Help needed to validate a text field

Question

I'm using Acrobat X1 Pro and Live Cycle Designer ES4
I have a numeric text field to capture a blank or 14 digit number.
The display pattern is: null{}|num{zzzzzzzzzzzzzz}
The edit pattern is: null{}|num{zzzzzzzzzzzzzz}
The validation pattern is:
The data pattern id : null{}|num{zzzzzzzzzzzzzz}
I'm trying to make test that the user:
only enters numbers
enters nothing or a 14 digit number.
Display an error message and set focus back on the field for wrong entries.
This is the code:
topmostSubform.Page1.AU01::exit - (JavaScript, client)
// Test AU number format
var re = /^[0-9]{14}$/
//Allow blank space in field
if (event.value !="") {
  if (re.test(event.value) == false) {
    app.alert ({
       cTitle: "Incorrect AU Format",
       cMsg: "Enter a valid 14-digit AU number."
     getField("AU01").setFocus);
I get the error message when I exit the field regardless of what is in the field. And the set focus does not seem to work.
I can program in VBA but find Javascript challenging. What good reference books can you recommend?
May thanks.
Brian Dunkin

Answer 1

Hi,
With the first issue: having the dropdown and the first textfield displaying the same value, the easy solution is to use Global Binding.
Make sure that the dropdown and the first textfield have the same name in the hierarchy.
The select one of them and in the Object > Binding palette, set the binding to Global.
In the dropdown go to the Object > Binding palette and make sure that "Specify values" is NOT ticked.
It is probably a good idea to set the textfield to read only, in the Object > Value palette. This would prevent the user overwriting the value set by the dropdown.
No script required. Whatever is in the dropdpwn will appear in the textfield.
The second issue needs a small script in the calculate event of the second textfield. This looks at the value in the first textfield (TextField1) and sets its own value. This is JavaScript:
if (TextField1.rawValue == "Option B")
     this.rawValue = "Specific text";
else
     this.rawValue = null;
There are some examples here: http://assure.ly/jtTkdO, http://assure.ly/fYCuQ2.
Hope that helps,
Niall