These directives allow developers to ensure that user input meets specific criteria before it is processed, enhancing the robustness and reliability of web applications.
Benefits
- Improved User Experience: Real-time feedback on form inputs helps users correct errors immediately.
- Increased Data Integrity: Ensures that data submitted to the server meets the specified validation rules.
- Custom Validation: Allows the creation of custom validation rules to meet specific requirements.
- Declarative Syntax: This makes it easy to add validation rules directly in the HTML, improving code readability.
Pros
- Built-in Support: AngularJS provides a wide range of built-in validation directives.
- Real-time Feedback: Validation messages can be shown as the user types, providing instant feedback.
- Customizability: Custom validation can be implemented to handle complex scenarios.
Cons
- Complexity: Managing complex forms with many validation rules can become cumbersome.
- Performance: Extensive use of validation directives can impact performance, especially in large forms.
- Learning Curve: Developers need to understand how AngularJS validation works, which can be challenging for beginners.
Overall, form validation in AngularJS enhances the user experience and ensures data integrity, making it a vital feature for web applications.
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