help with data validation

08-05-2008

I'm trying to use Greasemonkey to add form validation to some Web pages
(whose construction is otherwise out of my control). To boil it down to
a simple test case, the combination of the original HTML and my script
results in something like...

<html>
<head>
<title>Validator test</title>
<script type="text/javascript"></script>
</head>
<body onload="Loaded();">
<form action="http://www.example.com/submitted/">
<input id="field1" maxlength="1" size="1" type="text" />
<input id="submit1" type="submit" value="Go" />
</form>
</body>
</html>

Steps to reproduce the problem:
- Cut and paste the above HTML into a file, and load it into Firefox.
- Enter "Q" in the text field.
- Without hitting the Tab key or otherwise exiting the text field, click
the "Go" button.

Expected result:
- The warning box pops up, and when the user dismisses it, the cursor is
back in the text field.

Observed result:
- The warning box pops up, but before the user dismisses it, the form is
submitted anyway.

Now, I understand that preventDefault() and stopPropagation() are
affecting field1 and not submit1, but why not? Shouldn't canceling an
event cancel ALL the effects of that event? More to the point, how can
I ensure that the "submit" effects ARE canceled, and how can I do it
when the actual page could have several dozen submit buttons, in guises
such as...

<a href="javascript:forms[0].submit()">Go</a>

<a href="javascript:__doPostBack('foo2','bar2')">Go</a>

<a onclick="__doPostBack('foo3','bar3')">Go</a>

<select onchange="javascript:__doPostBack('foo4','bar4')">
<option>!Go</option>
<option>Go!</option>
</select>

<a href="javascript:void(0)" id="anchor5">Go<script
type="text/javascript"> </script></a>

....???

08-05-2008

Jim Wooseman wrote:

> var theField = document.getElementById ('field1') ;
> theField.addEventListener ('change', validCk, false) ;
> }
> function validCk (e) {
> if (!/([a-c])/.test (this.value) ) {
> alert ('You must enter a, b, or c in this field.') ;
> e.preventDefault () ;

See
http://www.w3.org/TR/2000/REC-DOM-Le...ngs-htmlevents,
the change event is not cancelable so that preventDefault() does not help.

> More to the point, how can
> I ensure that the "submit" effects ARE canceled, and how can I do it
> when the actual page could have several dozen submit buttons, in guises
> such as...

If you want to cancel form submission by a submit button then you should
add an event listener for the submit event to the form itself. The
submit event can be cancelled so that listener should call
e.preventDefault() if you don't want the form to be submitted.

However note that calling the submit method of a form does not raise the
submit event.

--

Martin Honnen
http://JavaScript.FAQTs.com/

08-06-2008

Martin Honnen wrote:

> However note that calling the submit method of a form does not raise the
> submit event.

Then that does me no good, because 90% of the "Go" links on this page
call submit(), either directly or via __doPostBack().

08-06-2008

Jim Wooseman wrote:
> Martin Honnen wrote:
>> However note that calling the submit method of a form does not raise the
>> submit event.
>
> Then that does me no good, because 90% of the "Go" links on this page
> call submit(), either directly or via __doPostBack().

Make them submit buttons and extend the form to include them. This is also
the accessible approach.

PointedEars
--
realism: HTML 4.01 Strict
evangelism: XHTML 1.0 Strict
madness: XHTML 1.1 as application/xhtml+xml
-- Bjoern Hoehrmann

08-06-2008

On Aug 5, 8:04*pm, Jim Wooseman <dont.need...@stinkin.spam> wrote:
> Martin Honnen wrote:
> > However note that calling the submit method of a form does not raise the
> > submit event.
>
> Then that does me no good, because 90% of the "Go" links on this page
> call submit(), either directly or via __doPostBack().

That's what happens when you use incompetently designed frameworks
(e.g. ASP.NET.)

08-07-2008

Thomas 'PointedEars' Lahn wrote:

> Make them submit buttons and extend the form to include them. This is also
> the accessible approach.

That _would_ be The Right Thing to do, but it's also a lot of work for a
Greasemonkey script.

08-07-2008

David Mark wrote:

> That's what happens when you use incompetently designed frameworks
> (e.g. ASP.NET.)

I know, but I didn't pick it, I just use the site.

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