Validate Date in Client Script

[CharlesR1]

Hello All,

Hopefully a quick one - I'm having trouble getting a Client Script to work properly - I have a date field 'ends' (type is 'Date'), which we need to ensure is in the future.

I am using the following Client Script and Script include, but I receive an onChange script error. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks,

Charles

Client Script:

function onChange(control, oldValue, newValue, isLoading, isTemplate) {

    if (isLoading || newValue === '') {

          return;

    }

      // assuming datefield is a string

      var ajax = new GlideAjax('CheckDateAjax');

      ajax.addParam('sysparm_name','compareDateToNow');

      ajax.addParam('sysparm_datefield', ends);

      ajax.getXML(SetValues);

      function SetValues(response) {

          var answer = response.responseXML.documentElement.getAttribute("answer") * 1;

              if(answer > 0){

                      g_form.showFieldMsg('Please ensure that the Expiry date is in the future!','error');

return false;

              }

      }

}

Script Include:

      var CheckDateAjax = Class.create();

      CheckDateAjax.prototype = Object.extendsObject(AbstractAjaxProcessor, {

              compareDateToNow: function () {

              var date1 = new GlideDateTime();

              var date2 = new GlideDateTime();

              date2.setDisplayValue(this.getParameter('sysparm_datefield'));

                      return date1.compareTo(date2);

              }

      });

[dougconnell]

I don't think using Ajax to validate Client Dates on the Server side could possibly be considered best practice.  

Below is a sample UI Client Script which runs entirely on the client and validates a Variable of type Date in a Catalog Item.

This script checks to see if the 'date_required' (i.e. NewValue) is >= 2 days in the future and not on a weekend.

function onChange(control, oldValue, newValue, isLoading, isTemplate) {

    if (isLoading || newValue === '') {

        return;

    }

    //get the new and current date/time as an object

    var dateObjectNow = new Date();

    var dateObjectNew = new Date(newValue);

    //get the dates in days - also use floor to convert valeus to integers

    var dateNow = Math.floor(dateObjectNow.valueOf()/(1000*60*60*24));

    var dateNew = Math.floor(dateObjectNew.valueOf()/(1000*60*60*24));

    // Get day of week (Sunday = 0)

    var dayOfWeek = dateObjectNew.getDay();

    // Check Date if date is 2 or more days in the future and not on the weekend.

    // dateNow is the Date/Time now, whereas dateNew is the date at midnight

    // so dateNew currently equals dateNow -1.  So use 2 in the check below (not 2).

    var msg;

    if (dateNew >= (dateNow + 2) && dayOfWeek > 0 && dayOfWeek < 6) {

        msg = 'Date is OK';

        g_form.hideFieldMsg('date_required',true);

        g_form.showFieldMsg('date_required',msg,'info',false);

    }

    else {

        msg = 'ERROR: Date must be 2 or more days in the future and not on the weekend.';

        g_form.hideFieldMsg('date_required',true);

        g_form.showFieldMsg('date_required',msg,'error',false);

    }

}

[tillu]

Validation being at server level or at client? I do not see this as a question of best practice! This depends on the requirement. Personally, if there is a large form to fill in, and a date validation happens at the end of a torture form, I would go through the roof. If it is a small, rapid entry form, it could be done via a business rule. Whichever is your preferred route, one important aspect which is being missed here is that if one goes down the client side script, or a UI policy, the best practice is that you accompany the field validation with an ACL which does not allow list-edit of the same same field from the list. Otherwise, the date would be editable without going into the form and the validation script would not fire. A business rule, on the other hand, will fire both when submitting the form or editing the record from the list.