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HTML-FormHandlerX-JQueryRemoteValidator-0.10
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/ HTML::FormHandlerX::JQueryRemoteValidator

NAME

HTML::FormHandlerX::JQueryRemoteValidator - call server-side validation code asynchronously from client-side forms.

VERSION

Version 0.10

SYNOPSIS

package MyApp::Form::Foo;
use HTML::FormHandler::Moose;

with 'HTML::FormHandlerX::JQueryRemoteValidator';

...

# You need to provide a form validation script at /ajax/formvalidator
# In Poet/Mason, something like this in /ajax/formvalidator.mp -

route ':form_name/:field_name';

method handle () {
    my $form = $.form($.form_name);
    $form->process(params => $.args, no_update => 1);

    my $err = join ' ', @{$form->field($.field_name)->errors};
    my $result = $err || 'true';

    $m->print(JSON->new->allow_nonref->encode($result));
}

CONFIGURATION AND SETUP

The purpose of this package is to automatically build a set of JQuery scripts and inject them into your forms. The scripts send user input to your server where you must provide an endpoint that can validate the fields. Since you already have an HTML::FormHandler form, you can use that. The synopsis has a straightforward example of how to do it.

The package uses the remote validation feature of the JQuery Validator framework. This also takes care of updating your form to notify the user of errors and successes while they fill in the form, but you will most likely want to customise that behaviour for your own situation. An example is given below.

What you need

JQuery

Load the JQuery library somewhere on your page.

JQuery validator

See the jquery_validator_link attribute.

Server-side validation endpoint

See the validation_endpoint attribute.

Some JS fragments to update the form
CSS to prettify it all

An example using the Bootstrap 3 framework

Markup

<form ...>

<div class="form-group form-group-sm">
    <label class="col-xs-3 control-label" for="AddressForm.name"></label>
    <div class="col-xs-6">
        <input type="text" name="AddressForm.name" id="AddressForm.name" 
            class="form-control" value="" />
    </div>
    <label for="AddressForm.name" id="AddressForm.name-error" 
        class="has-error control-label col-xs-3">
    </label>
</div>

<div class="form-group form-group-sm">
    <label class="col-xs-3 control-label" for="AddressForm.address"></label>
    <div class="col-xs-6">
        <input type="text" name="AddressForm.address" id="AddressForm.address" 
            class="form-control" value="" />
    </div>
    <label for="AddressForm.address" id="AddressForm.address-error" 
        class="has-error control-label col-xs-3">
    </label>
</div>

...

</form>

CSS

Most of the classes on the form come from Twitter Bootstrap 3. In this example, JQuery validator targets error messages to the second <label> on each form-control. This is the default behaviour but can be changed.

The default setup will display and remove messages as the user progresses through the form, but for a better user experience JQuery Validator offers lots of options. You can read about them at http://jqueryvalidation.org/validate/. You should start by reading the few sentences at the very bottom of that page.

Some useful additional styling to get started:

label.valid {
  width: 24px;
  height: 24px;
  background: url(/static/images/valid.png) center center no-repeat;
  display: inline-block;
  text-indent: -9999px;
}

label.error {
  font-weight: normal;
  color: red;
  padding: 2px 8px;
  margin-top: 2px;
}

JavaScript

You can provide extra JavaScript functions to control the behaviour of the error and success messages in the jqr_validate_options attribute:

my $jqr_validate_options = {
    highlight => q/function(element, errorClass, validClass) {
            $(element).closest('.form-group').addClass(errorClass).removeClass(validClass);
            $(element).closest('.form-group').find("label").removeClass("valid");
        }/,
    unhighlight => q/function(element, errorClass, validClass) {
            $(element).closest('.form-group').removeClass(errorClass);
        }/,
    success => q/function(errorLabel, element) {
            $(element).closest('.form-group').addClass("has-success");
            errorLabel.addClass("valid");
        }/,
    errorClass => '"has-error"',
    validClass => '"has-success"',
    errorPlacement => q/function(errorLabel, element) {
            errorLabel.appendTo( element.parent("div").parent("div") );
        }/,
};

has '+jqr_validate_options' => (default => sub {$jqr_validate_options});

Class attributes

validation_endpoint

Default: /ajax/formvalidator

The form data will be POSTed to [validation_endpoint]/[form_name]/[field_name].

Note that *all* fields are submitted, not just the field being validated.

You must write the code to handle this submission. The response should be a JSON string, either true if the field passed its tests, or a message describing the error. The message will be displayed on the form.

The synopsis has an example for Poet/Mason.

Default: http://ajax.aspnetcdn.com/ajax/jquery.validate/1.14.0/jquery.validate.min.js

You can leave this as-is, or if you prefer, you can put the file on your own server and modify this setting to point to it.

jquery_validator_opts

Default: {}

A HashRef, keys being the keys of the validate JQuery validator call documented at http://jqueryvalidation.org/validate/, with values being JavaScript functions etc. as described there.

skip_remote_validation_types

Default: [ qw(Hidden noCAPTCHA Display JSON JavaScript) ]

A list of field types that should not be included in the validation calls.

skip_remote_validation_fields

Default: [ qw(submit) ]

A list of field names that should not be included in the validation calls.

skip_all_remote_validation

Boolean, default 0.

A flag to turn off remote validation altogether, perhaps useful during form development.

See also

http://www.catalystframework.org/calendar/2012/23
http://alittlecode.com/wp-content/uploads/jQuery-Validate-Demo/index.html
http://jqueryvalidation.org

AUTHOR

David R. Baird, <dave at zerofive.co.uk>

CODE REPOSITORY

http://github.com/davebaird/html-formhandlerx-jqueryremotevalidator

Please report any bugs or feature requests there.

SUPPORT

You can find documentation for this module with the perldoc command.

perldoc HTML::FormHandlerX::JQueryRemoteValidator

You can also look for information at:

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

This started out as a modification of Aaron Trevana's HTML::FormHandlerX::Form::JQueryValidator

LICENSE AND COPYRIGHT

Copyright 2016 David R. Baird.

This program is free software; you can redistribute it and/or modify it under the terms of the the Artistic License (2.0). You may obtain a copy of the full license at:

http://www.perlfoundation.org/artistic_license_2_0

Any use, modification, and distribution of the Standard or Modified Versions is governed by this Artistic License. By using, modifying or distributing the Package, you accept this license. Do not use, modify, or distribute the Package, if you do not accept this license.

If your Modified Version has been derived from a Modified Version made by someone other than you, you are nevertheless required to ensure that your Modified Version complies with the requirements of this license.

This license does not grant you the right to use any trademark, service mark, tradename, or logo of the Copyright Holder.

This license includes the non-exclusive, worldwide, free-of-charge patent license to make, have made, use, offer to sell, sell, import and otherwise transfer the Package with respect to any patent claims licensable by the Copyright Holder that are necessarily infringed by the Package. If you institute patent litigation (including a cross-claim or counterclaim) against any party alleging that the Package constitutes direct or contributory patent infringement, then this Artistic License to you shall terminate on the date that such litigation is filed.

Disclaimer of Warranty: THE PACKAGE IS PROVIDED BY THE COPYRIGHT HOLDER AND CONTRIBUTORS "AS IS' AND WITHOUT ANY EXPRESS OR IMPLIED WARRANTIES. THE IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY, FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE, OR NON-INFRINGEMENT ARE DISCLAIMED TO THE EXTENT PERMITTED BY YOUR LOCAL LAW. UNLESS REQUIRED BY LAW, NO COPYRIGHT HOLDER OR CONTRIBUTOR WILL BE LIABLE FOR ANY DIRECT, INDIRECT, INCIDENTAL, OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES ARISING IN ANY WAY OUT OF THE USE OF THE PACKAGE, EVEN IF ADVISED OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH DAMAGE.