Validation Controls In ASP.

NET
Validation controls are used to,

 Implement presentation logic.

 To validate user input data.
 Data format, data type and data range is used for validation.

Validation is of two types

1. Client Side
2. Serve Side

Client side validation is good but we have to be dependent on browser and scripting language support.

Client side validation is considered convenient for users as they get instant feedback. The main
advantage is that it prevents a page from being postback to the server until the client validation is
executed successfully.

For developer point of view serve side is preferable because it will not fail, it is not dependent on
browser and scripting language.

You can use ASP.NET validation, which will ensure client, and server validation. It work on both end;
first it will work on client validation and than on server validation. At any cost server validation will work
always whether client validation is executed or not. So you have a safety of validation check.

For client script .NET used JavaScript. WebUIValidation.js file is used for client validation by .NET
Validation Controls in ASP.NET
An important aspect of creating ASP.NET Web pages for user input is to be able to check that the
information users enter is valid. ASP.NET provides a set of validation controls that provide an easy-to-
use but powerful way to check for errors and, if necessary, display messages to the user.

There are six types of validation controls in ASP.NET

1. RequiredFieldValidation Control
2. CompareValidator Control
3. RangeValidator Control
4. RegularExpressionValidator Control
5. CustomValidator Control
6. ValidationSummary

Validation Cdontroldddd Description

RequiredFieldValidation Makes an input control a required field

CompareValidator Compares the value of one input control to the value of another input
control or to a fixed value
RangeValidator Checks that the user enters a value that falls between two values

RegularExpressionValidator Ensures that the value of an input control matches a specified pattern

CustomValidator Allows you to write a method to handle the validation of the value entered

ValidationSummary Displays a report of all validation errors occurred in a Web page

All validation controls are rendered in form as <span> (label are referred as <span> on client by server)

Important points for validation controls

 ControlToValidate property is mandatory to all validate controls.

 One validation control will validate only one input control but multiple validate control can be
assigned to an input control.

Validation Properties

Usually, Validation is invoked in response to user actions like clicking submit button or entering data.
Suppose you wish to perform validation on page when user clicks submit button.

Server validation will only performed when CauseValidation is set to true.

When the value of the CausesValidation property is set to true, you can also use the ValidationGroup
property to specify the name of the validation group for which the Button control causes validation.

Page has a Validate() method. If it is true this methods is executed. Validate() executes each validation
control.

To make this happen, simply set the CauseValidation property to true for submit button as shown below:

<asp:Button ID="Button2" runat="server" Text="Submit" CausesValidation=true />

Lets understand validation controls one by one with practical demonstration:

RequiredFieldValidation Control
The RequiredFieldValidator control is simple validation control, which checks to see if the data is
entered for the input control. You can have a RequiredFieldValidator control for each form element on
which you wish to enforce Mandatory Field rule.

 <asp:RequiredFieldValidator ID="RequiredFieldValidator3"
runat="server"
 Style="top: 98px; left: 367px; position: absolute; height: 26px; width:
162px"
  ErrorMessage="password required" ControlToValidate="TextBox2">
 </asp:RequiredFieldValidator>
CompareValidator Control
The CompareValidator control allows you to make comparison to compare data entered in an input
control with a constant value or a value in a different control.

It can most commonly be used when you need to confirm password entered by the user at the
registration time. The data is always case sensitive.

 <asp:RequiredFieldValidator ID="RequiredFieldValidator2" runat="server"

Style="top: 145px;
 left: 367px; position: absolute; height: 26px; width: 162px"
ErrorMessage="password required"
 ControlToValidate="TextBox3"></asp:RequiredFieldValidator>
RangeValidator Control
The RangeValidator Server Control is another validator control, which checks to see if a control value is
within a valid range. The attributes that are necessary to this control are: MaximumValue,
MinimumValue, and Type.

 <asp:RangeValidator ID="RangeValidator1" runat="server"

 Style="top: 194px; left: 365px; position: absolute; height: 22px;
width: 105px"
 ErrorMessage="RangeValidator" ControlToValidate="TextBox4"
MaximumValue="100" MinimumValue="18"
Type="Integer"></asp:RangeValidator>
RegularExpressionValidator Control
A regular expression is a powerful pattern matching language that can be used to identify simple and
complex characters sequence that would otherwise require writing code to perform.

Using RegularExpressionValidator server control, you can check a user's input based on a pattern that
you define using a regular expression.

It is used to validate complex expressions. These expressions can be phone number, email address, zip
code and many more. Using Regular Expression Validator is very simple. Simply set the
ValidationExpression property to any type of expression you want and it will validate it.

If you don't find your desired regular expression, you can create your custom one.

In the example I have checked the email id format:

 <asp:RegularExpressionValidator ID="RegularExpressionValidator1"
runat="server" Style="top: 234px;
 left: 366px; position: absolute; height: 22px; width: 177px"
 ErrorMessage="RegularExpressionValidator"
ControlToValidate="TextBox5"
 ValidationExpression="\w+([-+.']\w+)*@\w+([-.]\w+)*\.\w+([-
.]\w+)*"></asp:RegularExpressionValidator>
Default.aspx Design
Default.aspx Source code

 <%@ Page Language="C#" AutoEventWireup="true"

CodeFile="Default.aspx.cs" Inherits="_Default" %>
 <!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN"
"http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd">
 <html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml">
 <head runat="server">
 <title>Untitled Page</title>
 </head>
 <body>
 <form id="form1" runat="server">
 <div>
 <asp:Label ID="Label3" runat="server" Style="top: 241px; left:
70px; position: absolute;
 height: 22px; width: 128px; bottom: 282px;" Text="Enter
your email id:"></asp:Label>
 <asp:Label ID="Label1" runat="server" Style="top: 54px; left:
74px; position: absolute;
 height: 22px; width: 128px" Text="Enter your
name:"></asp:Label>
 <asp:TextBox ID="TextBox1" runat="server" Style="top: 54px;
left: 221px; position: absolute;
 height: 22px; width: 128px; right: 396px;"></asp:TextBox>
 <asp:RequiredFieldValidator ID="RequiredFieldValidator1"
runat="server" Style="top: 56px;
 left: 378px; position: absolute; height: 22px; width:
128px" ErrorMessage="RequiredFieldValidator"
 ControlToValidate="TextBox1">name is
 mandatory </asp:RequiredFieldValidator>
 </div>
 <p>
 <asp:Button ID="Button1" runat="server" Style="top: 311px;
left: 267px; position: absolute;
 height: 26px; width: 61px" Text="Submit" />
 </p>
 <asp:TextBox ID="TextBox3" runat="server" Style="top: 145px; left:
217px; position: absolute;
 height: 22px; width: 131px"
TextMode="Password"></asp:TextBox>
 <p>
 <asp:TextBox ID="TextBox2" runat="server" Style="top: 101px;
left: 218px; position: absolute;
 height: 22px; width: 131px"
TextMode="Password"></asp:TextBox>
 <asp:Label ID="Label4" runat="server" Style="top: 105px; left:
74px; position: absolute;
 height: 22px; width: 128px" Text="Password"></asp:Label>
 <asp:TextBox ID="TextBox5" runat="server" Style="top: 239px;
left: 210px; position: absolute;
 height: 22px; width: 134px"></asp:TextBox>
 </p>
 <asp:RequiredFieldValidator ID="RequiredFieldValidator3"
runat="server" Style="top: 98px;
 left: 367px; position: absolute; height: 26px; width: 162px"
ErrorMessage="password required"
 ControlToValidate="TextBox2"></asp:RequiredFieldValidator>
 <asp:RequiredFieldValidator ID="RequiredFieldValidator2"
runat="server" Style="top: 145px;
 left: 367px; position: absolute; height: 26px; width: 162px"
ErrorMessage="password required"
 ControlToValidate="TextBox3"></asp:RequiredFieldValidator>
 <asp:CompareValidator ID="CompareValidator1" runat="server"
Style="top: 149px; left: 512px;
 position: absolute; height: 26px; width: 162px"
ErrorMessage="CompareValidator"
 ControlToValidate="TextBox3"
ValueToCompare="hello"></asp:CompareValidator>
 <p>
 <asp:Label ID="Label5" runat="server" Style="top: 148px; left:
71px; position: absolute;
 height: 22px; width: 128px; bottom: 375px;" Text="Confirm
Password"></asp:Label>
 <asp:TextBox ID="TextBox4" runat="server" Style="top: 194px;
left: 212px; position: absolute;
 height: 22px; width: 140px"></asp:TextBox>
 <asp:Label ID="Label6" runat="server" Style="top: 194px; left:
71px; position: absolute;
 height: 22px; width: 128px; bottom: 329px;" Text="Enter
your age:"></asp:Label>
 </p>
 <asp:RangeValidator ID="RangeValidator1" runat="server" Style="top:
194px; left: 365px;
 position: absolute; height: 22px; width: 105px"
ErrorMessage="RangeValidator"
 ControlToValidate="TextBox4" MaximumValue="100"
MinimumValue="18" Type="Integer"></asp:RangeValidator>
 <asp:RegularExpressionValidator ID="RegularExpressionValidator1"
runat="server" Style="top: 234px;
  left: 366px; position: absolute; height: 22px; width: 177px"
 ErrorMessage="RegularExpressionValidator"
ControlToValidate="TextBox5"
 ValidationExpression="\w+([-+.']\w+)*@\w+([-.]\w+)*\.\w+([-
.]\w+)*"></asp:RegularExpressionValidator>
 </form>
 </body>
 </html>
CustomValidator Control

You can solve your purpose with ASP.NET validation control. But if you still don't find solution you can
create your own custom validator control.

The CustomValidator Control can be used on client side and server side. JavaScript is used to do client
validation and you can use any .NET language to do server side validation.

I will explain you CustomValidator using server side. You should rely more on server side validation.

To write CustomValidator on server side you override ServerValidate event.

Source Code

 <%@ Page Langu

 G]rfg[prpf[pf[gg;f;glage="C#" AutoEventWireup="true"
CodeFile="Default.aspx.cs" Inherits="_Default" %>
 <!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN"
"http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd">
 <html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml">
 <head runat="server">
 <title>Untitled Page</title>
 </head>
 <body>
 <form id="form1" runat="server">
 <div>
 <asp:Label ID="Label1" runat="server" Text="User
ID:"></asp:Label>
 <asp:TextBox ID="TextBox1" runat="server"></asp:TextBox>
 <asp:RequiredFieldValidator ID="RequiredFieldValidator1"
runat="server"
 ControlToValidate="TextBox1" ErrorMessage="User id
required"></asp:RequiredFieldValidator>

 <asp:CustomValidator ID="CustomValidator1" runat="server"
OnServerValidate="UserCustomValidate"
 ControlToValidate="TextBox1"
 ErrorMessage="User ID should have atleast a capital, small
and digit and should be greater than 5 and less
 than 26 letters"
  SetFocusOnError="True"></asp:CustomValidator>
 </div>
 <asp:Button ID="Button1" runat="server" onclick="Button1_Click"
Text="Submit" />
 </form>
 </body>
 </html>
Code behind file

 using System;
 using System.Configuration;
 using System.Data;
 using System.Linq;
 using System.Web;
 using System.Web.Security;
 using System.Web.UI;
 using System.Web.UI.HtmlControls;
 using System.Web.UI.WebControls;
 using System.Web.UI.WebControls.WebParts;
 using System.Xml.Linq;

 public partial class _Default : System.Web.UI.Page
 {
 protected void UserCustomValidate(object source,
ServerValidateEventArgs args)
 {
 string str = args.Value;
 args.IsValid = false;
 //checking for input length greater than 6 and less than 25
characters
 if (str.Length < 6 || str.Length > 25)
 {
 return;
 }
 //checking for a atleast a single capital letter
 bool capital = false;
 foreach (char ch in str)
 {
 if (ch >= 'A' && ch <= 'Z')
 {
 capital = true;
 break;
 }
 }
 if (!capital)
 {
 return;
 }
 //checking for a atleast a single lower letter
 bool lower = false;
 foreach (char ch in str)
 {
 if (ch >= 'a' && ch <= 'z')
 {
 lower = true;
 break;
 }
 }
 if (!lower)
 {
 return;
 }
 bool digit = false;
 foreach (char ch in str)
 {
 if (ch >= '0' && ch <= '9')
 {
 digit = true;
 break;
 }
 }
 if (!digit)
 {
 return;
 }
 args.IsValid = true;
 }
 protected void Page_Load(object sender, EventArgs e)
 {
 }
 protected void Button1_Click(object sender, EventArgs e)
 {
 }
 }