node-iform

node-iform is a connect middleware help you validate and convert form data.

NOTE You need to view node-validator for more information.

Install

npm install iform

Example

    var iform = require('iform');

    var userForm = iform({
            username: {
                required : true,
                len : [4, 15]
            },
            password: {
                required : true,
                len : [6, 20]
            },

            email : {
                type : 'email'
            },

            birth : {
                type : Date,
                isAfter: new Date('01/01/1900'),
                isBefore : null // means now
            },

            avatar : {
                defaultValue : function(req) {
                    return '/avatar/' + req.body.username + '.png';
                }
            },

            age : 'int',

            blog : 'url'
    });

    app.post('/signup', userForm(), function(req, res, next) {
            if(req.iform.errors) {
                return res.json(req.iform.errors);
            }
            db.users.insert(req.iform.data, function(err, data) {
                res.json({success : true, message: 'Sign up successfully'});
            });
    });

    app.post('/profile', userForm('birth', 'age', 'blog'), function(req, res, next){
            if(req.iform.errors) {
                return res.json(req.iform.errors);
            }
            db.users.update({username : req.session.user.username}, req.iform.data, function(err, data) {
                res.json({success : true, message: 'Update profile successfully'});
            });
    });

define rules

At first you need define some rules for validation

As you can see in the example, define a form like this : var form = iform(rules);

rules is like {fieldName : fieldRules, ...}

fieldRules is like {ruleName : ruleParameter, ...}

        // field name | rule name | rule parameters
           username  :{ len       : [4, 15] }

The rule names can find at node-validator project page.

All the methods of Validator and Filter of node-validator can be use as a rule name. The rule parameters is the arguments for that method.

The len is defined by node-validator like this

    Validator.prototype.len = function(min, max) { ... }

It takes two parameters. so we use an array as the parameters.

The type is a special rule ,e.g.

    email : {
        type : 'email'
    }

it is equals to

    email : {
        'isEmail' : []
    }

you can also use int, date etc, cause the Validator defined isInt and isDate

all the method of Valiator starts with is and take no arguments can be use as a type.

if you only have a type rule you can use fieldName : type define it.

You can also use Date Number instead of 'date', 'number'

use the middleware

userForm you just defined is a function which returns a middleware, use like this

    app.post('/signup', userForm(), function(req, res, next) {
            if(req.iform.errors) {
                return res.json(req.iform.errors);
            }
            db.users.insert(req.iform.data, function(err, data) {
                res.json({success : true, message: 'Sign up successfully'});
            });
    });

the middleware will check the req.body by your rules, all the validation errors go to req.iform.errors, and the filtered and converted data go to req.iform.data.

Since the data has been cleaned, you can use it immediately.

If there is another page also use the smae rules but only part of fields, you can reuse it like this.

    app.post('/profile', userForm('birth', 'age', 'blog'), function(req, res, next){
            if(req.iform.errors) {
                return res.json(req.iform.errors);
            }
            db.users.update({username : req.session.user.username}, req.iform.data, function(err, data) {
                res.json({success : true, message: 'Update profile successfully'});
            });
    });