Patterns
Form validation
Validation can stop the submission of data. This pattern tells a person that this has happened through errors messages, and the action they need to take to fix it.
Guidelines
Only activate validation on mandatory fields.
Validation messages must:
- be specific about what the user needs to do fix the error, for example, ‘enter the amount of hours worked in whole numbers’, not ‘hours entered invalid’
- start with an action, for example, ‘enter’ or ‘select’
- be written in plain English
- contain the minimum amount of information the user needs to fix the error
- make sense when read out of context, for example, ‘enter your full name’, not ‘fill in the input'
The validation pattern is made up of an:
- error summary at the top of the page
- error message above the input
The error messages listed in bullet points in the error summary start with a lower case letter.
The error messages above the input start with a capital letter.
Neither end with a full stop.
Example
Changelog for this page
Date | Notes |
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31 Aug 2021 | First version of page published |