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746
DEVELOPING
COLDFUSION 9 APPLICATIONS
Requesting and Presenting Information
Las
t
upda
te
d 8/5/2010
Validation technique
Features
Considerations
Security issues
mask
(
mask
attribute)
Directly controls user input.
Limited to
cfinput
tags.
Provides limited control over
user input patterns.
In HTML and XML format, can be
circumvented because JavaScript
runs directly in the browser.
onBlur
(
validateat="onBlur"
attribute)
Provides immediate
feedback if a user enters
invalid data.
Limited to
cfinput
and
cftextarea
tags. In HTML
or XML format, requires the
browser to enable JavaScript.
In HTML and XML format, can be
circumvented because JavaScript
runs directly in the browser.
onSubmit
(
validateat="onSubmit"
attribute)
All entered data is available
to the user; only the invalid
data needs reentering.
Limited to
cfinput
and
cftextarea
tags. In Flash
format, is identical to onBlur.
In HTML or XML format,
validates after all fields have
been entered, and requires
the browser to enable
JavaScript.
In HTML and XML format, can be
circumvented because JavaScript
runs directly in the browser.
onServer
(
validateat="onServer"
attribute)
Does not require browser
support.
Limited to
cfinput
and
cftextarea
tags.
Can be circumvented because
validation rules are submitted with
the form.
Hidden form field
Does not require browser
support. Can be used with
HTML or CFML form
elements.
Limited to forms.
Can be circumvented because
validation rules are submitted with
the form.
JavaScript
(
onValidate = "
function
"
attribute)
Allows all on-client
processing supported by the
browser. Can be used with
HTML or CFML form
elements.
Limited to specific
ColdFusion form tags. Calls a
single JavaScript function.
JavaScript levels of support
can vary among browsers,
and users can disable
JavaScript in their browsers.
Can be circumvented because
JavaScript runs directly in the
browser.
IsValid
function
Can be used for any variable,
not just form fields. Returns a
Yes or No result that you use
to determine further
processing.
When used with a form field,
runs after the data is
submitted. Must be used
each time a variable needs to
be validated. Provides some
data type checks not
available in forms validation
techniques.
None
cfparam
tag
Can be used for any variable,
not just form fields. The tag
can set a default value in
addition to validating data.
When used with a form field,
the tag runs after the data is
submitted. You respond to
validation failures using
error-handling code.
None
cfargument
tag
Used for arguments to
functions written using the
cffunction
tag.
Runs when the function is
called on the server. You
respond to validation failures
using error-handling code.
None