RegularExpressionValidator Class (System.Web.UI.WebControls)

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Microsoft Visual Studio 2005/.NET Framework 2.0

Other versions are also available for the following:

.NET Framework Class Library

RegularExpressionValidator Class

Validates whether the value of an associated input control matches the pattern specified by a regular expression.

Namespace: System.Web.UI.WebControls
Assembly: System.Web (in system.web.dll)

Syntax

Visual Basic (Declaration)

Public Class RegularExpressionValidator
    Inherits BaseValidator

Visual Basic (Usage)

Dim instance As RegularExpressionValidator

public class RegularExpressionValidator : BaseValidator

C++

public ref class RegularExpressionValidator : public BaseValidator

public class RegularExpressionValidator extends BaseValidator

JScript

public class RegularExpressionValidator extends BaseValidator

Remarks

The RegularExpressionValidator control checks whether the value of an input control matches a pattern defined by a regular expression. This type of validation allows you to check for predictable sequences of characters, such as those in e-mail addresses, telephone numbers, and postal codes.

Note
Validation succeeds if the input control is empty. If a value is required for the associated input control, use a RequiredFieldValidator control in addition to the RegularExpressionValidator control.

Both server-side and client-side validation are performed unless the browser does not support client-side validation or client-side validation is explicitly disabled (by setting the EnableClientScript property to false).

The regular-expression validation implementation is slightly different on the client than on the server. On the client, JScript regular-expression syntax is used. On the server, System.Text.RegularExpressions.Regex syntax is used. Since JScript regular expression syntax is a subset of System.Text.RegularExpressions.Regex syntax, it is recommended that JScript regular-expression syntax be used in order to yield the same results on both the client and the server.

For additional information on validation controls, see BaseValidator. For more information on regular expressions, see .NET Framework Regular Expressions.

Accessibility

The markup rendered by default for this control might not conform to accessibility standards such as the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines 1.0 (WCAG) priority 1 guidelines. For details about accessibility support for this control, see ASP.NET Controls and Accessibility.

Topic	Location
How to: Disable Validation for ASP.NET Server Controls	Building ASP .NET Web Applications
How to: Disable Validation for ASP.NET Server Controls	Building ASP .NET Web Applications
How to: Disable Validation for ASP.NET Server Controls	Building ASP .NET Web Applications in Visual Studio
How to: Display Server Side Custom Validation Messages for ASP.NET Server Controls	Building ASP .NET Web Applications
How to: Display Server Side Custom Validation Messages for ASP.NET Server Controls	Building ASP .NET Web Applications
How to: Display Server Side Custom Validation Messages for ASP.NET Server Controls	Building ASP .NET Web Applications in Visual Studio
How to: Format Validation Error Messages for ASP.NET Server Controls	Building ASP .NET Web Applications
How to: Format Validation Error Messages for ASP.NET Server Controls	Building ASP .NET Web Applications
How to: Format Validation Error Messages for ASP.NET Server Controls	Building ASP .NET Web Applications in Visual Studio
How to: Test Validity Programmatically for ASP.NET Server Controls	Building ASP .NET Web Applications
How to: Test Validity Programmatically for ASP.NET Server Controls	Building ASP .NET Web Applications
How to: Test Validity Programmatically for ASP.NET Server Controls	Building ASP .NET Web Applications in Visual Studio
How to: Validate Against a Data Type for ASP.NET Server Controls	Building ASP .NET Web Applications
How to: Validate Against a Data Type for ASP.NET Server Controls	Building ASP .NET Web Applications
How to: Validate Against a Data Type for ASP.NET Server Controls	Building ASP .NET Web Applications in Visual Studio
How to: Validate Against a Range of Values for ASP.NET Server Controls	Building ASP .NET Web Applications
How to: Validate Against a Range of Values for ASP.NET Server Controls	Building ASP .NET Web Applications
How to: Validate Against a Range of Values for ASP.NET Server Controls	Building ASP .NET Web Applications in Visual Studio
How to: Validate Against a Specific Value for ASP.NET Server Controls	Building ASP .NET Web Applications
How to: Validate Against a Specific Value for ASP.NET Server Controls	Building ASP .NET Web Applications
How to: Validate Against a Specific Value for ASP.NET Server Controls	Building ASP .NET Web Applications in Visual Studio
How to: Validate Against Patterns for ASP.NET Server Controls	Building ASP .NET Web Applications
How to: Validate Against Patterns for ASP.NET Server Controls	Building ASP .NET Web Applications
How to: Validate Against Patterns for ASP.NET Server Controls	Building ASP .NET Web Applications in Visual Studio
How to: Validate Against Values in a Database for ASP.NET Server Controls	Building ASP .NET Web Applications
How to: Validate Against Values in a Database for ASP.NET Server Controls	Building ASP .NET Web Applications
How to: Validate Against Values in a Database for ASP.NET Server Controls	Building ASP .NET Web Applications in Visual Studio
How to: Validate Required Entries for ASP.NET Server Controls	Building ASP .NET Web Applications
How to: Validate Required Entries for ASP.NET Server Controls	Building ASP .NET Web Applications
How to: Validate Required Entries for ASP.NET Server Controls	Building ASP .NET Web Applications in Visual Studio
How to: Validate with a Custom Function for ASP.NET Server Controls	Building ASP .NET Web Applications
How to: Validate with a Custom Function for ASP.NET Server Controls	Building ASP .NET Web Applications
How to: Validate with a Custom Function for ASP.NET Server Controls	Building ASP .NET Web Applications in Visual Studio
Walkthrough: Validating User Input in a Web Forms Page	Building ASP .NET Web Applications in Visual Studio
Walkthrough: Validating User Input in a Web Forms Page	Building Applications with Visual Web Developer

Example

The following example demonstrates how to use the RegularExpressionValidator control to validate a five-digit postal code.

Visual Basic

<%@ Page Language="VB" AutoEventWireup="True" %>

 <html>
 <head>

    <script runat="server">
 
       Sub ValidateBtn_Click(sender As Object, e As EventArgs) 
       
          If Page.IsValid Then 
          
             lblOutput.Text = "Page is Valid."
          
          Else 
          
             lblOutput.Text = "Page is InValid."

          End If

       End Sub
 
    </script>
 
 </head>
 <body>
 
    <h3>RegularExpressionValidator Example</h3>
    <p>
 
    <form runat="server">
 
       <table bgcolor="#eeeeee" cellpadding="10">
          <tr valign="top">
             <td colspan="3">
                <asp:Label ID="lblOutput" 
                     Text="Enter a 5 digit zip code" 
                     runat="server"/>
             </td>
          </tr>
 
          <tr>
             <td colspan="3">
                <b>Personal Information</b>
             </td>
          </tr>
          <tr>
             <td align="right">
                Zip Code:
             </td>
             <td>
                <asp:TextBox id="TextBox1" 
                     runat="server"/>
             </td>
             <td>
                <asp:RegularExpressionValidator id="RegularExpressionValidator1" 
                     ControlToValidate="TextBox1"
                     ValidationExpression="\d{5}"
                     Display="Static"
                     ErrorMessage="Zip code must be 5 numeric digits"
                     EnableClientScript="False" 
                     runat="server"/>
             </td>
          </tr>
          <tr>
             <td></td>
             <td>
                <asp:Button text="Validate" 
                     OnClick="ValidateBtn_Click" 
                     runat=server />
             </td>
             <td></td>
          </tr>
       </table>
 
    </form>
 
 </body>
 </html>

<%@ Page Language="C#" AutoEventWireup="True" %>

 <html>
 <head>

    <script runat="server">
 
       void ValidateBtn_Click(Object sender, EventArgs e) 
       {
          if (Page.IsValid) 
          {
             lblOutput.Text = "Page is Valid.";
          }
          else 
          {
             lblOutput.Text = "Page is InValid.";
          }
       }
 
    </script>
 
 </head>
 <body>
 
    <h3>RegularExpressionValidator Example</h3>
    <p>
 
    <form runat="server">
 
       <table bgcolor="#eeeeee" cellpadding="10">
          <tr valign="top">
             <td colspan="3">
                <asp:Label ID="lblOutput" 
                     Text="Enter a 5 digit zip code" 
                     runat="server"/>
             </td>
          </tr>
 
          <tr>
             <td colspan="3">
                <b>Personal Information</b>
             </td>
          </tr>
          <tr>
             <td align="right">
                Zip Code:
             </td>
             <td>
                <asp:TextBox id="TextBox1" 
                     runat="server"/>
             </td>
             <td>
                <asp:RegularExpressionValidator id="RegularExpressionValidator1" 
                     ControlToValidate="TextBox1"
                     ValidationExpression="\d{5}"
                     Display="Static"
                     ErrorMessage="Zip code must be 5 numeric digits"
                     EnableClientScript="False" 
                     runat="server"/>
             </td>
          </tr>
          <tr>
             <td></td>
             <td>
                <asp:Button text="Validate" 
                     OnClick="ValidateBtn_Click" 
                     runat=server />
             </td>
             <td></td>
          </tr>
       </table>
 
    </form>
 
 </body>
 </html>

JScript

<%@ Page Language="JScript" AutoEventWireup="True" %>

 <html>
 <head>

    <script runat="server">
 
       function ValidateBtn_Click(sender : Object, e : EventArgs) 
       {
          if (Page.IsValid) 
          {
             lblOutput.Text = "Page is Valid.";
          }
          else 
          {
             lblOutput.Text = "Page is InValid.";
          }
       }
 
    </script>
 
 </head>
 <body>
 
    <h3>RegularExpressionValidator Example</h3>
    <p>
 
    <form runat="server">
 
       <table bgcolor="#eeeeee" cellpadding="10">
          <tr valign="top">
             <td colspan="3">
                <asp:Label ID="lblOutput" 
                     Text="Enter a 5 digit zip code" 
                     runat="server"/>
             </td>
          </tr>
 
          <tr>
             <td colspan="3">
                <b>Personal Information</b>
             </td>
          </tr>
          <tr>
             <td align="right">
                Zip Code:
             </td>
             <td>
                <asp:TextBox id="TextBox1" 
                     runat="server"/>
             </td>
             <td>
                <asp:RegularExpressionValidator id="RegularExpressionValidator1" 
                     ControlToValidate="TextBox1"
                     ValidationExpression="\d{5}"
                     Display="Static"
                     ErrorMessage="Zip code must be 5 numeric digits"
                     EnableClientScript="False" 
                     runat="server"/>
             </td>
          </tr>
          <tr>
             <td></td>
             <td>
                <asp:Button text="Validate" 
                     OnClick="ValidateBtn_Click" 
                     runat=server />
             </td>
             <td></td>
          </tr>
       </table>
 
    </form>
 
 </body>
 </html>

.NET Framework Security

AspNetHostingPermission for operating in a hosted environment. Demand value: LinkDemand. Permission value: Minimal.
AspNetHostingPermission for operating in a hosted environment. Demand value: InheritanceDemand. Permission value: Minimal.

Inheritance Hierarchy

System.Object
   System.Web.UI.Control
     System.Web.UI.WebControls.WebControl
       System.Web.UI.WebControls.Label
         System.Web.UI.WebControls.BaseValidator
          System.Web.UI.WebControls.RegularExpressionValidator

Thread Safety

Any public static (Shared in Visual Basic) members of this type are thread safe. Any instance members are not guaranteed to be thread safe.

Platforms

Windows 98, Windows 2000 SP4, Windows Server 2003, Windows XP Media Center Edition, Windows XP Professional x64 Edition, Windows XP SP2, Windows XP Starter Edition

The .NET Framework does not support all versions of every platform. For a list of the supported versions, see System Requirements.

Version Information