ASP.NET 2.0 Cookbook, 2nd Edition

Introduction

ASP.NET validation controls (also known as validators) simplify the task of ensuring that data is entered correctly on forms. For most validations, no code is required in the .aspx file or the code-behind class. You add a validator to the .aspx file, have it reference an input control (a server control) elsewhere on the page, and set one or more of its validation attributes (such as MinimumValue or MaximumValue, which specify the minimum and maximum values of a validation range). ASP.NET does all the rest. You can combine validators to provide multiple validations on a single input, such as a RequiredFieldValidator and a RangeValidator, which perform as their names imply.

Validation can be performed on the client and server. By default, validators perform their validation automatically on postback in server code. However, if the user has a browser that supports DHTML and client-side validation is enabled, validators can perform their validation using client script. Client-side validation is handy whenever you want to avoid a round trip to the server for server-side validation, such as when you want to make sure an entry is provided in a text box. Regardless of whether client-side validation is performed, server-side validation is always a good idea if only to ensure that validation takes place, even when the user’s browser doesn’t support DHTML.

This chapter includes a useful collection of recipes for validating data, starting with automatic, attribute-oriented validation, ...