The `required` attribute is ineffective when used with the `<form>` element

My required attribute isn't enforcing mandatory field completion before form submission.

HTML Code:

<!-- Modal Content -->
            <form class="modal-content2">
                <div class="container3">
                    <h1>Sign Up</h1>
                    <p>Please fill in this form to create an account.</p>
                    <hr>
                    <label for="firstName"><b>First Name</b></label>
                    <input type="text" id="firstName" placeholder="Enter First Name" name="firstName" required>

                    <label for="lastName"><b>Last Name</b></label>
                    <input type="text" id="lastName" placeholder="Enter Last Name" name="lastName" required>

                    <label for="username"><b>Username</b></label>
                    <input type="text" id="username" placeholder="Enter Username" name="username" required>

                    <label for="email"><b>Email</b></label>
                    <input type="text" id="email" placeholder="Enter Email" name="email" required>

                    <label for="psw"><b>Password</b></label>
                    <input type="password" id="password" placeholder="Enter Password" name="psw" onfocus="this.value=''"
                        required>

                    <label for="psw-confirm"><b>Confirm Password</b></label>
                    <input type="password" id="cfmpassword" placeholder="Confirm Password" name="psw-confirm" onfocus="this.value=''"
                        required>

                    <br>
                    <br>
                    <p>By creating an account you agree to our <a href="aboutus.html" style="color:dodgerblue">Terms &
                            Privacy</a>.</p>

                    <div class="clearfix">
                        <button type="button" onclick="document.getElementById('id02').style.display='none'" class="cancelbtn2">Cancel</button>
                        <button type="button" class="signupbtn" onclick="signUp()">Sign Up</button>
                    </div>
                </div>
            </form>

JavaScript Function:

function signUp() {
    if (document.getElementById("password").value == document.getElementById("cfmpassword").value) {
        var users = new Object();
        users.firstName = document.getElementById("firstName").value;
        users.lastName = document.getElementById("lastName").value;
        users.username = document.getElementById("username").value;
        users.email = document.getElementById("email").value;
        users.password = document.getElementById("password").value;


        var postUser = new XMLHttpRequest(); 

        postUser.open("POST", "/users", true); 

        postUser.setRequestHeader("Content-Type", "application/json");

        postUser.send(JSON.stringify(users));

        window.location = "main.html";
    }
    else {
        alert("Password and Confirm Password do not match!")
    }
}

The required attribute issue allows empty form submissions stored in my SQL database.

No <button type="submit"> is used for preventing windows.location.

Being a beginner in programming, seeking suggestions (with explanations) to fix this. Any assistance is highly appreciated! Thank you! (Vanilla JavaScript is being used)

Answer №1

The required attribute is ineffective when your form is not submitted. To resolve this issue, you must include a button with type="submit" or use <input type="submit"> to submit the form.

I recommend moving the signUp function inside the form tag and utilizing an onsubmit event like this:

<form onsubmit="signUp(event)">
.

Additionally, incorporate the following code snippet into your JavaScript function:

function signUp(event) {
  event.preventDefault();
  ... your old code
}

Answer №2

After examining the code, I have identified several potential issues that can be resolved using the provided sample code. The assumption is made that /users will provide valuable information for error checking and alerting the user of any access or data processing issues.

The current implementation of the required attribute on the <input> element may not have any visible impact in your code since the <button> has an onclick=signUp() function call that happens before the browser checks for required fields. As a result, form values (regardless of being present or empty) are still submitted to /users without validation.

To address this issue, it is recommended to move the signUp() call to the <form> element to ensure proper browser validation.

You can test this by removing the onclick=signUp() from the <button>, which should trigger a browser notification indicating that the value is required.

Given that AJAX is used to submit form data, it is advisable to perform validation within the <form> submission process as a best practice. Additionally, waiting for a response from /users before redirecting to

main.html</code is crucial for providing a better user experience.</p>

<p>The modified sample code includes a callback function that handles responses from <code>/users
and alerts the user accordingly, ensuring a more robust error handling mechanism.

var users = {};

function ajaxPost(url, postData, callFunc) {
  var http = new XMLHttpRequest();
  if (!http){
    return false;
  }
  http.onreadystatechange = function(){
    if ((http.readyState == 4) && (http.status == 200)) {
      if (callFunc) {
        callFunc(http.responseText);
      }
    }
  }
  http.open('POST', url, true);
  http.send(postData);
}

function validResult(str) {
  if (str == "valid") {
    // Redirect to the logged-in page
    window.location = "main.html";
  } else {
    console.log("Invalid result, notify the user");
  }
}

function signUp(e) {
  if (e) { e.stopPropagation(); e.preventDefault(); }

  var d = document.getElementById("signupForm").querySelectorAll("input");
  var i, max = d.length;
  
  for (i = 0; i < max; i++) {
    d[i].value = d[i].value.trim();
    if (d[i].value) {
      users[d[i].name] = d[i].value;
    } else {
      console.log("Missing value for [" + d[i].name + "]");
      return;
    }
  }
  console.log("users:[" + JSON.stringify(users) + "]");
  // Uncomment the line below to post the data
  //ajaxPost("/users", JSON.stringify(users), validResult);
}

window.onload = function() {
  var c = document.getElementById("signupForm");
  if (c) {
    c.addEventListener("submit", signUp, false);
  }
}
<form id="signupForm">
<label for="firstName"><b>First Name</b></label>
<input type="text" id="firstName" placeholder="Enter First Name" name="firstName" required>
<p>
<label for="email"><b>Email</b></label>
<input type="email" id="email" placeholder="Enter Email" name="email" required>
<p>
<button id="submit" type="submit">Check and submit</button>
</form>

Answer №3

Understanding the fundamentals of HTML5 validation. The script is triggered on button click before the validation process occurs, showcasing the difference between onclick and onsubmit events. Ensure to use the appropriate event for optimal functionality.

function submitForm () {
  console.log('submitForm')
}

function handleClick () {
  console.log('handleClick')
}
<form onsubmit="submitForm()">
  <input name="foo" required />
  <button onclick="handleClick()">click</button>
</form>

Answer №4

The required attribute in HTML determines if an element has a value length greater than zero. If the value length is zero, upon form submission, the element will be highlighted as "required" to be filled.

Below is an example using JavaScript to handle checking input fields:

const form = document.querySelector('form[action="signup.php"]'); // Form
const inputs = form.querySelectorAll('input'); // All input elements inside the form
const submit = form.querySelector('button[type="submit"]'); // Submit button inside the form

// Add onclick event to the form button
submit.addEventListener('click', function(event) {
event.preventDefault(); // Prevents the default form submission
submit_form(); // Custom form submission
});

function submit_form() {
// Iterate through the form input elements
for (var i = 0; i < inputs.length; i++) {
if (inputs[i].hasAttribute('required') && inputs[i].value.length == 0) {
inputs[i].focus(); // Focus on required element
alert(inputs[i].placeholder + ' is required!'); // Alert user about the requirement
break;
} else {
if (i == (inputs.length - 1)) form.submit(); // Submit the form if all fields are filled
}
}
}
form {
width:300px;
margin:auto
}

form button,
form input {
width:100%;
height:48px;
padding:0 15px;
font-size:18px;
box-sizing:border-box;
}

form input:focus {
background-color:#f2dfb7;
}
<form action="signup.php" method="POST>
<input type="text" name="first_name" placeholder="First Name" required>
<input type="text" name="last_name" placeholder="Last Name" required>
<input type="email" name="email" placeholder="Email Address" required>
<input type="email" name="email_repeat" placeholder="Email Address (Repeat)" required>
<input type="password" name="password" placeholder="Password" required>
<input type="text" name="phone" placeholder="Phone Number" required>
<input type="text" name="birthday" placeholder="Birthday (MM/DD/YYYY)" required>
<button type="submit">Sign Up</button>
</form>

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