Belongs to following categories: Extension, ULC6.0, ULC6.1, ULC6.2,
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ULC Validation Components
Form-based applications need to navigate the user through text fields
and other components that are sometimes either mandatory or impose
constraints on the acceptable input.
ULC Base supports
mandatory fields with specified client-side
enabling, such that a trailing action can only be selected when a field
is filled. ULC Base also supports
constraints on fields with
IDataTypes.
This extension adds a
ULCValidationTextField that provides an
enhanced and customizable
client-side feedback for these
purposes. Additionally the following mandatory components:
ULCMandatoryTextArea,
ULCMandatoryComboBox and
ULCMandatoryButtonGroup are provided.
This extension builds means that ULC Base already provides.
The enhanced feedback includes:
- a customizable background color for mandatory
components that falls back to the default color as soon as a value is
entered
- a customizable border color for for mandatory
components that stays around the field as long as it is mandatory
(regardless of the input)
- a customizable warning background color for the
validation text field used if the input violates a DataType constraint
of status 'warning'
- a customizable error background color for the
validation text field used if the input violates a DataType constraint
of status 'error'
- an optional List of all current errors and warnings of
all components that share a common validation model
- an optional Table of all current errors and warnings of
all components that share a common validation model
- errors and warnings are displayed with an icon and explaining
message where the lack of input for mandatory components is treated
like errors
- three types of validation triggering are supported:
validation can be applied for every keystroke, on selection
changes or on focus lost
All the above can be handled at the
client side without server
roundtrips but when a server roundtrip happens anyway, all validation
states and messages are also available on the server (i.e. in your
application).
All mandatory and validation components can also serve as a
client-side
Enabler, in which case it obeys the following logic for enabling:
- mandatory fields may not be empty
- non-mandatory fields are allowed to be empty
- the validation state may be warning but not error
Resources
How To Use
The usage concept and the implementation is based on the
JGoodies
Validation Framework .
You instantiate, configure, and use a
ULCValidationTextField like
a
ULCTextField with three additional parameters:
- an ULCValidationModel that can be shared between
multiple components to collect all their warnings and errors, e.g. for
collected display in a list or a table
- a key that is used to connect the component with possible
messages in the model
- a behaviour type (validation when key typed, selection changes
or focus lost)
// create a model to share results
ULCValidationModel model = new ULCValidationModel();// now the validation text field with key and behaviour type
ULCValidationTextField date = new ULCValidationTextField(model, "date", ValidationConstants.TYPE_FOCUS_LOST);// now create a mandatory text area with key and behaviour type
ULCMandatoryTextArea textArea = new ULCMandatoryTextArea(model, "textArea", ValidationConstants.TYPE_KEY_TYPED);
The components can be controlled with a number of getter/setter methods
for its properties.Besides this, they are ordinary ULCComponents.
To the
ULCValidationTextField you can assign a DataType after
creation.
An ordinary ULC DataType is wrapped for this purpose in a
ULCValidationDataType
that connects the DataType with a
ValidationMessage. A
ValidationMessage
represents what you see in list of warnings/errors. For the given key,
it stores the descriptive user explanation and a classification of
ValidationConstants.STATUS_ERROR
or
ValidationConstants.STATUS_WARNING.
// Example using DateDataType// create whatever DataType
ULCDateDataType dateDataType = new ULCDateDataType();
String descr = "expected: date formatted like "+dateDataType.getFormatString();// set the DataType wrapped together with a message and classification
date.setDataType(new ULCValidationDataType(dateDataType, new ValidationMessage(date.getKey(), descr, ValidationConstants.STATUS_ERROR)));
See the Javadoc for more details about available methods.
How It Is Implemented
Validation and mandatory components are extensions with a client and a
server half, following the usual way of implementing ULC Extensions. It
uses
the
extension template. The implementation is based on the
JGoodies
Validation Framework with a few tweaks. A customized version of the
framework is part of the client-side extension.
Compatibility
- ULC 6.0: JDK 1.4.2, JDK 1.5
- ULC 6.1: JDK 1.4.2, JDK 1.5
- ULC 6.2: JDK 1.4.2, JDK 1.5, JDK 1.6, Windows XP, Windows
Vista, Linux, Mac OSX Tiger
Known Issues And Future Work
- make client-side updated lists and tables more stable with
respect to sorting order
- make client-side updated lists and tables 'clickable' to jump
to the offending field
- allow registering multiple data types with 'chained'
application
- use of overlay icons for the text field
Change Log
- 1.0.1: updated javadoc
- 1.0.1: support alpha channels for Colors and allow initial
upload
- 2.0.0: additional mandatory components (ULCMandatoryTextArea,
ULCMandatoryComboBox and ULCMandatoryButtonGroup added
- 2.0.0: client - server synchronization of the ULCValidationModel
(validation result) implemented.
sibylle 
