RegularExpressionValidator Class (System.Web.UI.WebControls)

MSDN Library
.NET Development
.NET Framework 3.5
.NET Framework Class Library
System.Web.UI.WebControls Namespace

RegularExpressionValidator Class

RegularExpressionValidator Members
RegularExpressionValidator Constructor
RegularExpressionValidator Methods
RegularExpressionValidator Properties
RegularExpressionValidator Events

Related Links

RegularExpressionValidator Class
This page is specific to:.NET Framework Version:1.1 2.0 3.03.54.0

.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

C++

JScript

Copy to Clipboard Print

'Usage

Dim instance As RegularExpressionValidator

'Declaration

<AspNetHostingPermissionAttribute(SecurityAction.LinkDemand, Level := AspNetHostingPermissionLevel.Minimal)> _
<AspNetHostingPermissionAttribute(SecurityAction.InheritanceDemand, Level := AspNetHostingPermissionLevel.Minimal)> _
Public Class RegularExpressionValidator _
    Inherits BaseValidator

ASP.NET

<asp:RegularExpressionValidator />

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.

Note:
When you use the RegularExpressionValidator control inside an UpdatePanel control, make sure that the validator control and the control it is associated with are in the same panel. For more information about using the UpdatePanel control for partial-page updates, see Partial-Page Rendering Overview.

For additional information about 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: 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: 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: 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: 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 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 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 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 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 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 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
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
Walkthrough: Validating User Input in a Web Forms Page	Building ASP .NET Web Applications in Visual Studio

Examples

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

Security Note:
This example has a text box that accepts user input, which is a potential security threat. By default, ASP.NET Web pages validate that user input does not include script or HTML elements. For more information, see Script Exploits Overview.

C++

JScript

Copy to Clipboard Print

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

 <!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN"
    "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd">
<html  >
 <head>
    <title>RegularExpressionValidator Example</title>
<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>
    <br />

    <form id="form1" runat="server">

       <table style="background-color:#eeeeee; padding:10">
          <tr valign="top">
             <td colspan="3">
                <asp:Label ID="lblOutput" 
                     Text="Enter a 5-digit ZIP Code" 
                     runat="server"
                     AssociatedControlID="TextBox1"/>
             </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 7, Windows Vista, Windows XP SP2, Windows XP Media Center Edition, Windows XP Professional x64 Edition, Windows XP Starter Edition, Windows Server 2008 R2, Windows Server 2008, Windows Server 2003, Windows Server 2000 SP4, Windows Millennium Edition, Windows 98

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

Version Information

.NET Framework

Supported in: 3.5, 3.0, 2.0, 1.1, 1.0

Reference

RegularExpressionValidator Members

System.Web.UI.WebControls Namespace

BaseValidator

EnableClientScript

System.Text.RegularExpressions..::.Regex

Other Resources

.NET Framework Regular Expressions

Community Content

RegularExpression not matching

Added by:Sothryn

Using non-matching groupings, such as the suffix-matching, but exclude grouping regular expression:

(?=.{7,})(?=(.*[a-zA-Z]){1,})(?=(.*\d){1,})(?=(.*\W){1,})

will fail to match in the RegularExpressionValidator.

Workaround:

Placing it in a CustomValidator and handling it with a the RegularExpression classes works well.

More about RegularExpressionValidator

Added by:CSharpUniversity.com

To read more about the RegularExpressionValidator and see examples visit: http://www.csharpuniversity.com/2008/12/04/aspnet-validation-controls-regularexpressionvalidator/