Solution for providing real-time validation of text input fields using regular expression evaluation during text entry

• US 7,885,916 B2
• Filed: 11/20/2007
• Issued: 02/08/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 11/20/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Hays, Douglas E., Gibson, Becky J., Peller, Adam L., Keese, William M. III
• Primary Examiner(s): HOLMES, MICHAEL B
• Application Number:
  US11/943,187
• Publication Number:
  US 20090132950A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,176 Days
• Field of Search: 706/47
• US Class Current: 706/47
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/2365 Ensuring data consistency and integrity
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/3322 using system suggestions G06F16/3325 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/226 Validation

Abstract

The present invention discloses a system for providing real-time validation of text input fields in a Web page during text entry. Such a system can include a validation-enhanced text input element and an input text validator. The validation-enhanced text input element can be configured to contain a validation expression for a text field in a Web page. The validation-enhanced text input element can be contained in the source code document that corresponds to the Web page. The input text validator can be configured to validate a character entered into the text field against the validation expression in real-time. Characters determined as invalid can be visually indicated by the input text validator in the text field.

Claims

1. A system for providing real-time validation of text input fields in a Web page comprising:

a validation-enhanced text input element configured to contain an attribute for a validation expression for a text field in a rendered Web page, wherein the validation-enhanced text input element is contained within a source code document corresponding to the rendered Web page;

and an input text validator configured to validate a user-entered character of the text field against the validation expression in real-time and visually highlight invalid user-entered characters.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the validation expression is written using a set of symbols and syntactic elements used to match patterns of text supported by the input text validator.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein the validation expression is expressed as a regular expression.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the input text validator further comprises:

a partial input expression generator configured to generate an expanded version of the validation expression, wherein the expanded version of the validation expression is used by the input text validator to determine a validity of the user-entered character regardless of invalid user-entered characters; and

an invalid text highlighter configured to visually highlight the user-entered character when the user-entered character is determined as invalid for the validation expression.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the source code document is written in a standardized markup language, wherein the standardized markup language is interpreted by a Web browser to present the rendered Web page.

6. The system of claim 5, wherein the standardized markup language is one of a hypertext markup language (HTML) and an extensible markup language (XML).

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the input text validator is written in a scripting language.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein the script is contained within the source code document.

9. The system of claim 7, wherein the script is invoked as a value of an attribute of the validation-enhanced text input element wherein invocation of the script occurs upon entry of the user-entered character.

10. A method for providing real-time validation of text input fields in a Web page comprising:

receiving a user-entered character in a text field displayed in a Web page;

immediately validating the user-entered character against a validation expression contained within a validation-enhanced text input element associated with the text field, wherein the validation expression defines a set of acceptable characters and character positions for the text field; and

when the user-entered character is determined invalid, visually highlighting the user-entered character.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein a correction of an invalid user-entered character reiterates the validating step.

12. The method of claim 10, wherein the validating step further comprises:

expanding the validation expression;

comparing the received user-entered character against the expanded validation expression; and

determining a validity of the received user-entered character based on a result of the comparing step.

13. The method of claim 10, wherein the marking step highlights the user-entered character determined as invalid in the text field.

14. The method of claim 10, further comprising:

when the user-entered character is determined invalid, automatically denoting the text field as invalid.

15. The method of claim 10, wherein the validating step is performed by an input text validator, wherein the input text validator is invoked via an attribute of a validation-enhanced text input element that corresponds to the text field displayed in the Web page.

16. The method of claim 10, wherein the validation expression is written using a set of symbols and syntactic elements used to match patterns of text.

17. The method of claim 10, wherein said steps of claim 10 are performed by at least one machine in accordance with at least one computer program stored in a computer readable media, said computer programming having a plurality of code sections that are executable by the at least one machine.

18. An input text validator for validating a text field of a Web page in real-time comprising:

a partial input expression generator configured to generate an expanded version of a validation expression, wherein the expanded version of the validation expression defines a set of acceptable characters and character positions for a text field of a Web page; and

an invalid text highlighter configured to visually highlight a user-entered character in the text field when the user-entered character is determined as invalid for the expanded validation expression.

19. The input text validator of claim 18, wherein the validation expression is contained within a validation-enhanced text input element associated with the text field and is written using a set of symbols and syntactic elements used to match patterns of text.

20. The input text validator of claim 18, wherein the components of claim 18 are elements of a script written in a scripting language.