Custom date validation script

[Geckoz100]

I have the script below that I used for a PDF form in Acrobat X, but it doesn't work when I enter it in the Javascript editor in ES2.  Is it possible to create a script that does the same thing in LiveCycle Designer ES2?  I would like to let the user enter a date using numbers only, and have the field add in slashes as needed, in addition to validating for a proper date.   Thanks for any assistance.

//Acrobat date validation

//Custom Validation Java Script for entering dates using numbers only

//courtesy of Ricardo Falegnami

// adding slashes

var newDate = event.value;

// validate date

if (newDate != "") { // process non-empty string

    var oMyDate = [];

    oMyDate[0] = util.scand("mmddyyyy", newDate);

    oMyDate[1] = util.scand("mmddyy", newDate);

    oMyDate[2] = util.scand("mddyyyy", newDate);

    oMyDate[3] = util.scand("mmdyyyy", newDate);

    oMyDate[4] = util.scand("mdyyyy", newDate);

    oMyDate[5] = util.scand("mdyy", newDate);

    var isDate = false;

    for (var i=0; i<oMyDate.length; i++) {

        if (oMyDate[i] !== null) {

            event.value = util.printd("mm/dd/yyyy", oMyDate[i]); // strict format

            isDate = true;

            break;

        }

    }

// Stay in field if invalid

    if (isDate === false) {

        app.alert("Invalid date entered -- please use MMDDYYYY (e.g., 10152014)", 0, 1, "Date Validation"); // check validity

        event.value = "";

        event.target.setFocus();

    }

}

[_Bruce_Robertson · Accepted solution]

Hi,

I'm guessing you are putting this in the exit event of the field.  If so, change the three occurrences of event.value to this.rawValue and the event.target.setFocus() to xfa.host.setFocus(this)

Regards

Bruce

[Geckoz100]

That worked great!  One more question:  The field is now displaying the current date by default.  Is there a way to just make it be blank for entry by user?  Thanks again.

Here's the edited script for the benefit of others:

//Custom Date Validation Java Script for entering dates using numbers only

//courtesy of Ricardo Falegnami and BR001

// adding slashes

var newDate = this.rawValue;

// validate date

if (newDate != "") { // process non-empty string

    var oMyDate = [];

     oMyDate[0] = util.scand("mmddyyyy", newDate);

    oMyDate[1] = util.scand("mmddyy", newDate);

    oMyDate[2] = util.scand("mddyyyy", newDate);

    oMyDate[3] = util.scand("mmdyyyy", newDate);

    oMyDate[4] = util.scand("mdyyyy", newDate);

    oMyDate[5] = util.scand("mdyy", newDate);

    var isDate = false;

    for (var i=0; i<oMyDate.length; i++) {

        if (oMyDate[i] !== null) {

            this.rawValue = util.printd("mm/dd/yyyy", oMyDate[i]); // strict format

            isDate = true;

            break;

        }

    }

// Stay in field if invalid

    if (isDate === false) {

        app.alert("Invalid date entered -- please use MMDDYYYY (e.g., 10152014)", 0, 1, "Date Validation"); // check validity

        this.rawValue = "";

        xfa.host.setFocus(this)();

    }

}

[Geckoz100]

[Hello, please see above.]

The field is now displaying the current date by default.  Is there a way to just make it be blank for entry by user?

[_Bruce_Robertson]

Hi,

Try changing the line;

if (newDate != "")

to

if (newDate != null)

An empty date field is a null, not an empty string.

Regards

Bruce

[Geckoz100]

Thanks again for the help.  Reposting corrected script for future users:

//Custom Date Validation Java Script for entering dates using numbers only

//courtesy of Ricardo Falegnami and BR001

// adding slashes

var newDate = this.rawValue;

// validate date

if (newDate != null) { // process non-empty string

    var oMyDate = [];

     oMyDate[0] = util.scand("mmddyyyy", newDate);

    oMyDate[1] = util.scand("mmddyy", newDate);

    oMyDate[2] = util.scand("mddyyyy", newDate);

    oMyDate[3] = util.scand("mmdyyyy", newDate);

    oMyDate[4] = util.scand("mdyyyy", newDate);

    oMyDate[5] = util.scand("mdyy", newDate);

    var isDate = false;

    for (var i=0; i<oMyDate.length; i++) {

        if (oMyDate[i] !== null) {

            this.rawValue = util.printd("mm/dd/yyyy", oMyDate[i]); // strict format

            isDate = true;

            break;

        }

    }

// Stay in field if invalid

    if (isDate === false) {

        app.alert("Invalid date entered -- please use MMDDYYYY (e.g., 10152014)", 0, 1, "Date Validation"); // check validity

        this.rawValue = "";

        xfa.host.setFocus(this)();

    }

}

[Geckoz100]

After looking at this script carefully, I was wondering what the triple equals sign does in the line:

    if (isDate === false)

I have only seen double equal signs, not triple.  Thanks.

[_Bruce_Robertson]

Hi,

The triple equals avoids any type conversions, in this case isDate and the false literal are both boolean so it doesn't make much difference, false == false and false === false both evaluate to true, but "" == false evaluates to true but "" === false evaluates to false.  It's just a good habit to get into.

Here's a link to a guy that can explain it better, ECMA-262 » Note 2. ECMAScript. Equality operators.

Regards

Bruce

[Geckoz100]

Hi again,

If I want to use the above script and just change the date format to yyyymmdd, can I simply change the order of the letter in the format masks to achieve the same result?

Thanks.

[Geckoz100]

Hello Bruce,

I've noticed that you can enter "2015013" (7 digits) and it produces "2015/01/13" or even enter "201566" (6 digits) and it produces "2015/06/06".  Can you change the script so that it requires 8 digits.  I tried doing it myself and ended up crashing Acrobat when I would try to open the file. Oops.  :/

[_Bruce_Robertson]

Hi,

You should be just be able to remove the util.scand lines that aren't 8 digits (so all but the first one).

Regards

Bruce