Javascript form validation server side, is it possible?

Question

How can I make this form to work on server side instead of client side. I have the following code:

<script type="text/javascript">
function validateForm()
{
    var namef=document.forms["orderform1"].elements["name"].value;
    var emailf=document.forms["orderform1"].elements["email"].value;
    var addressf=document.forms["orderform1"].elements["address1"].value;
    var statef=document.forms["orderform1"].elements["state"].value;
    var pincodef=document.forms["orderform1"]["pincode"].value;
    var phonef=document.forms["orderform1"]["phone"].value;

    var nameregex=/^[a-zA-Z]+\s?[a-zA-Z]+$/;
    var emailregex=/^[a-zA-Z0-9\_\-\.]+\@[a-zA-Z0-9\_\-\.]+$/;
    var addressregex = /^[0-9a-zA-Z\,\s]+$/;
    var stateregex=/^[a-zA-Z]+\s?[a-zA-Z]+$/;
    var pincoderegex=/^[0-9]{4,6}$/;
    var phoneregex=/^\+?[0-9]{8,12}$/;
    if(namef.match(nameregex))
                {
                     if (emailf.match(emailregex)) 
                     {
                        if (addressf.match(addressregex)) 
                        {
                            if (statef.match(stateregex))
                            {
                                if (pincodef.match(pincoderegex))
                                {
                                    if (phonef.match(phoneregex))
                                    {
                                        return true;
                                    }
                                    else
                                    {
                                        alert('Invalid Phone number.');
                                        return false;
                                    }
                                }
                                else
                                {
                                    alert('Invalid PIncode');
                                    return false;
                                }
                            }
                            else
                            {
                                alert('Invalid State');
                                return false;
                            }
                        } 
                        else 
                        {
                            alert('Address Empty or Contains illegal characters');
                            return false;
                        }
                     } 
                     else 
                     {
                        alert('Email incorrect');
                        return false;
                    }
                }
                else
                {
                    alert("Please Enter a Valid Name!");
                    return false;
                }
}
</script>

And the form html:

<form name="orderform1" action="" onsubmit="return validateForm()" method="post" id="orderform">
          <ol>
            <li>
              <label for="name">Your Name:*</label>
              <input id="name" name="name" class="text" />
            </li>
            <li>
              <label for="email">E-Mail:*</label>
              <input id="email" name="email" class="text" />
            </li>
            <li>
              <label for="address1">Address Line 1:*</label>
              <input id="address1" name="address1" class="text" />
            </li>
            <li>
              <label for="address2">Address Line 2:</label>
              <input id="address2" name="address2" class="text" />
            </li>
            <li>
              <label for="state">State/Province*:</label>
              <input id="state" name="state" class="text" />
            </li>
            <li>
              <label for="address">City:</label>
              <input id="address" name="address" class="text" />
            </li>
            <li>
              <label for="pincode">Pin Code:*</label>
              <input id="pincode" name="pincode" class="text" />
            </li>
            <li>
            <label for="country">Country:*</label>
            <select name="country">
<option value="AF">Afghanistan</option>
<option value="AX">Ã…Land Islands</option>
<option value="AL">Albania</option>
<option value="DZ">Algeria</option>
<option value="AS">American Samoa</option>
<option value="AD">Andorra</option>
<option value="AO">Angola</option>
<option value="AI">Anguilla</option>
<option value="AQ">Antarctica</option>
<option value="AG">Antigua And Barbuda</option>
<option value="AR">Argentina</option>
<option value="AM">Armenia</option>
<option value="AW">Aruba</option>
<option value="AU">Australia</option>
<option value="AT">Austria</option>
<option value="AZ">Azerbaijan</option>
<option value="BS">Bahamas</option>
<option value="BH">Bahrain</option>
<option value="BD">Bangladesh</option>
<option value="BB">Barbados</option>
<option value="BY">Belarus</option>
<option value="BE">Belgium</option>
<option value="BZ">Belize</option>
<option value="BJ">Benin</option>
<option value="BM">Bermuda</option>
<option value="BT">Bhutan</option>
<option value="BO">Bolivia</option>
<option value="BA">Bosnia And Herzegovina</option>
<option value="BW">Botswana</option>
<option value="BV">Bouvet Island</option>
<option value="BR">Brazil</option>
<option value="IO">British Indian Ocean Territory</option>
<option value="BN">Brunei Darussalam</option>
<option value="BG">Bulgaria</option>
<option value="BF">Burkina Faso</option>
<option value="BI">Burundi</option>
<option value="KH">Cambodia</option>
<option value="CM">Cameroon</option>
<option value="CA">Canada</option>
<option value="CV">Cape Verde</option>
<option value="KY">Cayman Islands</option>
<option value="CF">Central African Republic</option>
<option value="TD">Chad</option>
<option value="CL">Chile</option>
<option value="CN">China</option>
<option value="CX">Christmas Island</option>
<option value="CC">Cocos (Keeling) Islands</option>
<option value="CO">Colombia</option>
<option value="KM">Comoros</option>
<option value="CG">Congo</option>
<option value="CD">Congo, The Democratic Republic Of The</option>
<option value="CK">Cook Islands</option>
<option value="CR">Costa Rica</option>
<option value="CI">Cote D'Ivoire</option>
<option value="HR">Croatia</option>
<option value="CU">Cuba</option>
<option value="CY">Cyprus</option>
<option value="CZ">Czech Republic</option>
<option value="DK">Denmark</option>
<option value="DJ">Djibouti</option>
<option value="DM">Dominica</option>
<option value="DO">Dominican Republic</option>
<option value="EC">Ecuador</option>
<option value="EG">Egypt</option>
<option value="SV">El Salvador</option>
<option value="GQ">Equatorial Guinea</option>
<option value="ER">Eritrea</option>
<option value="EE">Estonia</option>
<option value="ET">Ethiopia</option>
<option value="FK">Falkland Islands (Malvinas)</option>
<option value="FO">Faroe Islands</option>
<option value="FJ">Fiji</option>
<option value="FI">Finland</option>
<option value="FR">France</option>
<option value="GF">French Guiana</option>
<option value="PF">French Polynesia</option>
<option value="TF">French Southern Territories</option>
<option value="GA">Gabon</option>
<option value="GM">Gambia</option>
<option value="GE">Georgia</option>
<option value="DE">Germany</option>
<option value="GH">Ghana</option>
<option value="GI">Gibraltar</option>
<option value="GR">Greece</option>
<option value="GL">Greenland</option>
<option value="GD">Grenada</option>
<option value="GP">Guadeloupe</option>
<option value="GU">Guam</option>
<option value="GT">Guatemala</option>
<option value=" Gg">Guernsey</option>
<option value="GN">Guinea</option>
<option value="GW">Guinea-Bissau</option>
<option value="GY">Guyana</option>
<option value="HT">Haiti</option>
<option value="HM">Heard Island And Mcdonald Islands</option>
<option value="VA">Holy See (Vatican City State)</option>
<option value="HN">Honduras</option>
<option value="HK">Hong Kong</option>
<option value="HU">Hungary</option>
<option value="IS">Iceland</option>
<option value="IN">India</option>
<option value="ID">Indonesia</option>
<option value="IR">Iran, Islamic Republic Of</option>
<option value="IQ">Iraq</option>
<option value="IE">Ireland</option>
<option value="IM">Isle Of Man</option>
<option value="IL">Israel</option>
<option value="IT">Italy</option>
<option value="JM">Jamaica</option>
<option value="JP">Japan</option>
<option value="JE">Jersey</option>
<option value="JO">Jordan</option>
<option value="KZ">Kazakhstan</option>
<option value="KE">Kenya</option>
<option value="KI">Kiribati</option>
<option value="KP">Korea, Democratic People'S Republic Of</option>
<option value="KR">Korea, Republic Of</option>
<option value="KW">Kuwait</option>
<option value="KG">Kyrgyzstan</option>
<option value="LA">Lao People'S Democratic Republic</option>
<option value="LV">Latvia</option>
<option value="LB">Lebanon</option>
<option value="LS">Lesotho</option>
<option value="LR">Liberia</option>
<option value="LY">Libyan Arab Jamahiriya</option>
<option value="LI">Liechtenstein</option>
<option value="LT">Lithuania</option>
<option value="LU">Luxembourg</option>
<option value="MO">Macao</option>
<option value="MK">Macedonia, The Former Yugoslav Republic Of</option>
<option value="MG">Madagascar</option>
<option value="MW">Malawi</option>
<option value="MY">Malaysia</option>
<option value="MV">Maldives</option>
<option value="ML">Mali</option>
<option value="MT">Malta</option>
<option value="MH">Marshall Islands</option>
<option value="MQ">Martinique</option>
<option value="MR">Mauritania</option>
<option value="MU">Mauritius</option>
<option value="YT">Mayotte</option>
<option value="MX">Mexico</option>
<option value="FM">Micronesia, Federated States Of</option>
<option value="MD">Moldova, Republic Of</option>
<option value="MC">Monaco</option>
<option value="MN">Mongolia</option>
<option value="MS">Montserrat</option>
<option value="MA">Morocco</option>
<option value="MZ">Mozambique</option>
<option value="MM">Myanmar</option>
<option value="NA">Namibia</option>
<option value="NR">Nauru</option>
<option value="NP">Nepal</option>
<option value="NL">Netherlands</option>
<option value="AN">Netherlands Antilles</option>
<option value="NC">New Caledonia</option>
<option value="NZ">New Zealand</option>
<option value="NI">Nicaragua</option>
<option value="NE">Niger</option>
<option value="NG">Nigeria</option>
<option value="NU">Niue</option>
<option value="NF">Norfolk Island</option>
<option value="MP">Northern Mariana Islands</option>
<option value="NO">Norway</option>
<option value="OM">Oman</option>
<option value="PK">Pakistan</option>
<option value="PW">Palau</option>
<option value="PS">Palestinian Territory, Occupied</option>
<option value="PA">Panama</option>
<option value="PG">Papua New Guinea</option>
<option value="PY">Paraguay</option>
<option value="PE">Peru</option>
<option value="PH">Philippines</option>
<option value="PN">Pitcairn</option>
<option value="PL">Poland</option>
<option value="PT">Portugal</option>
<option value="PR">Puerto Rico</option>
<option value="QA">Qatar</option>
<option value="RE">Reunion</option>
<option value="RO">Romania</option>
<option value="RU">Russian Federation</option>
<option value="RW">Rwanda</option>
<option value="SH">Saint Helena</option>
<option value="KN">Saint Kitts And Nevis</option>
<option value="LC">Saint Lucia</option>
<option value="PM">Saint Pierre And Miquelon</option>
<option value="VC">Saint Vincent And The Grenadines</option>
<option value="WS">Samoa</option>
<option value="SM">San Marino</option>
<option value="ST">Sao Tome And Principe</option>
<option value="SA">Saudi Arabia</option>
<option value="SN">Senegal</option>
<option value="CS">Serbia And Montenegro</option>
<option value="SC">Seychelles</option>
<option value="SL">Sierra Leone</option>
<option value="SG">Singapore</option>
<option value="SK">Slovakia</option>
<option value="SI">Slovenia</option>
<option value="SB">Solomon Islands</option>
<option value="SO">Somalia</option>
<option value="ZA">South Africa</option>
<option value="GS">South Georgia And The South Sandwich Islands</option>
<option value="ES">Spain</option>
<option value="LK">Sri Lanka</option>
<option value="SD">Sudan</option>
<option value="SR">Suriname</option>
<option value="SJ">Svalbard And Jan Mayen</option>
<option value="SZ">Swaziland</option>
<option value="SE">Sweden</option>
<option value="CH">Switzerland</option>
<option value="SY">Syrian Arab Republic</option>
<option value="TW">Taiwan, Province Of China</option>
<option value="TJ">Tajikistan</option>
<option value="TZ">Tanzania, United Republic Of</option>
<option value="TH">Thailand</option>
<option value="TL">Timor-Leste</option>
<option value="TG">Togo</option>
<option value="TK">Tokelau</option>
<option value="TO">Tonga</option>
<option value="TT">Trinidad And Tobago</option>
<option value="TN">Tunisia</option>
<option value="TR">Turkey</option>
<option value="TM">Turkmenistan</option>
<option value="TC">Turks And Caicos Islands</option>
<option value="TV">Tuvalu</option>
<option value="UG">Uganda</option>
<option value="UA">Ukraine</option>
<option value="AE">United Arab Emirates</option>
<option value="GB">United Kingdom</option>
<option value="US">United States</option>
<option value="UM">United States Minor Outlying Islands</option>
<option value="UY">Uruguay</option>
<option value="UZ">Uzbekistan</option>
<option value="VU">Vanuatu</option>
<option value="VE">Venezuela</option>
<option value="VN">Viet Nam</option>
<option value="VG">Virgin Islands, British</option>
<option value="VI">Virgin Islands, U.S.</option>
<option value="WF">Wallis And Futuna</option>
<option value="EH">Western Sahara</option>
<option value="YE">Yemen</option>
<option value="ZM">Zambia</option>
<option value="ZW">Zimbabwe</option>
</select>
            <li>
              <label for="phone">Phone Number(With Country Code):*</label>
              <input id="phone" name="phone" class="text" />
            </li>
            <li class="buttons">
              <input type="submit" name="imageField" id="imageField"  value="Proceed to Payment" class="send" />
              <div class="clr"></div>
            </li>
          </ol>
        </form>

Answer 1

If your goal is to write validation code only once, then your best option, assuming you are using a relational database to store the submitted values, is to write good check constraints on the columns. Then when you try to insert the data into the table you'll get a database error, which you can display on your page.

It's not very user friendly, as the user doesn't get immediate feedback on the data entered, but it's the best way to ensure you have good data no matter how you enter it in the database.

Answer 2

It depends on what you understand by "_ work on server side instead of client side_".

If by the above you understand moving validation to server side, then yes, it is definitely possible. One of the easiest examples is PHP - see example for PIN code below:

<?php

$pincode = $_POST['pincode'];
$pincoderegex = '/^[0-9]{4,6}$/';
if (!preg_match($pincoderegex, $pincode)) {
    echo 'Invalid PIN code';
}

?>

(placed somewhere on the PHP page with the form)

Do it for other fields by analogy and you should receive similar effect to the one you have in JavaScript.

Answer 3

(A new answer since comments on the question imply you are looking to reuse the JS on the server, which is a different question to how I interpreted it originally.)

Wikipedia has a list of server side JavaScript solutions of which node.js is probably the most popular today.

There are also interfaces to the V8 and Rhino JavaScript engines for many programming languages that you can use to integrate with your existing server side code.

However the vast majority of your code is not reusable server side since most of it is either DOM manipulation to pull the data from the form (and on the server you will be pulling it from HTTP not DOM) or is display logic (a stack of alerts) for rendering the error messages (again, not reuseable since the server has to respond with HTTP and not interact with the browser APIs).

The only bits of code you have that can be reused are the regular expressions … which are easily portable to other languages. It would probably be more effort then it is worth to implement a JS solution on the server for this situation.

Answer 4

As a standard approach, the first set of checks are always carried out on the client side. This could include basic checks like the textbox not being empty etc. However, validations for data that is supposed to be checked against your database is generally performed after the form is submitted. If the validations fail, the form is reloaded with the bad fields highlighted.

If you want to validate the user's input against your database as they type (for example, confirm if the username they have entered is available), you can make an Ajax call to your server when the textbox loses focus and return if the data is valid or not.

Answer 5

NODE.JS and RUBY ON RAILS. . . . . .

Answer 6

In a nutshell:

1. Pick a programming language
2. Write a form handler in that language using its standard libraries for parsing form data and interacting with HTTP
3. Configure your server to run that form handler for requests to the URI specified in the action attribute of the form

The specifics will depend on your server and choice of language.

Answer 7

The only way I know of for using javascript server side is node.js