Apply Twitter Bootstrap Validation Style and Message to ASP.NET MVC validation

Question

How can I integrate ASP.NET MVC unobtrusive validation and Twitter Bootstrap? I want to have all those validation messages and styles appropriately.

Answer 1

A nice way of handling this if you're using Bootstrap 2 is...

Add this to your _Layout.cshtml:

<script type="text/javascript">

jQuery.validator.setDefaults({
    highlight: function (element, errorClass, validClass) {
        if (element.type === 'radio') {
            this.findByName(element.name).addClass(errorClass).removeClass(validClass);
        } else {
            $(element).addClass(errorClass).removeClass(validClass);
            $(element).closest('.control-group').removeClass('success').addClass('error');
        }
    },
    unhighlight: function (element, errorClass, validClass) {
        if (element.type === 'radio') {
            this.findByName(element.name).removeClass(errorClass).addClass(validClass);
        } else {
            $(element).removeClass(errorClass).addClass(validClass);
            $(element).closest('.control-group').removeClass('error').addClass('success');
        }
    }
});

$(function () {

    $("span.field-validation-valid, span.field-validation-error").addClass('help-inline');
    $("div.control-group").has("span.field-validation-error").addClass('error');
    $("div.validation-summary-errors").has("li:visible").addClass("alert alert-block alert-error");

});

</script>

These are the posts where I found the code pieces above:

Integrating Bootstrap Error styling with MVC’s Unobtrusive Error Validation

Twitter Bootstrap validation styles with ASP.NET MVC

MVC Twitter Bootstrap unobtrusive error handling

---

UPDATE

Right now I needed to do the same when using Bootstrap 3. Here's the modifications necessary since the class names changed:

<script type="text/javascript">

    jQuery.validator.setDefaults({
        highlight: function (element, errorClass, validClass)
        {
            if (element.type === 'radio')
            {
                this.findByName(element.name).addClass(errorClass).removeClass(validClass);
            } else
            {
                $(element).addClass(errorClass).removeClass(validClass);
                $(element).closest('.form-group').removeClass('has-success').addClass('has-error');
            }
        },
        unhighlight: function (element, errorClass, validClass)
        {
            if (element.type === 'radio')
            {
                this.findByName(element.name).removeClass(errorClass).addClass(validClass);
            } else
            {
                $(element).removeClass(errorClass).addClass(validClass);
                $(element).closest('.form-group').removeClass('has-error').addClass('has-success');
            }
        }
    });

$(function () {

    $("span.field-validation-valid, span.field-validation-error").addClass('help-block');
    $("div.form-group").has("span.field-validation-error").addClass('has-error');
    $("div.validation-summary-errors").has("li:visible").addClass("alert alert-block alert-danger");

});

</script>

Answer 2

Copy the css of the validators in your css file and change the color accordinlgly. Something like this should do

.field-validation-error {
    color: #b94a48;
    display: inline-block;
    *display: inline;
    padding-left: 5px;
    vertical-align: middle;
    *zoom: 1;
}

.field-validation-valid {
    display: none;
}

.input-validation-error {
    /*
    border: 1px solid #ff0000;
    background-color: #ffeeee;
    */
    color: #b94a48;
    border-color: #b94a48;
}

.input-validation-error:focus {
  border-color: #953b39;
  -webkit-box-shadow: 0 0 6px #d59392;
  -moz-box-shadow: 0 0 6px #d59392;
  box-shadow: 0 0 6px #d59392;
}

.validation-summary-errors {
    /*font-weight: bold;*/
    color: #b94a48;
}

.validation-summary-valid {
    display: none;
}

Answer 3

I suggest to include Bootstrapper in less format and do the same thing as Iridio suggested but in .less. That way you could have something like:

.validation-summary-errors
{
    .alert();
    .alert-error();
}
.field-validation-error 
{
    .label();
    .label-important();
}

so when bootstrapper will change you'll pick up the changes automatically. Regular styles that handle visibility from MVC default Site.css will stay in place and handle visibility.

Answer 4

Why not just use css !important and call it a day:

/* Styles for validation helpers
-----------------------------------------------------------*/
.field-validation-error {
    color: #f00 !important;
}

.field-validation-valid {
    display: none;
}

.input-validation-error {
    border: 1px solid #f00 !important;
    background-color: #fee !important;
}

.validation-summary-errors {
    font-weight: bold;
    color: #f00;
}

.validation-summary-valid {
    display: none;
}

Answer 5

On Bootstrap 3 you have to add:

.validation-summary-errors
{
    .alert();
    .alert-danger();
}
.field-validation-error 
{
    .label();
    .label-danger();
}

you'll see something like that:

Answer 6

For the ValidationSummary, you can use the overload that allows you to specify htmlAttributes. This allows you to set it to use the Twitter Bootstrap alert css styles.

@Html.ValidationSummary(string.Empty, new { @class = "alert alert-danger" })

A similar overload exists for the ValidationMessage and ValidationMessageFor helper methods.

Answer 7

You can integrate MVC3 validation with Bootstrap framework by adding the following javascript to your page (View)

<script>
$(document).ready(function () {
/* Bootstrap Fix */
$.validator.setDefaults({
    highlight: function (element) {
        $(element).closest("div.control-group").addClass("error");
    },
    unhighlight: function (element) {
        $(element).closest("div.control-group").removeClass("error");
    }
});
var current_div;
$(".editor-label, .editor-field").each(function () {
    var $this = $(this);
    if ($this.hasClass("editor-label")) {
        current_div = $('<div class="control-group"></div>').insertBefore(this);
    }
    current_div.append(this);
});
$(".editor-label").each(function () {
    $(this).contents().unwrap();
});
$(".editor-field").each(function () {
    $(this).addClass("controls");
    $(this).removeClass("editor-field");
});
$("label").each(function () {
    $(this).addClass("control-label");
});
$("span.field-validation-valid, span.field-validation-error").each(function () {
    $(this).addClass("help-inline");
});
$("form").each(function () {
    $(this).addClass("form-horizontal");
    $(this).find("div.control-group").each(function () {
        if ($(this).find("span.field-validation-error").length > 0) {
            $(this).addClass("error");
        }
    });
});
});
</script>

Besides, on the Views (for example "Create.cshtml") make sure that the fields in the form are formatted as the following...

    <div class="editor-label">
        @Html.LabelFor(Function(model) model.Name)
    </div>
    <div class="editor-field">
        @Html.EditorFor(Function(model) model.Name)
        @Html.ValidationMessageFor(Function(model) model.Name)
    </div>

Answer 8

For those using Bootstrap 3, the css classes have changed and the solutions above need modifications to work with Bootstrap 3. I have used the following with success with MVC 4 and Bootstrap 3. See this SO thread for more:

$(function () {
 // any validation summary items should be encapsulated by a class alert and alert-danger
    $('.validation-summary-errors').each(function () {
        $(this).addClass('alert');
        $(this).addClass('alert-danger');
    });

    // update validation fields on submission of form
    $('form').submit(function () {
        if ($(this).valid()) {
            $(this).find('div.control-group').each(function () {
                if ($(this).find('span.field-validation-error').length == 0) {
                    $(this).removeClass('has-error');
                    $(this).addClass('has-success');
                }
            });
        }
        else {
            $(this).find('div.control-group').each(function () {
                if ($(this).find('span.field-validation-error').length > 0) {
                    $(this).removeClass('has-success');
                    $(this).addClass('has-error');
                }
            });
            $('.validation-summary-errors').each(function () {
                if ($(this).hasClass('alert-danger') == false) {
                    $(this).addClass('alert');
                    $(this).addClass('alert-danger');
                }
            });
        }
    });

    // check each form-group for errors on ready
    $('form').each(function () {
        $(this).find('div.form-group').each(function () {
            if ($(this).find('span.field-validation-error').length > 0) {
                $(this).addClass('has-error');
            }
        });
    });
});

var page = function () {
    //Update the validator
    $.validator.setDefaults({
        highlight: function (element) {
            $(element).closest(".form-group").addClass("has-error");
            $(element).closest(".form-group").removeClass("has-success");
        },
        unhighlight: function (element) {
            $(element).closest(".form-group").removeClass("has-error");
            $(element).closest(".form-group").addClass("has-success");
        }
    });
}();

Answer 9

You can add a few classes to your Site.css file:

/* styles for validation helpers */
.field-validation-error {
    color: #b94a48;
}

.field-validation-valid {
    display: none;
}

input.input-validation-error {
    border: 1px solid #b94a48;
}

select.input-validation-error {
    border: 1px solid #b94a48;
}

input[type="checkbox"].input-validation-error {
    border: 0 none;
}

.validation-summary-errors {
    color: #b94a48;
}

.validation-summary-valid {
    display: none;
}

FYI: http://weblogs.asp.net/jdanforth/form-validation-formatting-in-asp-net-mvc-5-and-bootstrap-3