Validating Data... How to validate before you submit via sendData()

Question

I can validate the data fine, but how would I check to see if it is valid before I send the data to the server?
I want to validateData() then sendData()
         private function sendData(e:Event=null):void {
              author = new VOAuthor();
              author.contactName = name_lb.text;
              author.email = company_lb.text;
              author.phone = phone_lb.text;
              author.company = company_lb.text;
              author.comments = comments_lb.text;
              contactDB.submitQuote(author);
         private function validateData():void {
                //(string must be two characters or longer)
                nameValidator = new StringValidator();
                nameValidator.source = name_lb;
                nameValidator.property = "text";
                nameValidator.minLength = 4;
                // Phone validator
                phoneValidator = new PhoneNumberValidator();
                phoneValidator.source = phone_lb;
                phoneValidator.property = "text";
                // Email validator
                emailValidator = new EmailValidator();   
                emailValidator.source = email_lb;
                emailValidator.property = "text";

Answer 1

use validate property which returns validationresultevent:
nameValidator = new StringValidator();
nameValidator.source = name_lb;
nameValidator.property = "text";
nameValidator.minLength = 4;
var r:ValidationResultEvent = nameValidator.validate();
if(r.type == ValidationResultEvent.INVALID)
Alert.show(r.message);
// invalid.