Form Validator Properties

When configuring the Form Validator element properties, field values are prepopulated based on the Form Validator's initial configuration. 

Validator Types

1. Validate Age

What it does: Checks that a student's date of birth meets the age requirement for a specific grade level.

When to use it:

• Kindergarten entry requirements

• Enrollment age gates

• School entry deadlines

Configuration steps:

1. From the Type dropdown, select Validate Age

2. Date of Birth Field — Choose the field that contains the student's birth date (typically something like "Student Date of Birth")

3. Grade (optional) — Select the field that contains the grade level. If left blank, the validator checks age regardless of grade

4. Cutoff Date — Enter the deadline date (example: 09/01/2024). Students born on or after this date will fail validation

5. Validated Grade (if Grade field selected) — Specify which grade level to validate for (example: K, 1st, Kindergarten, depending on your form's format)

Example scenario:

• Your district requires students entering Kindergarten to be at least 5 years old by September 1st

• Set Cutoff Date to 09/01/2024

• Set Validated Grade to K

• Students born after 09/01/2019 will see the error message

Validation Message Example:

"The student's date of birth does not meet the age requirement for the selected grade."

2. Validate At Least One

What it does: Requires that at least one field in a group contains a value (is not empty).

When to use it:

• Phone number entry (at least one contact number must be provided)

• Alternate address (if no alternate address, require at least one address line)

• Emergency contacts (require at least one way to reach the family)

Configuration steps:

1. From the Type dropdown, select Validate At Least One

2. Fields to Check — Select at least two fields. Click the dropdown and check the boxes for each field that should be evaluated

3. Conditional Trigger (optional) — If you want this validator to only apply under certain conditions, select a field here. For example, you could make this validator only apply if a "Do you have an alternate address?" checkbox is marked "Yes"

Example scenario:

• You have three phone number fields: Home Phone, Cell Phone, Work Phone

• You want to require families to provide at least one phone number

• Select all three fields

• Error message: "Please provide at least one phone number"

Validation Message Example:

"At least one contact number must be provided."

3. Validate Checkbox Count

What it does: Ensures the number of selected checkboxes falls within a minimum and/or maximum range.

When to use it:

• "Select 2-4 languages your child speaks"

• "Choose at least one morning arrival time"

• "Select no more than 3 transportation options"

Configuration steps:

1. From the Type dropdown, select Validate Checkbox Count

2. Checkbox Fields — Select at least two checkbox fields to monitor

3. Minimum Selected — Enter the lowest number of checkboxes that must be checked (or leave blank if there's no minimum)

4. Maximum Selected — Enter the highest number of checkboxes allowed (or leave blank if there's no maximum)

Example scenario:

• You have a question: "Which languages are spoken at home?" with 8 checkbox options

• You want families to select between 1 and 3 languages

• Minimum Selected: 1

• Maximum Selected: 3

• Error message: "Please select between 1 and 3 languages"

Validation Message Example:

"Please select between 1 and 3 languages spoken at home."

4. Validate Match

What it does: Ensures that multiple fields contain the same value (commonly used for "confirm" fields like email or password).

When to use it:

• Email and confirm email fields

• Password and confirm password fields

• Any fields that must match exactly

Configuration steps:

1. From the Type dropdown, select Validate Match

2. Fields to Match — Select at least two fields that must contain identical values

3. The comparison is case-insensitive (uppercase/lowercase doesn't matter)

Example scenario:

• You have "Email Address" and "Confirm Email Address" fields

• Select both fields

• Parents must enter the same email address in both fields

• Error message: "Email addresses do not match. Please verify and try again."

Validation Message Example:

"Email addresses do not match."

5. Validate Uniqueness

What it does: Ensures that all selected fields contain different values (no duplicates).

When to use it:

• Multiple medical conditions (no duplicate conditions listed)

• Multiple guardian emails (each guardian has a different email)

• Unique field entries in any context

Configuration steps:

1. From the Type dropdown, select Validate Uniqueness

2. Fields to Check — Select at least two fields that must all have unique values

Example scenario:

• You have "Medical Condition 1," "Medical Condition 2," and "Medical Condition 3" fields

• You want to ensure no medical condition is listed twice

• Select all three fields

• Error message: "Please ensure each medical condition is entered only once"

Validation Message Example:

"Each medical condition must be unique."

6. Validate Contact Priority

What it does: Ensures that contact records are properly prioritized (common in multi-contact scenarios).

When to use it:

• Multiple emergency contacts, each with a priority number (1, 2, 3, etc.).

• Guardian/contact preference rankings

Configuration steps:

1. From the Type dropdown, select Validate Contact Priority

2. Priority Fields — Select the fields that contain priority values (typically dropdown fields with numbers like 1, 2, 3)

3. The system validates that:

   • At least one field contains a priority value

   • Each priority is unique (no two fields have the same priority)

   • There are no gaps in the numbering (if you have 1 and 3, you must also have 2)

Example scenario:

• You have three emergency contact dropdowns, each with priority options: "1st", "2nd", "3rd", or "Not Set"

• Families must assign priorities with no gaps

• Valid: Contact 1 = "1st", Contact 2 = "2nd", Contact 3 = "Not Set" ✓

• Invalid: Contact 1 = "1st", Contact 2 = "3rd" (missing "2nd") ✗

Validation Message Example:

"Contact priorities must be numbered consecutively with no gaps."

Custom Validation

What it does: Allows you to create validation rules using an expression builder for scenarios that don't fit the pre-built validator types.

When to use it:

• Complex logic: "If grade is 6-8 AND state is California, then require health form"

• Multi-field conditions: "If this field = 'Yes' AND that field contains 'Special Needs', then require another field"

• Any business rule unique to your district

Creating a Custom Validation

1. From the Type dropdown, select Custom Validation

2. Click the Expression Builder button

3. Build your rule using the expression builder interface

Expression Builder Basics

The expression builder uses a simple, logical format:

Basic structure:

[Field] [Operator] [Value]
AND/OR
[Field] [Operator] [Value]

Example:

Student Grade is "6" 
AND 
Health Form is "Yes"

Available Operators

Combining Conditions

Use AND or OR to combine multiple rules:

• AND = ALL conditions must be true

• OR = AT LEAST ONE condition must be true

Examples:

"Grade 6 AND State is California"

• Only applies if BOTH conditions are true

"Phone Number is not blank OR Alternate Phone is not blank"

• Passes if AT LEAST ONE phone number is provided

Working with Dates

When your expression includes a date field, special options appear:

• Select the date field

• Choose a date comparison operator: is, is not, less than, greater than, etc.

• A date picker appears—choose the date to compare against

• The date respects your form's configured format (MM/DD/YYYY or DD/MM/YYYY)

Example:

Date of Birth less than "09/01/2019"

Tips for Custom Validation

• Use clear logic: Keep expressions simple, so they're easy to maintain

• Test thoroughly: Preview the form and test edge cases

• Document your rules: Add a descriptive Validation Message that explains what's required

• Use groups for clarity: If your expression is complex, use parentheses to group related conditions

Example complex rule:

(Grade is "K" OR Grade is "1st") 
AND 
(Health Form is "Yes" OR Immunization Waiver is "Yes")