RegularExpressionValidator Class
Validates whether the value of an associated input control matches the pattern specified by a regular expression.
For a list of all members of this type, see RegularExpressionValidator Members.
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
[Visual Basic] Public Class RegularExpressionValidator Inherits BaseValidator [C#] public class RegularExpressionValidator : BaseValidator [C++] public __gc class RegularExpressionValidator : public BaseValidator [JScript] public class RegularExpressionValidator extends BaseValidator
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.
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 social security numbers, 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.
Example
[Visual Basic, C#, JScript] The following example demonstrates how to use the RegularExpressionValidator 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> [C#] <%@ 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>
[C++] No example is available for C++. To view a Visual Basic, C#, or JScript example, click the Language Filter button
in the upper-left corner of the page.
Requirements
Namespace: System.Web.UI.WebControls
Platforms: Windows 2000, Windows XP Professional, Windows Server 2003 family
Assembly: System.Web (in System.Web.dll)
See Also
RegularExpressionValidator Members | System.Web.UI.WebControls Namespace | BaseValidator | EnableClientScript | System.Text.RegularExpressions.Regex