# Validation

Front-end form validation is integral to providing a good user experience, but it’s often skipped due to the pain involved in configuring it. Vue Formulate vastly reduces the friction of front-end validation so there's no good excuse not to use it.

<FormulateInput
  type="text"
  label="What ice cream flavor?"
  help="Note: We're fresh out of strawberries and bananas."
  name="flavor"
  validation="required|not:strawberry,banana"
/>

What ice cream flavor?

Note: We're fresh out of strawberries and bananas.

# Declaring rules

Declaring what validation rules is as easy as adding a validation prop to your FormulateInput field.

# String syntax

The simplest way to declare which rules to use on a given input is by providing a string of rules separated by pipes (|). Some rules may accept arguments, these are defined after a colon :. You can use multiple arguments by comma separating them.

<FormulateInput
  :validation="required|max:10|min:5"
/>

# Array syntax

An alternative to the string syntax is providing an array of rules. Sometimes it’s necessary to use the array syntax in order to preserve typing or to escape certain characters, for example when using regular expressions with the matches rule. Each rule must be defined as an array with the rule name followed by any arguments.

<FormulateInput
  :validation="[
    ['required'],
    ['max', 10],
    ['min', 5]
  ]"
/>

For the purposes of this documentation pipe-separated strings will be the preferred method of setting validation rules for fields.

Note

When using the array syntax, make sure your prop is bound with v-bind:validation or the shorthand :validation.

# Showing validation

Validation errors are always computed in realtime, but they are displayed based on error-behavior of the input. The default error-behavior is blur — meaning a field with validation errors only shows its errors when a user removes focus from the input. In most circumstances this provides the best user experience since it prevents a user from being immediately bombarded with error messages. Error messages are also always shown when a user tries to submit a form that has failing validation messages.

In addition to the blur behavior, these additional error-behavior strategies are supported.

Error Behavior	Description
`blur`	(Default) Shown when a user removes focus from an input, and on `@submit`
`submit`	Only shown on `@submit`
`live`	Always displayed
`value`	Shown as soon as the input has a value, on `@submit`, and on `blur`.

# Stopping validation

# The `bail` rule

To stop validation after encountering an error (to prevent showing several messages simultaneously) you can add the special rule: bail. When the validation parser encounters the bail rule, it remembers to stop validating that input after encountering any failures in any subsequent rules.

<FormulateInput
  label="How many tacos do you want?"
  type="text"
  validation="bail|required|number|between:1,10,value"
  validation-name="Taco quantity"
  error-behavior="live"
/>

How many tacos do you want (without bailing)?

How many tacos do you want (with bailing)?

# Bail modifier

Often it is desirable to only bail if a specific rule fails. For example, you may want to only show the required error message if a password field is empty, but when it has a value you would like to show all the failing validation rules. To do this we can use the ^ modifier on the rule name.

<FormulateInput
  label="Create a new password (with modifier)"
  type="password"
  name="password"
  error-behavior="live"
  validation="^required|min:4,length|matches:/[0-9]/"
  :validation-messages="{
    matches: 'Passwords require at least one number.'
  }"
/>

Create a new password (without modifier)

Create a new password (with modifier)

# Available rules

Vue Formulate ships with a library of frequently used validation rules. If you don’t find one that meets your exact requirement you can always add your own custom rule to suit your needs.

accepted
after
alpha
alphanumeric
bail
before
between
confirm
date
email
ends_with
in
matches
max
mime
min
not
number
optional
required
starts_with
url

# Accepted

The value must be yes, on, 1 or true. Useful for box inputs, often where you need to validate if someone has accepted terms.

<FormulateInput
  type="checkbox"
  label="I accept the terms of service?"
  name="terms"
  validation="accepted"
/>

I accept the terms of service?

# After

Checks if a date comes after another date. If no date argument is provided the current time will be used. The value must be a Date object or a string that can be evaluated by Date.parse. Read more about Date.parse() on MDN (opens new window)

<FormulateInput
  type="date"
  label="Select a time after the new year."
  name="date"
  validation="after:01/01/2025"
/>

Select a time after the new year.

# Alpha

Checks if a value is only alphabetical characters. There are two character sets latin and default. Latin characters are strictly [a-zA-Z] while the default set includes most accented characters as well like: ä, ù, or ś.

<FormulateInput
  type="text"
  label="Enter your desired username"
  name="username"
  validation="alpha:latin"
/>

Enter your desired username

# Alphanumeric

Checks if a value is only made of alphabetical characters or numeric digits. For the alphabetical portion you can pass default or latin - see alpha) above.

<FormulateInput
  type="text"
  label="Enter your desired username"
  name="username"
  validation="alphanumeric"
/>

Enter your desired username

# Bail

Used to logically stop validation on the first subsequent validation error. More detailed documentation on the bail rule is under the Stopping validation section.

# Before

Checks if a date comes before another date. If no date argument is provided the current time will be used. The value must be a Date object or a string that can be evaluated by Date.parse. Read more about Date.parse() on MDN (opens new window)

<FormulateInput
  type="date"
  label="Select a time before the new year."
  name="date"
  validation="before:01/01/2025"
/>

Select a time before the new year.

# Between

Checks if a number or string length is between a minimum or maximum. Both the maximum and minimum are exclusive. If the value being validated is a string the string’s length is used for comparison. If a number is used, the numeric value is used for comparison. In v2.2.4+ you can force it to always check the numeric value or string length by setting an optional third argument to value or length.

Tip

If you’re wanting to find if a date is between two other dates consider using the before and after validation rules together.

<FormulateInput
  type="range"
  min="5"
  max="35"
  name="Age"
  label="How old are you?"
  validation="between:10,18,value"
  :show-value="true"
  :value="15"
  error-behavior="live"
/>

How old are you?

<FormulateInput
  type="password"
  name="password"
  label="Pick a new password?"
  validation="between:8,20,length"
  error-behavior="live"
/>

Pick a new password?

# Confirm

Checks if the field value matches the value of another field. Mostly used for hidden fields - like password confirmations. By default, a confirm rule will look for other fields in the same FormulateForm with the suffix _confirm. If you’d like the rule to use a different field as the confirmation, simply pass the other field name as an argument confirm:other_field.

Note

This rule only works inside the context of a <FormulateForm> or a group type.

<template>
  <FormulateForm
    @submit="submit"
  >
    <FormulateInput
      label="New password"
      type="password"
      name="password"
      validation="required"
    />
    <FormulateInput
      label="Confirm password"
      type="password"
      name="password_confirm"
      validation="required|confirm"
      validation-name="Password confirmation"
    />
    <FormulateInput
      type="submit"
      label="Change password"
    />
  </FormulateForm>
</template>

<script>
export default {
  methods: {
    submit () {
      alert('passed validation')
    }
  }
}
</script>

# Date

Checks if the input is a valid date according to Date.parse(), or if a format argument is provided, it will validate according to the given format. Format variables are:

Variable	Valid values
`MM`	Two-digit month representation (01-12)
`M`	Single-digit month representation (1-12) leading zero allowed
`DD`	Two-digit day of the month (01-31)
`D`	Single-digit day of the month (1-31), leading zero allowed
`YY`	Two-digit year
`YYYY`	Four-digit year

WARNING

Heads up! This validation rule will validate that your requested format is followed but does not validate if a date exists (eg 02/31/2008).

<FormulateInput
  type="text"
  name="date"
  label="Enter your birthday"
  validation="date:MM/DD/YYYY"
/>

Enter your birthday

# Email

Checks if the input is a valid email address format.

<FormulateInput
  type="email"
  name="email"
  label="Enter your email address"
  validation="email"
/>

Enter your email

# Ends With

Checks if the input ends with one of the provided options

<FormulateInput
  type="text"
  name="rhymes"
  label="What rhymes with toad?"
  validation="ends_with:oad,ode"
/>

What rhymes with toad?

# In

Checks if the input is included in an array of options.

<FormulateInput
  type="select"
  :options="{chocolate: 'Chocolate', vanilla: 'Vanilla', strawberry: 'Strawberry'}"
  name="flavor"
  label="Favorite ice cream flavor?"
  placeholder="Select a flavor"
  validation="in:chocolate,vanilla"
  error-behavior="live"
/>

Favorite ice cream flavor?

# Matches

Checks if the input matches a particular value or pattern. If you pass multiple arguments, it checks each until a match is found.

<FormulateInput
  type="text"
  name="language"
  placeholder="node, php, java..."
  label="What is your favorite server side language?"
  validation="matches:node,php,java"
  error-behavior="live"
  v-model="color"
/>

What is your favorite server side language?

Arguments can also be regular expressions. When using the string syntax, start and end your argument with a slash / (do not escape additional slashes).

<FormulateInput
  type="password"
  name="password"
  label="Choose a new password"
  validation="matches:/[0-9]/"
  error-behavior="live"
  :validation-messages="{ matches: 'Passwords must include a number.' }"
/>

Choose a new password

When using the string syntax you cannot escape characters used to define the validation rules themselves (|,:). To use these characters in your regular expressions you must use the alternative array syntax.

<FormulateInput
  type="text"
  name="color"
  placeholder="#00ff00"
  label="Enter a hexidecimal color value"
  :validation="[['matches', /^#[a-fA-F0-9]{6}$/]]"
  error-behavior="live"
  v-model="color"
/>
<FormulateInput
  type="color"
  label="Or pick one"
  v-model="color"
/>

Enter a hexidecimal color value

Or pick one

# Max

Checks that the value of a Number, or length of a String or Array is less than a maximum length or value. The maximum value/length defaults to 10.

You can force the validator to evaluate either length or value by passing a second argument of either length or value.

<FormulateInput
  type="text"
  name="coupon"
  label="Enter a coupon code"
  validation="max:5,length"
  error-behavior="live"
/>

Enter a coupon code

Note

When evaluating an Array the second argument (length/value) is ignored.

<FormulateInput
  type="checkbox"
  name="toppings"
  :options="{
    pepperoni: 'Pepperoni',
    sausage: 'Sausage',
    olives: 'Olives',
    feta: 'Feta',
    mushrooms: 'Mushrooms',
  }"
  label="Select up to 3 pizza toppings"
  validation="max:3"
  error-behavior="live"
/>

# Mime

Checks if the type of file selected is an allowed value. This validator uses the file’s extension to determine the mime type (opens new window). Back-end validation of the file’s content is still strongly encouraged as front-end validation can be bypassed by savvy users.

<FormulateInput
  type="file"
  name="image"
  label="Please select an image"
  validation="mime:image/jpeg,image/png"
/>

Please select an image

Note

When validating a field with the multiple attribute selected, validation will fail if any of the selected files are not the proper mime.

# Min

Checks the value of a Number, or length of a String or Array is more than a maximum length or value. The minimum value/length defaults to 1.

You can force the validator to evaluate length or value by passing a second argument of either length or value.

<FormulateInput
  type="text"
  name="code"
  label="Enter your SSN"
  validation="min:9,length"
  validation-name="Social security code"
  error-behavior="live"
/>

Enter your SSN

# Not

Checks to ensure the input data does not match a set of predefined values.

<FormulateInput
  type="text"
  name="framework"
  label="What is your favorite javascript framework?"
  validation="not:jquery,ember,mootools"
  error-behavior="live"
/>

What is your favorite javascript framework?

# Number

Checks if the input is a valid number as evaluated by isNaN().

<FormulateInput
  type="text"
  name="age"
  label="How old are you?"
  validation="number"
  error-behavior="live"
/>

How old are you?

# Optional

Use this rule to make a field optional. When used all validation rules pass until the field is no longer empty. Its location in the list of validation rules has no effect.

<FormulateInput
  label="A gmail address (optional)"
  help="Enter a gmail email address."
  validation="optional|^email|ends_with:gmail.com"
  :validation-messages="{
    ends_with: 'Please use a gmail address.'
  }"
  error-behavior="live"
/>

A gmail address (optional)

Enter a gmail email address.

# Required

Checks if the input is empty.

<FormulateInput
  type="text"
  name="city"
  label="What city do you live in?"
  validation="required"
  error-behavior="live"
/>

What city do you live in?

A note on whitespace

By default, a whitespace only string (like ) is considered a valid input, however an argument can be used to alter this behavior eg:

<FormulateInput
  type="text"
  name="city"
  label="What city do you live in?"
  validation="required:trim"
  error-behavior="live"
/>

What city do you live in?

The rule required:trim will trim any whitespace in the input before evaluating the validation, as a result, a whitespace only string would not pass the validation. Note: it does not modify the input value.

# Starts With

Checks if the input starts with one of the provided options

<FormulateInput
  type="text"
  name="hashtag"
  label="What's your favorite hashtag on Twitter?"
  validation="starts_with:#"
/>

What's your favorite hashtag on Twitter?

# Url

Checks if the input value appears to be a properly formatted URL including the protocol. This does not check if the URL actually resolves.

<FormulateInput
  type="url"
  name="url"
  label="What is your website?"
  validation="url"
  error-behavior="live"
/>

What is your website?

# Customize validation messages

There are several ways to customize your validation message. The most basic of which is to use the validation-name prop — allowing you to change the name of the field as used in the pre-defined validation messages.

If you need to be more specific you have three options:

Override the validation name strategy.
Override a rule’s message function on an individual FormulateInput.
Globally override a validation rule’s message function.

# Validation name strategy 2.5

Validation messages frequently include the name of the failing input. For example, the default required rule validation message is simply ${validationName} is required. How that validationName is determined is up to the global configuration option validationNameStrategy. By default this strategy is:

Vue.use(VueFormulate, {
  validationNameStrategy: ['validationName', 'name', 'label', 'type']
})

Meaning, validation messages first check the validation-name prop, then the name prop, then the label, and finally they fall back to the input type.

You can change this validation name strategy by providing your own array in order of priority. For example, if you'd like inputs to use the label instead of the name, change the strategy to:

Vue.use(VueFormulate, {
  validationNameStrategy: ['validationName', 'label', 'name', 'type']
})

Finally, if you want to write a more complex strategy, you can provide a function to your validationNameStrategy key. In this case your function will be passed the full instance of the component.

Vue.use(VueFormulate, {
  validationNameStrategy: (vm) => vm.context.name || vm.id
})

# Custom field-level messages

# Using strings

To override a validation message on a single FormulateInput, add the validation-messages prop with an object of rule names and a corresponding message.

<FormulateInput
  type="select"
  label="What nationality’s food is the best?"
  name="food"
  :options="{
    french: 'French',
    italian: 'Italian',
    german: 'German',
    indian: 'Indian'
  }"
  placeholder="Select a food type"
  validation="required|in:italian,indian"
  error-behavior="live"
  :validation-messages="{
    required: 'Please pick your favorite food',
    in: 'Oh, that food isn’t very good...'
  }"
/>

What nationality’s food is the best?

# Using functions

If you need more power for your validation rules, you can use a function instead of a string. The function is passed a context object.

# Validation message context object:

Property	Description
args	An array of arguments from rule definition. For example `['italian', 'indian']` in the rule definition `in:italian,indian`
name	The name of the field (cascades to `validation-name \|\| name \|\| label`)
value	The current value of the field
formValues	If inside the context of a `FormulateForm` this object will contain the values of the other fields (by name)

Let’s re-write the above example using a function instead of a string.

<FormulateForm
  ...
  :validation-messages="{
    required: 'Please pick your favorite food',
    in: ({ value }) => `Oh, ${value} food isn’t very good...`
  }"
/>

What nationality’s food is the best?

# Globally add/edit validation rule message

If there are validation rule messages you'd like to override across your entire project, you can define those message rules when registering Vue Formulate under the language key you'd like to override.

import Vue from 'vue'
import VueFormulate from '@braid/vue-formulate'

Vue.use(VueFormulate, {
  locales: {
    en: {
      required ({ name }) {
        return `Please fill out the ${name} field.`
      }
    }
  }
})

About localization

Vue Formulate is international! Check if your language/locale is supported, and if it isn’t, consider contributing.

# Custom validation rules

Like with validation messages, rules can be added globally or per-field. Rules are just simple functions that are passed a context object and rule arguments and expected to return or resolve a boolean.

# Validation Rule Context Object:

Property	Description
value	The value of the field
getFormValues	When the input is in the context of a `FormulateForm` you can retrieve an object of form values by using this function
getGroupValues	When the input is in the context of a `group` type you can retrieve an object of the input's local group values by using this function, if the input is not in a group, this function falls back to `getFormValues`.
name	The name of the field being evaluated

In addition to the context object, any rule arguments are passed as additional arguments. For example:

// Given this validation string
<FormulateInput
  validation="myRule:first,second,third"
/>

// A rule named "myRule" will be called with the following:
function myRule (context, ...args) {
  // args now contains an array ['first', 'second', 'third']
}

Validation Rule Names

When using custom rules in your <template> tags you can use snake_case or camelCase for your rule names. Internally, Vue Formulate will coerce snake_case validation rule names into camelCase validation function names. Please ensure that your custom validation rule functions are written as myCustomRule not my_custom_rule in your .js files.

# Field-level custom validation rules

<FormulateInput
  validation="required|foobar"
  :validation-rules="{
    foobar: ({ value }) => ['foo', 'bar'].includes(value)
  }"
  :validation-messages="{
    foobar: 'The value must be foo or bar'
  }"
/>

The foobar field

Asynchronous validation

Asynchronous validation rules are completely valid, but keep in mind that forms will wait to trigger their @submit handler until all validation rules have resolved true, so try to keep them as snappy as possible.

Internally, Vue Formulate does not debounce validation rules, so if you need to perform an expensive asynchronous validation (like an http request) it is recommended that you debounce your validation rule.

# Global custom validation rules

Global validation rules can be added when Vue Formulate is registered with Vue.

import Vue from 'vue'
import VueFormulate from '@braid/vue-formulate'

Vue.use(VueFormulate, {
  rules: {
    foobar: ({ value }) => ['foo', 'bar'].includes(value)
  }
})

# Validation event

Occasionally it may be useful to know when the validation state of a field or form changes — for these instances, the @validation event can be used on both FormulateInput and FormulateForm. The event will fire every time there is a change in the validation state of a field.

<template>
<FormulateInput
  @validation="validation = $event"
  name="breath"
  label="How many minutes can you hold your breath?"
  validation="required|number|between:1,10,value"
/>
{{ validation }}
</template>

<script>
export default {
  data () {
    return {
      validation: {}
    }
  }
}
</script>

How many minutes can you hold your breath?

{}

The payload of the validation event is an object with three properties, the field name, an array of errors, and a boolean hasErrors.

Important

The validation event does not fire when the visibility of the validation errors change, instead validation events are fired even if the field errors are not currently visible due to the current error-behavior.

← Getting started Plugins →

# Validation

# Declaring rules

# String syntax

# Array syntax

# Showing validation

# Stopping validation

# The bail rule

# Bail modifier

# Available rules

# Accepted

# After

# Alpha

# Alphanumeric

# Bail

# Before

# Between

# Confirm

# Date

# Email

# Ends With

# In

# Matches

# Max

# Mime

# Min

# Not

# Number

# Optional

# Required

# Starts With

# Url

# Customize validation messages

# Validation name strategy 2.5

# Custom field-level messages

# Using strings

# Using functions

# Validation message context object:

# Globally add/edit validation rule message

# Custom validation rules

# Validation Rule Context Object:

# Field-level custom validation rules

# Global custom validation rules

# Validation event

# The `bail` rule